Mongolian Throat Singing with Tuvergen Band

Summary

Podcast Summary: "Mongolian Throat Singing with Tuvergen Band"
All Of It with Alison Stewart (WNYC) – May 15, 2026

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Episode Overview

In this engaging episode, host Alison Stewart welcomes the Tuvergen Band—an innovative Mongolian-American folk fusion group—into the WNYC studio. The conversation explores the origins and artistry of Mongolian throat singing, the blending of Eastern and Western musical traditions, and the band’s mission to share their unique sound with wider audiences. The episode features live performances, insightful commentary on culture and tradition, and an introduction to the instruments and voices that define the band’s style.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Introducing Tuvergen Band and Their Sound

• Fusion Origins:
  • The Tuvergen Band, currently based in Chicago, describes their genre as "modern nomadic music," bringing together Mongolian instruments and vocal techniques with bluegrass and blues influences.
  • (00:09) Alison Stewart: “Tuvagan is a Mongolian and American folk fusion group. They make what they call modern nomadic music which blends Mongolian instruments and vocal styles with bluegrass elements and even some rock.”

2. Live Performances and their Cultural Context

• Song 1 – "Hongorai"
  • The episode opens with the band performing "Hongorai," a piece blending traditional Mongolian folk with blues, a nod to their Chicago roots.
  • (00:44) Tamir Hargana: “First song we’re going to play called Hongorai...traditional Mongolian folk music combining with like blues style.”
  • Memorable Moment: Listeners hear Mongolian throat singing live on the show for the first time.
  • (05:11) Alison Stewart: “Tamir, I’m pretty sure that’s the first time that we’ve ever had throat singing on this show.”

3. Diving into Mongolian Throat Singing

• Technique and Meaning:
  • Tamir explains that throat singing allows one person to produce multiple notes at once, inspired by the Mongolian landscape and the sounds of animals.
  • (05:33) Tamir Hargana:

    “So through singing, basically one person can do two or three notes at the same time...It’s all about imitation. And one person can do like 2, 3 notes at the same time and has like lower grounding sound and higher, really high pitchy sound and mid level sounds too.”

• Voice As Instrument:
  • (06:09) Nysel Hargana discusses how voice—and traditional instruments like the morin khuur (horsehead fiddle)—are used to evoke daily life and natural sounds.

    “On this instrument too...we have a lot of traditional tunes like imitating daily life movement as a dance. Also like we imitate horses running and camel running, like those kind of pieces.”

4. Band Origins and Collaboration

• Connection Through Culture and Horses:
  • The band members clarify they are not blood brothers but consider themselves “brothers in musical arms.”
  • (07:09) Brett Roman:

    “Everything about our music is about horses. All the music is about horses. The culture is about music, the horses. The iconography is about horses. And so, of course, where did we meet? We met in Kentucky, where all the horses are in the United States.”

• Band Formation:
  • The trio met through a mutual professor and congregated in the Chicago area to form their unique ensemble.

5. Instruments and Innovation

• Showcasing Traditional and Unexpected Instruments:

  • Dosplor: Tamir introduces the Tuvan dosplor, a lute-like instrument used for storytelling and accompaniment.

    (07:54) Tamir Hargana: “This is called Dosplor...mainly for accompanying singing, or, like, storytelling.”

  • Didgeridoo: Brett adds an Australian didgeridoo to the mix, explaining it fits surprisingly well with the vocal techniques of Mongolian throat singing.

    (08:11) Brett Roman: “This is a telescopic didgeridoo...when we first started out...that low voice quality...really reminded me of didgeridoo playing. And we had never seen the didgeridoo and throat singing put together before and thought that would be a really great match.”

• Song 2 – "Mongolian Boots"

  • The group performs a second song (“Mongolian Boots”) that prominently features the didgeridoo alongside traditional elements.

6. Blending Traditions: Why and How

• Roots in Ethnomusicology and Curiosity:
  • Nysel shares how his background in musical composition and ethnomusicology inspired him to blend Mongolian tradition with Western sounds.

    (12:53) Nysel Hargana: “For myself, I majored in composition in my undergrad and also in piano, too...in my masters, I learned world music and ethnomusicology, so that turns into, like, I can learn lots of different music from all over the world, so why not combining all of them.”

7. Upcoming Performances and Audience Engagement

• Flushing Town Hall Concert and Workshop:
  • The band will perform at Flushing Town Hall on May 17, promising a high-energy, interactive show with a focus on dance and rhythm inspired by horses.

    (13:35) Tamir Hargana: “We're always having like horse music. Our music like often like really groovy...So be ready for dance.”

  • Classical Chinese dancer Ling Tang will join as a guest artist, demonstrating Mongolian dance and teaching the audience.

    (13:52) Brett Roman: “Ling Tang? Yes...does classical Chinese dance. But for this program she's doing some Mongolian dances as well and using props and teaching the audience about the dancing.”

• Outreach to Kids and Community:
  • Tamir discusses the honor of teaching others about Mongolian music through workshops, emphasizing interactive learning.

    (14:20) Tamir Hargana: “We can share our music through all the friends people…our workshop is kind of like really more engaging because you ask them people to like sing along, do throat singing or learn how to try to play the instrument. And always like a lot of interaction.”

8. Finale – Celebratory Performance

• Song 3 – "Drinking Song"
  • The episode wraps up with a final performance, "Drinking Song," delivering an energetic close and a celebratory feel, embodying the communal spirit of their music.

    (15:05) Alison Stewart: “Oh, this is to Virgin.” (15:06) Brett Roman: “You got something to drink there...”

• Closing Gratitude:
  • The band thanks Alison and the audience for their attention and participation.

    (15:12) Tamir Hargana: “Thank you.” (15:13) Brett Roman: “Thank you so much.”

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Notable Quotes

• (05:33) Tamir Hargana:

  “Through singing, basically one person can do two or three notes at the same time...It's all about imitation.”

• (07:09) Brett Roman:

  “Everything about our music is about horses. The culture is about music, the horses. The iconography is about horses.”

• (12:53) Nysel Hargana:

  “I can learn lots of different music from all over the world, so why not combining all of them.”

• (14:20) Tamir Hargana:

  “We can share our music through all the friends people...our workshop is kind of like really more engaging...a lot of interaction.”

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:09 – Introduction to Tuvergen Band
• 00:44 – "Hongorai" (First Song)
• 05:11 – Alison reacts to throat singing
• 05:33 – Tamir explains Mongolian throat singing
• 06:09 – Nysel on the voice and traditional instruments
• 07:09 – Band’s origin story ("about horses")
• 07:54 – Explanation of dosplor
• 08:11 – Didgeridoo’s role in the band
• 08:44 – "Mongolian Boots" (Second Song)
• 12:53 – Why blend Mongolian and Western music
• 13:35 – Upcoming Flushing Town Hall show details
• 13:52 – Guest artist Ling Tang and dance
• 14:20 – Teaching workshops and audience interaction
• 15:01 – "Drinking Song" (Finale)

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Tone and Style

The episode maintains an inviting and celebratory spirit, characterized by Alison Stewart’s warm curiosity and the band’s openness. The mood is energetic, rooted in deep respect for culture and a desire for community connection through music.

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This summary captures the vibrant cross-cultural conversation, educational insights, and dynamic performances of the Tuvergen Band, offering a rich understanding for listeners new to Mongolian throat singing and its contemporary evolution.

Transcript

[Alison Stewart]

This is all of it on wnyc. I'm Alison Stewart. Tuvagan is a Mongolian and American folk fusion group. They make what they call modern nomadic music which blends Mongolian instruments and vocal styles with bluegrass elements and even some rock. The band will perform at Flushing Town hall in the afternoon of May 17 and also lead a workshop on Mongolian music. Band members Tamir Hargana, Nysel Hargana and Brett Roman are here with me in studio and they're going to play a few songs. First of all, thank you for coming to wnyc.

[Brett Roman]

Thank you so much.

[Alison Stewart]

So what is the first song we're going to hear?

[Tamir Hargana]

First song we're going to play called Hongorai, which is the. We're also all living in Chicago right now. Chicago is famous for blues. So this is the traditional Mongolian folk music combining with like blues style.

[Alison Stewart]

Let's listen.

[Tamir Hargana]

Wa. Sam.

[Alison Stewart]

Oh, you were listening to Virgin Band, a Mongolian folk fusion band from Chicago. They're performing at Flushing Town hall this Sunday, May 17th in the afternoon for an all ages concert and a Mongolian folk music workshop. Tamir, I'm pretty sure that's the first time that we've ever had throat singing on this show.

[Tamir Hargana]

Wow.

[Alison Stewart]

Could you tell us a little bit more about the way you sing?

[Brett Roman]

Yeah.

[Tamir Hargana]

Great honor to be here. First time showing through. So through singing, basically one person can do two or three notes at the same time. It's all about nomad people who start imitation of the surrounding area, such as we will imitate the animals or we will imitate like landscape, such as river or like the sky landscape. So it's all about imitation. And one person can do like 2, 3 notes at the same time and has like lower grounding sound and higher, really high pitchy sound and mid level sounds too. Yes.

[Alison Stewart]

Nysel, how do you think about the voice as an instrument when you're performing?

[Nysel Hargana]

So like he explained to you, like his singing style is imitation of the sky, imitation of the mountain, imitation of the yak. So on this instrument too, it's called marenghor in Mongolian and in English it's called horsehead fiddle. So you can see horsehead on top of this instrument. And then we have a lot of traditional tunes like imitating daily life movement as a dance. Also like we imitate horses running and camel running, like those kind of pieces on this instrument.

[Alison Stewart]

Now Tamir and Nysel are brothers. How did you get involved with the group?

[Brett Roman]

Brent? Yeah, it's funny, they have the same last name, they're from the same village, but they're Actually, not brothers. They're not brothers, but we're brothers in arms. Brothers in musical arms. Yes. Far.

[Nysel Hargana]

Far relative.

[Brett Roman]

Yeah, Far. They come from the same tribe.

[Alison Stewart]

Okay.

[Brett Roman]

Yeah. I got linked up with these guys, actually. You know, everything about our music is about horses. All the music is about horses. The culture is about music, the horses. The iconography is about horses. And so, of course, where did we meet? We met in Kentucky, where all the horses are in the United States. And so we met through a professor that we all shared at one time or another. He introduced us to each other, and they ended up going back to school in Chicago, outside of Chicago, where I went to school, and we all ended up around the Chicagoland area, and we started doing music together and just thought, hey, let's. Let's make a band. This sounds great.

[Alison Stewart]

What kind of instrument are you playing? It's kind of like a lute. Tamir.

[Tamir Hargana]

Yep. So this is called Dosplor. It's a Tuvan instrument. Basically, you can have three instruments. And this actually is using a letter skin mostly. It has a really lower sound. It's mainly for accompanying singing, or, like, storytelling.

[Alison Stewart]

And in front of you, it looks like a didgeridoo.

[Unidentified Band Member or Announcer]

Brent.

[Brett Roman]

Yes. Yeah, we're gonna feature that on our second song today. It is a didgeridoo. This is a telescopic didgeridoo, so I can change the fundamental pitch while I'm playing. That's kind of fun. But, yeah, I thought that, you know, when we first started out, before I started singing with the guys, I thought, wow, that low voice quality that he has, it really reminded me of didgeridoo playing. And we had never seen the didgeridoo and throat singing put together before and thought that would be a really great match. So it worked out well.

[Alison Stewart]

Let's hear that second song. What are we going to hear?

[Tamir Hargana]

Yeah, the second song is called Mongolian Boots.

[Brett Roman]

Sam.

[Tamir Hargana]

Sari mahal. Ram.

[Unidentified Band Member or Announcer]

Nam.

[Tamir Hargana]

Ram. Sa. Jim.

[Alison Stewart]

That was Two Virgin Band. They'll be performing at Flushing Town hall this Sunday, May 17th in the afternoon. We've been talking a lot about Montgomery in folk music and culture. But you also blend it with Western musical traditions. Nazelle. Why did it make sense to put

[Nysel Hargana]

them together so we both like? For myself, I majored in composition in my undergrad and also in piano, too. I play piano, too.

[Alison Stewart]

Oh, my gosh.

[Nysel Hargana]

Yeah. And then in my masters, I learned world music and ethnomusicology, so that turns into, like, I can learn lots of different music from all over the world, so why not combining all of them.

[Alison Stewart]

Makes sense. Tamir, you're going to be performing at Flushing town Hall at 2:15 on May 17. What's the plan for the show?

[Tamir Hargana]

As usual, we're going to like make audience dance. We're always having like horse music. Our music like often like really groovy. People really dance because all the rhythm is about horses. So be ready for dance.

[Alison Stewart]

And you're also going to have, I think, is it Ling Tang who's gonna perform with you?

[Brett Roman]

Ling Tang? Yes. She's gonna be there. Yeah, yeah. She's one of the artists in residence at Flushing Town hall, does classical Chinese dance. But for this program she's doing some Mongolian dances as well and using props and teaching the audience about the dancing. And then on Monday we're going to do some outreaches with kids. That should be a lot of fun as well.

[Alison Stewart]

How does it feel to have to sort of tell people or teach people about your music, Tamir?

[Tamir Hargana]

Well, I always feel like honored. I mean we were really fortunate to be living like this. You know, we can share our music through all the friends people. And then Monday, Sunday we're gonna doing workshop for the kids, children as well, also adult. And every time when we do workshop, people always like really participate because our workshop is kind of like really more engaging because you ask them people to like sing along, do throat singing or learn how to try to play the instrument. And always like a lot of interaction. So it'll be great.

[Alison Stewart]

Excellent. They're playing at Flushing Town hall this Sunday, May 17th. Let's try to get one more song in. What are we going to hear?

[Tamir Hargana]

Nice. So the last song. We're called Drinking Song.

[Alison Stewart]

Oh, this is to Virgin.

[Brett Roman]

You got something to drink there on the top of the.

[Alison Stewart]

I do. I have a cup of tea. Thank you so much. Thank you for joining us by the way.

[Tamir Hargana]

Thank you.

[Brett Roman]

Thank you so much.

[Tamir Hargana]

Sa.

[Brett Roman]

Sam.

[Alison Stewart]

Sa.

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[Unidentified Band Member or Announcer]

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