Tibetan Song, Dance and Opera

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 16
Time: 2:00pm - 4:00pm

Cost: Reservations for this free event are now full.

We are no longer taking any reservations. There will be a stand-by line on the night of the event. Patrons will be let in on a first-come; first-serve basis only just before performance time if space is available. We are very grateful for your interest in this performance.

Deep within the Himalayas lies the Tibetan Plateau – a land once rich with profound culture and artistic creativity. Today, the progenitors of this region live all across the world from China to California. This program unites Tibetan artists from two distinct backgrounds and experiences. Together for the first time, singer Karjam Saeji and Tibetan Dance and Opera Company Chaksam-pa share their stories with us and each other.

Karjam Saeji was raised by nomadic yak herders on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. Trained under the Gannan Tibetan Music and Dance Troupe in what is now Gansu Province, Karjam has mastered a wide range of melodies that blend traditional folk songs with personal strife. Accompanying himself on dranyen and bouzouki, Karjam sings heartfelt compositions that evoke a land of beauty, inspiration, and deeply-held spiritual beliefs.

Chaksam-pa Tibetan Dance and Opera Company is a non-profit organization founded in 1989 by a small group of master performers trained at the Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts in Dharamsala, India. Based in San Francisco and led by Artistic Director Tsering Wangmo, Costume Designer Tsering D. Sangpo, and Music Director Sonam Tsering, Chaksam-pa is dedicated to preserving the unique and threatened traditions of Tibet through recordings, performances and training. For Chaksam-pa, music and dance is as much an act of political will as it is artistic passion.