Music from the Roof of the World

This event marks the world premiere of the documentary Music from the Roof of the World (Nekhat Ahmad). The film tells the story of one of Tibet’s most important performing artists, Sonam Tashi, who has made great efforts to preserve and promote the Tibetan performing arts traditions and pioneered its spread to other parts of the world. In an attempt to further preserve Tibetan music, filmmaker Nekhat Ahmad creates a lasting account of Tashi’s lifetime of archiving various genres of Tibetan music. The film recounts Tashi’s life, from his early roles as a student at the Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts to his work as a composer, an advisor on Hollywood films, and a collaborative musician.

Prior to the showing of the film, a Lama will provide an opening blessing followed by a brief performance by several former members of the Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts as a means of paying homage to the oral tradition of Tibetan music and dance.

A Q&A with Sonam Tashi will follow the film.

About the Speaker

Sonam Tashi (also known as Acho Danny) is an internationally acclaimed Tibetan performer, artist, composer, and co-founder of Chaksampa Tibetan Dance and Opera Company based in San Francisco. Born in the Ngari region of western Tibet near Mount Kailash to a nomad family, Sonam Tashi studied traditional Tibetan opera, music, and dance with classical masters at the Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts in Dharamsala, India. Since arriving in the United States in 1982, Sonam Tashi continues to be engaged in exploring fusions between classical Tibetan music and classical music from other genres.