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The famed multiphonic singers of Tibet’s Drepung Loseling Monastery, whose sellout performances in Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center received national acclaim, will perform Sacred Music Sacred Dance for World Healing in Houston.

Robed in magnificent costumes and playing traditional Tibetan instruments, the Drepung Loseling monks will perform ancient temple music and dance. The Loseling monks are particularly renowned for their multiphonic chanting known as zokkay (complete chord). Each of the main chantmasters simultaneously intones three notes, thus each individually creating a complete chord. They also utilize traditional instruments such as 10-foot-long dung-chen horns, drums, bells, cymbals, and gyaling trumpets. Rich brocade costumes and masked dances, such as the Dance of the Sacred Snow Lion, add to the exotic splendor.

TICKETS: $15 Members, $25 Nonmembers
Asia Society Members receive discounted admission to this program. Learn more about membership here.

This performance complements the Mystical Arts of Tibet exhibition. From August 18-21, Tibetan Buddhist monks will construct a sand mandala and perform special ceremonies in Asia Society Texas Center’s Louisa Stude Sarofim Gallery.

Musical History

On past tours, the monks of Drepung Loseling have performed with Kitaro, Paul Simon, Philip Glass, Eddie Brickell, Natalie Merchant, Patti Smith, the Beastie Boys, and the Grateful Dead’s Mickey Hart, to name but a few.

In addition, two of their recordings achieved top-10 listings on the New Age music charts: Tibetan Sacred Temple Music (Shining Star Productions) and Sacred Tibetan Chants (Music and Arts Program of America, Inc.). Their most recent recording, Compassion (Milennia Music), pairs the monks with the Abbey of Gethsemani Schola in an encounter of Gregorian chant with Tibetan multiphonic singing.

Their music was featured on the Golden Globe-nominated soundtrack of the film Seven Years in Tibet, starring Brad Pitt (Columbia Pictures) and they performed with Philip Glass for Lincoln Center in the live presentation of his award-winning score to the Martin Scorsese film Kundun (Disney).

In response to the September 11 tragedies, the monks had the honor of creating special mandalas and leading prayer ceremonies and meditations in New York and Washington, D.C. Organized in conjunction with the Smithsonian Institution, these events were dedicated to the healing and protection of America.

The Loseling monks have twice been featured artists at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, representing Tibetan culture, and in July 2003, they enjoyed the rare honor of representing Tibet in the Cultural Olympiad of Greece, a pre-Olympic celebration of World Sacred Music and Dance. For this event the monks toured Greece and performed at venues that included the Acropolis and ancient Olympia, the historic site of the original Olympics.

About the Drepung Loseling Monastery

Following the legacy of Drepung Loseling Monastery, India, and with the patronage of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Drepung Loseling is dedicated to the study and preservation of the Tibetan Buddhist tradition of wisdom and compassion. A center for the cultivation of both heart and intellect, it provides a sanctuary for the nurturance of inner peace and kindness, community understanding, and global healing.

Bank of America is Asia Society’s presenting sponsor for Performing Asia. Performing arts and cultural programs at Asia Society Texas Center are made possible through generous support from the City of Houston through Houston Arts Alliance, the Cullen Trust for the Performing Arts, The Clayton Fund, and Mickey Rosenau & Dr. Ellen Gritz, with additional support from the Favrot Fund. Funding is also provided from Friends of Performing Arts & Culture at Asia Society Texas Center, a premier group of individuals and organizations committed to bringing the best in public programming to Houston.

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