Washington DC: Tibetan Singer Tashi D Sharzur or popularly known as Techung is announced as one of the recipients of prestigious New York Foundation for Arts’ (NYFA) Folk/Traditional Arts Fellowship program for 2018.
The organization has awarded fellowship grant total of $623,000 to 89 artists throughout New York State in the following disciplines: Fiction, Folk/Traditional Arts, Interdisciplinary Work, Painting, and Video/Film.
Techung, on winning the award said that this is an honor for him and all the traditional artists. He added that he might probably be the first Tibetan to receive this honor.
NYFA website says: “ The program is highly competitive and this year’s recipients and finalists were selected by discipline-specific peer panels from an applicant pool of 3,071. Since it was launched in 1985, the program has awarded over $31 million to more than 4,500 artists.”
“Receiving the NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship means it is possible for me to teach less, worry (a little) less, and write more. It is allowing me to focus on the big picture and helps me to believe that what I am doing has value to someone other than me. As an artist, I feel freer to take risks with my work, to experiment, and to continue to write about gender, race, silence, and speech.” Said Sejal Shah, another Fellow in Fiction from Rochester, NY.
NYFA Fellowships are administered with leadership support from New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.
Techung is a Tibetan folk and freedom singer/songwriter living in exile in Dharamsala and USA. He is best known for his performances of traditional Tibetan music, dance, and opera. He uses his childhood nickname, Techung, when performing as a solo artist. Whether performing in traditional or contemporary style, Techung’s dual goals are to revive Tibetan music in the Tibetan community and to expose the rich performing arts tradition of his homeland to the world community.
For more information, visit NYFA website: http://current.nyfa.org/post/175744481278/introducing-nyscanyfa-artist-fellowship-program
