Folk Musician Karma Tashi Choejor to Release Second Album, Championing Ngari’s Musical Heritage

Ngari (Tibet). Renowned folk singer and musician Karma Tashi Choejor from Ngari Prefecture is set to release his second solo music album, ‘Gyanglu’ (Auspicious Song), in 2026. Having released his debut album ‘Gyappo’ in 2022, he shared that these albums aim to preserve the authentic folk music and traditional instrumental art of the Ngari region.

During the harvest festival season in 2024, he organised a special musical event titled ‘The Sound of Guge’ near the ancient Guge ruins in his hometown of Ratsa (Tsada) County. He stated that the purpose of the event was to honour the relatives, local community, and folk artists who have supported him, as well as to reflect on the achievements he has made while pursuing his musical journey away from home for over a decade.

Karma Tashi has credited his elder brother and mentor, Karma Sonam Gyamtso, for inspiring him to enter the field of art from an early age. According to him, Karma Sonam has been working tirelessly in the arts for a long time and deserves the credit for guiding him onto this path. Karma Sonam, currently an artist with the Zhangzhung Art Troupe, is also a student of Karma Tashi and a relative by blood. Karma Tashi adds that whenever he encounters difficulties while learning to play traditional Ngari instruments such as the Ngari Piwang, he promptly consults his mentor brother.

Active in the musical journey for over a decade, Karma Tashi has secured first place in various folk song and music competitions held across the Tibet Autonomous Region and has had the opportunity to perform on major stages both at home and abroad. He has so far trained more than a hundred students in playing the traditional folk instruments of the Ngari region, many of whom are now active as independent artists on various platforms.

Karma Tashi has pledged to continue visiting his homeland regularly, collecting fading authentic melodies from rural areas, and adapting them into a modern style to preserve and promote them for the new generation. He stated that his primary goal is to spread the traditional musical culture of the Ngari region at both national and international levels.