Hi, my name’s Enrique Ugalde. I’m a performance artist/ throat singer also known as SORIAH, www.soriah.net. I’ve been asked to contribute any helpful words about my experience at last year’s throat singing workshop in Sebastapol, CA. First, I must say that I cannot express my gratitude enough to Sasha and Chirgilchin for what was one of my life’s truly potent and memorable experiences. I myself being one of many workshops in my time, understand and appreciate masters who reach out to the students as much as students to masters. Many times in my experience, the teacher is on a self imposed platform and makes little or no attempts to truly engage his or her student. This is not the case with Chirgilchin. It was obvious that they were as curious about our culture as we were about theirs. This created a wonderful cohesive foundation for the entire workshop. The structure of the workshop was one that I could easily work in. That is to say, it was structured, but loosely, allowing room for a student’s specific needs. I really appreciated it’s informality and small class size, ranging from one to two students per instructor. We would also at the end of the day have a group concert and if one student would need extra care, the other students were encouraged to lend assistance making each student’s learning, a group enterprise. To my delight, the program was very thorough, covering a menagerie of different Tuvan throat singing styles and sub styles, traditional Tuvan instrument instruction, language, and culture. Each teacher or “bashky” had his unique style of teaching which I found very effective for understanding the wider scope of each subject studied. The location of the workshop was truly amazing. I couldn’t have imagined a more perfect setting for this particular workshop. The rolling oak forested hills of Sebastopol. It was blissfully remote, as to in a sense extract us out of our culture and place us somewhere between here and Tuva. It was a place filled with nature, roaming herds of wild turkey, elk, coyote, and buzzards circling overhead, infusing a holistic and animist force to the entire experience. The lessons initiated at the workshop I have come to experience, really have no finality. The process of refining sound is in itself it’s complete realized passion. One simply improves and refines. This is the challenge set forth by Chirgilchin’s workshop, to explore and define the limitless possibility contained in the human voice. I am greatly anticipating joining this year’s workshop in the remote coastal town of Jenner, CA, in August where I plan to extract as much of the truly world class experience and teachings that Chirgilchin so effortlessly exude. See you there!! E(:+O<-