Sing Out! has learned that master Tuvan throat singer Kongar-ol Ondar has passed away from complications following emergency surgery for a brain hemorrhage. He was 51 years old.

Born in 1962 near the Khemchick River in Tuva, a region in southern Russia that is known for its unique throat singers and it’s rich oral tradition (riddles, tongue twisters, tales and epics). After finishing his schooling in 1980, Ondar began to hone his credentials as a master of Tuva’s throat singing tradition. He was employed by the Tuvan House of Culture. An accident broke his neck during a short stint with the Soviet Navy in 1983, and was honorably discharged after he recovered.

In 1985 he formed the Tuva Ensemble, which displeased some in the government because Ondar chose to play with the group both in Tuva and in surrounding Soviet republics. Stalinist Russification never fully hindered traditional Tuvan throat singing, but its public performance was still frowned upon by the Russian Government before the fall of the Soviet Union. The demise of the Soviet Union gave Tuvan traditions new life, and by the 1990s Ondar’s reputation began to take seed outside of Tuva . His international fanbase grew substantially after he found himself performing with acts such as the Kronos Quartet, Ry Cooder, Frank Zappa, Micky Hart and others. In 1994 he was featured in a documentary with blind San Francisco artist Paul Pena, a blues singer who traveled to Tuva to pursue his interest in throat singing. The documentary Ghengis Blues was nominated for a Best Documentary Feature Academy Award in 2000. Ondar also recorded one album for Warner Bros. Records, Back Tuva Future, which he subsequently promoted on the David Letterman Show.

He passed away on July 25th, 2013 in Kyzyl, the capital city of Tuva.

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