Yungchen Lhamo

Yungchen Lhamo, The Voice of Tibet, plays the National Concert Hall on Thursday, the 1st of June.

Internationally acclaimed singer, Yungchen Lhamo will bring all the beauty of Tibetan music with an acapella concert in aid of the Yungchen Lhamo Charitable Organisation featuring Paul Brady, Liam O'Maonlai and Lasairfhiona.
Over the last decade, Yungchen Lhamo has emerged as the leading Tibetan vocalist on the world stage, enchanting audiences in more than 70 countries with her beguiling voice.

Yungchen's name was given to her by a Tibetan lama when she was a baby and translates to "Goddess of Melody and Song". Born in Lhasa, Yungchen began working in a carpet-weaving factory at the age of five in Chinese-occupied Tibet. Tibetan singing was one of the may customs banned by the Cultural Revolution but her grandmother secretly taught Yungchen the devotional singing she shares with audiences around the world.

After a dangerous thousand-mile escape across the Himalayas, Yungchen arrived in Dharamsala in India and had the opportunity to meet the spiritual leader of the Tibetan people, His Holiness the Dalai Lama. The Dalai Lama encouraged Yungchen to use her vocal talents to share the richness of Tibetan culture with the world.

In concert, Yungchen performs with almost no music accompaniment, so that the focus of the audience's attention fixes on the pliant tonal qualities of her inimitable voice. Her songs explore traditional Tibetan themes of spiritual pilgrimage, soul-searching and a delight in the natural environment.

Yungchen Lhamo has released a number of acclaimed albums including Tibet, Tiber and Coming Home on Peter Gabriel's Real World Records. Her music has appeared on Natalie Merchant's album, Ophelia, the compilation disc, Lilith Fair: A Celebration of Women in Music and on the soundtrack to Seven Years in Tibet.

Yungchen Lhamo's visit to Ireland follows the global release of her third album, Ama (Tibetan for 'Mother'), which includes tracks with guests artists, Annie Lennox and Joy Askew and '9/11', Yungchen's response to the tragedy of September 11th, 2001 in New York.
The New York-based Yungchen Lhamo Charitable Foundation is a non-profit organisation dedicated to improving the welfare of Tibetans in need in Tibet and Tibetan refugees around the world by providing medical care, clothing , food, shelter and artificial limbs.

A night of magical Tibetan singing, Yungchen Lhamo plays the National Concert Hall on Thursday, the 1st of June.