The unique ethno-rock-festival “Ocean of Compassion” which started in Kalmykia, culminated in a gala concert in the Great Hall of the Moscow International House of Music on June 2. The festival was dedicated to the occasion of the 400th anniversary of voluntary entrance of the Kalmyk nation into the system of Russian state, and to the Year of Youth. The concert was officially opened by the Head of Republic Kalmykia, Kirsan Ilyumzhinov.

The international “Drum of the World” of the Norwegian Saami remained in Kyzyl, the capital of Tuva, for almost two weeks. Today it started out on its trip through the rural districts of Tuva. Western Ulug-Khem and Chaa-Khol districts will be the first to welcome this symbol of the pagans of the world, as told to ITAR-TASS by Kara-ool Dopchun-ool, the head of the shamanic society “Adyg Eeren” (Bear Spirit”), which invited the drum to Tuva.

Tuva became the 248^th place in the world playing the host to the “Drum of the World” (or Drum of Peace). The sacred drum has been traveling through the world with the message to “Stop the War between People and Nature” since 2006. This long trip started in Oslo, in Norway. In Tuva, the ceremony of blessing of the drum was performed by the legendary shamanologist, senior worker of the museum of the republic, the 84-year-old Doctor of Historical Sciences, Mongush Kenin-Lopsan.

At the end of May, a grand ethno-rock-festival “Ocean of Compassion” will take place in the capital of Kalmykia. Famous performers of ethnic music from countries and regions of the spread of Tibetan Buddhism, that is, Kalmykia, Buryatia, Tuva, Mongolia and Tibet will participate. After the end of the festival, the participants will give a charity concert in Moscow. On June 2, in the Moscow International House of Music, Tibetan lamas of the Dzongkar Chode monastery who are the experts in the art of ritual dances; the Tuvan singer Sainkho Namtchylak, who has been called “the magic voice of Tuva”; Tibetan vocalist Loten Namling with his experimental project Tibet-Blues, which he created with a French jazz musician, Buryat singer Badma Khanda, Tuvan khoomeizhi Andrei Mongush, group Namgar, orchestra Yoryal from Kalmykia and other musicians, who have dedicated their lives to preservation of the energy of good-will and compassion, which filled the songs of their ancestors, will perform on the same stage for the first time.

The Supreme Lama of Kalmykia, Telo Tulku Rimpoche, will also participate in this concert.

The famous rock-musician Albert Kuvezhin of the legendary group Yat-Kha, the only group in Russia which won a Grand-Prix in the annual international competition BBC Radio 3 Awards in World Music in 2002, received the title “Merited Artist of Republic Tuva”. The government award was given to the remarkable rocker at his concert in Kyzyl by the head of the republic, Sholban Kara-ool.

One of the most interesting chamber concerts last week in Krasnoyarsk was a performance by the group “Alash” together with the khoomeizhi Radik Tyulyush.

The Tuvan musicians gave two concerts in the tearoom “Yurta”.

This small place became a special type of venue in the concert life in this city. During the day, “Yurta” functions as a tearoom, where one can sample many exotic Siberian teas, and also to participate in tea ceremonies of many different nations.

The children’s choreographic ensemble “Alantos” (leader Raisa Stal-ool) celebrated the 15^th anniversary of its founding by a jubilee concert. Today, it is not necessary to translate its beautiful name even beyond the borders of this country. Alantos is a species of lily that blooms on the Azas lake in unknown and beautiful Tuva. And its beauty, grace and fragility has been expressed for years by young ballerinas from children’s choreographic school of Kyzyl.

Today is the 84^th birthday of one of the first Tuvan novelists, doctor of historical sciences, the famous researcher of shamanism, Mongush Borakhovich Kenin-Lopsan.

The head of Tuva, Sholban Kara-ool came to wish “Happy Birthday” to the shamanist researcher of world fame.

The cultural fund “Por-Bazhyn” will concentrate its efforts on finishing the construction of the unique Buddhist temple “Ustuu-Khuree”. The other project of the fund – the ancient island Uighur fortress, where in 2007-2008 extensive multidisciplinary archeological excavations took place, will be temporarily put on hold.

Tuvan children’s folk music ensemble Oktay, by their victory in the division “Folk Song” of the festival-competition of children’s and youth creativity “Moskva-Kansk Transit”, which took place in Kansk on March 13 – 16, won the right to participate in the Moscow final of the competition in November of this year, the leader of the famous ensemble Nadezhda Ponomareva told Tuva-Online.