Badma Khanda

Traditional Mongolian & Buryat Music

Non-traditional Mongolian & Buryat Music

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Badma-Khanda

Badma-Khanda was born in Inner Mongolia, China, in 1979 into a Buryat family. Her grandparents had to flee from the communist regime of the Soviet Union in the early 1930's. The refugees kept together preserving their language, traditions and ethnic self esteem. The songs she sings are traditional Buryat songs, forgotten by Buryats in Russia because of years of suppression of real national values and Buddhist religion in USSR, but preserved by Buryats in Inner Mongolia in its original purity.

Now repatriated to Russia Badma-Khanda is a real star in her homeland. Her unique vocals and her charming manner of singing immediately wins hearts wherever she performs – be it in a small village in Buryatia or New York. She is a very prolific and universal artist – she is equally free and eloquent in ethno-pop and pop music and pure original ethnic music. And her real love is pure ethnic music – ancient folk songs, performed in original manner and accompanied by authentic folk instruments.

“It seems to me that it was predetermined long before I was born that I will become a singer, that I will sing my native ancient Buryat songs”, says Badma-Khanda. “At least when I was in my mother’s womb I clearly heard the haunting melodies of long drawn out songs – and I don’t know whether my mother sang them, or I heard my ancient ancestors’ voices…Now I can’t imagine my life without enchanting sounds of limbe and moriin-khur.”

Listen to her singing and try to follow her – you wouldn’t believe it. Sometimes she manages to hold her breath and sing for such a long time that anyone else would suffocate! The timbre of her voice is so clear that sometimes she sounds like water running from a pure mountain spring. Sometimes you hear the singing of birds high up above the vast steppes of Buryatia, the haunting winter winds, which cut across Lake Baikal. And sometimes you imagine the Great Genghis-Khan enjoying her wonderful voice.

Baldantseren Battuvshin

Battuvshin was born in Bulgan province of Mongolia in 1972 into a lineage of shamans and musicians, both parents being celebrated musicians in their own right.

Battuvshin, a multi-instrumentalist, is widely recognized as one of the best limbe players (cross flute). He also performs throat singing and plays the ich khuur and morin khuur (horse head fiddles), khumus (jaw harp), and bish khuur (single reed trumpet).

Battuvshin has taught throat singing at the University of Indiana (Indiana, USA). He is honored Artist of the Republic of Buryatia, Grand Prize winner at the All Mongolian Limbe competition (1991), and Gold Medal winner at the Seoul International Festival (1989). He now lives in Ulan Ude, Buryatia, with his wife Dora and their son Belek.

Javkhlan Erdenebal

Jamiyan Urantugs

Sayana Tabkharova

Roswell Rudd