Biography
A virtuoso practitioner of throat singing, in which one performer simultaneously produces two or three distinct pitches, Kaigal-ool Khovalg has earned the nicknames “Pavarotti of throat singing” and “the People’s Singer of Tuva.” As a founding member of Huun-Huur-Tu, he has brought his singular vocal technique to audiences worldwide.
Until the age of twenty-one Khovalg earned his living as a shepherd; only afterward did he join the Kyzyl-based Tuvan State Ensemble and launch his professional career. He stayed with that ensemble for slightly more than ten years before departing in 1992 to establish Huun-Huur-Tu alongside Sasha Bapa and Sayan Bapa. The group, committed to safeguarding the traditional repertoire of Tuva—a newly independent republic that emerged after the Soviet Union’s collapse—quickly achieved global acclaim. While the band toured the United States in 1994, Khovalg contributed guest vocals to Frank Zappa’s album Civilization III. With Huun-Huur-Tu he also appeared on recordings by Ry Cooder, the Kronos Quartet, and Angelite.
Beyond his ongoing work with the ensemble, Khovalg has pursued an eclectic array of projects, performing regularly with the World Groove Band, the Valkov Trio, and the multicultural ethno-jazz ensemble Vershki Da Koreshki.
Until the age of twenty-one Khovalg earned his living as a shepherd; only afterward did he join the Kyzyl-based Tuvan State Ensemble and launch his professional career. He stayed with that ensemble for slightly more than ten years before departing in 1992 to establish Huun-Huur-Tu alongside Sasha Bapa and Sayan Bapa. The group, committed to safeguarding the traditional repertoire of Tuva—a newly independent republic that emerged after the Soviet Union’s collapse—quickly achieved global acclaim. While the band toured the United States in 1994, Khovalg contributed guest vocals to Frank Zappa’s album Civilization III. With Huun-Huur-Tu he also appeared on recordings by Ry Cooder, the Kronos Quartet, and Angelite.
Beyond his ongoing work with the ensemble, Khovalg has pursued an eclectic array of projects, performing regularly with the World Groove Band, the Valkov Trio, and the multicultural ethno-jazz ensemble Vershki Da Koreshki.