Passports, clothing, instruments - famous Tuvan group "Alash", currently on tour in the USA as part of the "Festival of Asian Cultures" - lost everything in one moment. Saturday night, the group stopped for the night at Motel 6 on Cesar Chavez Avenue. When they woke up in the morning, they discovered that their temporary residence was visited by robbers.
"The windows were open wide, all the instruments were taken; the thieves took some of their luggage, so that some of the musicians now have absolutely nothing to wear, and our concert costumes also disappeared," - says Sean Quirk, the group's manager.
All the instruments were hand-made, made of wood, and of animal skins and hair, which makes them practically priceless.
"It is a real shock for us. Without it, all the magic of our music is lost," - says Sean.
Regardless of the loss, "Alash" performed for the public on Sunday, but the continuation of the tour is now in jeopardy. Their passports with visas were also taken.
"I have traveled a lot, visited dozens of countries, run into many difficult situations, but this one is one of the hardest ones," - admits Sean.
The group will stay in New Mexico for one more performance. Anybody who knows anything about the lost instruments should immediately notify the police in Albuquerque, as announced by American media.
Remember that musicians of "Alash" perform khoomei - Tuvan throat singing. Album with their khoomei version of famous Christmas song "Jingle bells" won the Grammy prize two years ago in the "Instrumental music" category.