Ayarkhaan

• country:Russian Federation
• region:Siberia
• style(s):Ethnic, World
• label:not signed
• type:Band, Composer/Songwriter
• gender:female
• instrumentation:instrumental, vocal
• artist posted by:Khomus Universe

Line up

• Albina Degtyareva (khomus, voice)
• Alisa Savvinova (khomus, voice)
• Nariyana Renanto (khomus, voice)
• Varvara Stepanova (khomus, voice)

Links

• Ayarkhaan on Reverbnation
• Ayarkhaan on Facebook

Ayarkhaan is a long-established female vocal group from Sakha, a republic within the Russian Federation that the Russians call Yakutia. The group was created in 2002 with the personal initiative of Ms. Albina Degtyareva. From the outset, it should be said that this is one of the strangest, most exotic specimens of music Western ears could expect to behold. Ayarkhaan is a group of specialists in the art of the playing the khomus, a metal instrument that fits in the mouth and functions like a jew's harp. For years, Ayarkhaan have been leaders in the revival and preservation of the traditional music of Sakha. Thanks to the performances of Ayarkhaan almost forgotten manners of Sakha singing such as "khabarha yryata", "tangalai yryata" lately became popular among people. With the different sounds of voice and of khomus Ayarkhaan can at the same time simulate sounds of animals, birds and the nature. Group's compositions are inspired by a tradition that has been handed down for centuries but also reflects modern musical thinking. Scholars, critics and concert-goers alike have hailed Ayarkhaan as the vanguard sound of the Yakut khomus: "Hurricane of sounds from Yakutian khomuses substituting a violoncello, a saxophone, an electric guitar and not less than third of symphonic orchestra that is the level of the mastery".

(Extracts from reviews by Uncle Dave Lewis and by Joshua Cheek)

Ayarkhaan is the Grand Prix, Winner and Headliner of a great number of international contests and festivals of live and ethnic music. Among them:
2013 WOMAD New Zealand (New Plymouth, New Zealand);
2013 WOMADelaide (Adelaide, Australia);
2012 V World congress of Tatars (Kazan, Russia);
2012 The first International days of traditional music of the Turkic world (Ankara, Turkey);
2012 XVII International musical festival Strings of Autumn (Prague, Czech Republic);
2012 VIII Warsaw Cross Culture Festival (Warsaw, Poland);
2012 IV International festival of contemporary culture Kremlin LIVE (Kazan, Russia);
2012 II Oblast festival of the North Sakhalin and Far East small ethnic commuities' crafts Live Traditions (Sakhalin, Russia);
2012 Olympics 2012 cultural programme (London, UK);
2012 International festival of ethnic music and crafts World of Siberia (Krasnoyarskiy Kray, Russia);
2012 Festival of nomadic civilization Thousandth around Astana (Astana, Kazakhstan);
2012 XIX Festival of 5 Continents (Martigny, Switzerland);
2012 International khomus music festival Khomusic Proms (Moscow, Russia);
2011 Sfinks Mixed Festival (Boechout, Belgium);
2011 FMM Sines Festival (Sines, Portugal);
2011 WOMAD (Malmesbury, UK);
2011 BBC Proms (London, UK);
2010 International festival of world music Klang Welten (Germany);
2010 VII International festival of world ethnic music Sayan Ring (Krasnoyarskiy Kray, Russia);
2009 International dance and folk festival Rudolstadt (Rudolstadt, Germany);
2008 International festival of jew's harp music MUN (Tokyo, Japan);
2008 International music festival of Turkic-speaking countries Korkyt and the Music of a Great Steppe (Astana, Kazakhstan);
2008 V International festival of world ethnic music Sayan Ring (Krasnoyarskiy Kray, Russia);
2007 World Master in Arts & Culture (Seoul, South Korea);
2007 International music festival Glatte & Verkehrt (Krems, Austria);
2006 V International jew's harp congress-festival Internationale Mondharp Festival (Amsterdam, Netherlands);
2006 International festival of indigenous people Riddu-Riddu (Kafjord, Norway);
2006 VIII International festival of live music and faith Ustuu-Huree (Republic of Tuva, Russia);
2005 International festival of live music Magia Glosu (Wroclaw, Poland);
2004 II International festival of world ethnic music Sayan Ring (Krasnoyarskiy Kray, Russia);
2003 All-Russian festival of indigenous peoples of the North Northern Lights (Komi Republic, Russia) etc.