BIOGRAPHY
I was born on Thanksgiving, 1986 in upstate New York to a family with loving parents and one older brother. When I was about two months old, my family moved into a house next to the local Tibetan Buddhist center. From an early age I was fascinated by Asian culture and this was magnified by the strong Tibetan Buddhist influence next door. A constant influx of monks into your neighbor's house will do that to you!
I was particularly fascinated by Tibetan painting. While I was mildly aware of Tibetan politics, it was not until I was thirteen that I really began to understand the situation in Tibet, after accidentally stumbling on a Tibetan political website while searching for Thangkas online. As a result, I decided to join Students for a Free Tibet. Through SFT I met Tibetans my age and learned about Tibetan culture.
I went to boarding school for high school, although I commuted to school from home during my last two years. During those two years, I also ran my school's chapter of SFT.
In the summer of 2004, I moved to Chumphonburi, Surin, in an isolated North-Eastern region of Thailand for six months. I learned how to speak Thai and studied Thai music and culture. I was the only foreigner for several miles and it was one of the best experiences of my life!
When I returned to America, I took on an internship at the Rubin Museum of Art in New York City. My friends in New York invited me to attend events such as Losar, Trungkhar and Tibetan parties. The moment I saw a Tibetan performer playing dramnyen, I immediately fell in love. I had learned how to sing a few Tibetan songs, but was not until early 2005, however, that I had the chance to try playing dramnyen. An instructor from TIPA taught me the scale and then let me play on my own until I could figure out something. There was shock all around when that "something" turned out to be Middle Eastern Jewish folk music instead of Tibetan!
By the summer of 2005, my inability to speak Tibetan was becoming more than a nuisance. I was having trouble answering my phone and communicating with some of my friends. So for the summer of 2005, I went to the University of Virginia Summer Language Institute to learn Tibetan in Charlottesville Virginia. During those intense two months, one of the Tibetans in Charlottesville let me borrow his dramnyen.
In fall of 2005, I started University at Hobart and William Smith colleges, and yet again borrowed a friend's dramnyen. I continued practicing obsessively (luckily my roommate quickly learned to like Tibetan music) and learning songs by watching VCDs. My first performance of Tibetan music was Losar 2006. I was still pretty rough, but I sang in New York City as the only non-Tibetan performer.
Since then, I have continued to perform in New York City; Washington, DC; Buffalo, NY; Toronto, Canada; and Taipei, Taiwan. My first CD, Kangri dang Chethang (Mountains and Deserts), a collection of Tibetan and Jewish folk songs, was released on September 15th, 2006, to coincide with His Holiness the Dalai Lama's visit to my new university, University at Buffalo.
I started learning Mandolin, commonly used in Amdo folk music at home on my Great Grandfather's mandolin, likely around 100 years old. I came to India on January 12, 2007 where I bought my own mandolin and dranyen. I studied Tibetan language, religion and Culture at Sarah College for 2 months before moving up to Mcleod Ganj to continue study at the Institute of Buddhist Dialectics, next to the main temple complex. I continued to perform at many shows is India. Around Losar I was able to fulfill my life-long dreams of singing for HH Dalai Lama and HH Karmapa. I went to Nepal in the spring to record my first pop album, which was finished, again in Nepal, in early summer.
I am presently at the University of Buffalo studying Asian languages and culture. In my free time I play music, paint, hang out with friends, and take part in Tibetan events and campaigns. I will be going to Tibet for a short visit in December and January.
I have many musical inspirations from many traditions, and I thank Phurbu T. Namgyal, Yadon, Nima Rumba and Kunga for giving me tips, spontaneous lessons, constructive criticism, inspiration and encouragement (and occasionally permission to perform their songs!) There are so many other artists whose music has shaped my love of music and the way I play. I can't list all of you, but I hope at least some of you know who you are.
I would especially like to thank my family. My father, especially, has been a constant musical voice throughout my life and my whole family has been fully supportive of my musical endeavors. Thank you.