Alash Ensemble w/ Garth Stevenson at The Iron Horse on Friday, March 14 2025

All members of Alash were trained in traditional Tuvan music since childhood, first learning from their families, and later becoming students of master throat singers. In 1999, as students at Kyzyl Arts College, they formed a group called Changy-Xaya and soon became the resident traditional ensemble on campus. At the same time they learned about western music, practiced on hybrid Tuvan-European instruments, and listened to new trends coming out of America.

Under the guidance of Kongar-ool Ondar (best known to western audiences for his role in the film Genghis Blues), Alash began to forge a new musical identity. They introduced the guitar and sometimes even the Russian bayan (accordion) into their arrangements, alongside their traditional Tuvan instruments. They experimented with new harmonies and song structures. The effect is an intriguing mixture of old and new.

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Garth Stevenson’s approach to composition is a kind of musical rewilding — nature is the primary inspiration for his minimalist ouvre, and his three full-length solo albums are informed by his experiences carrying his 150-year-old double bass to the woods, beach, desert and other remote locations including Antarctica and Tuva. He lives a double life as a film composer — some recent films he’s scored include Bob Marley: One Love, VAL, Chappaquiddick, and Tracks.