Star of Mongolia

 Urna Chahar-Tugchi from a nomadic family of inner Mongolia, moved to Shanghai to study the instrument yangqin, but realised at the time that her voice was her most important instrument. Since then, she had released five CDs and played several concerts around the world, including at Riddu Riđđu i 2003.

If you didn’t see her in 2003, you might still recognise her from the documentary «The Two Horses of Genghis Khan» where she played the lead role. This documentary movie was shown at Tromsø International film festival earlier this year. The film is about Urna’s attempt to repair an instrument, called morin khuur, which she inherited by her grandmother. The Morin khuur was at one point recognized as Mongolia’s national instrument and the president of Mongolia at the time decided that every household should have one. The Morin khuur music is now on UNESCO’s list of intangible cultural heritage.

Urna’s previous album releases has largely been concentrated on traditional mongol music. Her newest album on the other hand, «Amilal», is based on her experiences from after she moved from Mongolia. Since Mongolia she has lived in China, Germany and Egypt which should make for interesting new material for the festivalgoers to experience at this year’s Riddu Riđđu.