A Journey in 2000

My First Journey to Tuva (31st of May to 29th of June, 2000)

If you are serious about höömei, I advise you to make at least one journey to Tuva or Mongolia. I myself travelled to Tuva last summer in June and I am already planning to make a new trip. I must now express my gratitude to Ralph Leighton, who wrote recommendations and arranged contacts for me. So I had contacts with Tuvinians all the way from Moscow to Abakan to Kyzyl. Tuva is rather far away from Finland where I live, so that although the prices there are moderate even in terms of a university student, one will have to be prepared to pay for some expenses. Mrs. Zoya Kyrgys, the directrice of the Khoomei Center, invited us and also arranged höömei instruction for us. We were precepted by Sergei Ondar, a höömeichi with already a 15-year career as a professional singer and teacher. He charged 10 dollars per lesson one lesson lasting three hours. As a matter of fact, this price is the official price of the Khoomei Center and it has been defined because of foreigners that occasionally come to Tuva to learn this art.

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