Tibetan Music Awards 2011 15 October 2011, McLeod Day School, Mcleod Ganj, India
Editorial
The situation is critical in Tibet, especially in Ngaba, in the Amdo region. Seven monks, six from Kirti Monastery in Ngaba, set themselves on fire to protest the repressive Chinese policies in Tibet. Four of them have died from burns.
There are also reports that a 19-year-old singer, Lawa Choegon, from Jomda in Kham, was arrested by Chinese police in late September. There is no clear reason for his arrest. Choegon is popularly known as "the junior Kunga" (Kunga is one of the most popular Tibetan singers in Tibet). Choegon's whereabouts remain unknown.
Due to this situation, it is hardly a good time to be holding musical events. However, as the Tibetan artistes, musicians, singers and producers also work for the promotion of Tibetan art and culture and for the cause of a Free Tibet, it is deemed important to recognise and honour their works and creativity. The Tibetan Music Awards 2011 has been dedicated to honour the greatest sacrifices of the Tibetans inside Tibet and to express gratitude to the artistes, musicians, singers and producers.
Since the last TMA, there have been major changes in music productions in our society. Some high-quality albums, music videos, and other genres with professional quality have been produced. However, Lu (Nomadic song) and Namthar (Tibetan opera) are getting too much sidelined. It would be but natural to expect some mediocre productions in the big pool as well. Such productions will naturally will not get the mileage. Therefore, there is plenty of room for improvement.
I would like to mention Vajra Digital Recording Studio in Nepal for their great contribution in promoting Tibetan music and their enthusiasm in inspiring upcoming Tibetan talents. They are based in Nepal, and despite being less than a year old they have produced more then 20 Tibetan music albums.
There are sixteen categories, within which the winners were decided by the public through online voting, with over 2000 votes being polled in three days in August.
Due to lack of funds, this year's Tibetan Music Awards went without the "Saraswati" trophy. Instead, certificates were presented to the winners.
The Tara Cafe Project of Canada kindly contributed 10,000.00 India rupees for the event. They are the single largest contributor, and I personally thank them for their support and understanding. I thank Karma Lama and Paola Pivi for travelling all the way from Alaska to participate in TMA 2011.
I would like to thank Jhola Techung and members of the new Alliance of Tibetan Music for their award for me! I am totally touched and it was really heart-warming. I see the award as a reminder to improve and continue the little works I have been doing towards the promotion of Tibetan music. I can only assure you all that I will try my best.
Finally I thank all my supporters, fans, and the volunteers for making the event a success.
May all beings be happy.
Lobsang Wangyal