Join the free online premiere of the overtone singing spectacle Incognito Ergo Sum by Superstringtrio, with the trio talking about ‘the making of’.

Register with the link on the following page: https://voice-resonance.com/events

Incognito ergo sum was part of the final presentations of the PhD research “Thresholds of the audible: about the multiphony of the body” by Mark van Tongeren.

Recorded March 12, 2013, Dokzaal, Amsterdam

Theatrical direction: Horst Rickels.

Light-performance: Daphne van Tongeren

Video director: René Louter

Sound recordist: Frerik de Jonge, Kleinman Audio

Thanks to: The Academy of Creative and Performing Arts of Leiden University

Frans de Ruiter †, Tim Soekkha

The Superstringtrio does not play strings, counts two permanent members and sustains a holy belief in illusions. Parallel to physicists, who try to uncover the laws underlying the subtle vibrations of invisible ‘matter’, the Superstringtrio digs into the hidden order and chaos of tones. It asks itself: Do we use music to see ourselves or does music use us to see itself?

Rollin Rachele ( www.overtonesinging.com) performs, teaches and composes music all over the world and is involved in many collaborative projects involving music and theatre. His specialisation is Overtone Singing which he has been perfecting since 1979. He finished a 4 year BMus programme studying Hindustani vocal music through Trinity Laban at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan in London. He worked with Unstructured Light, a multi-disciplinary theatre group in the same city He has recorded several albums, and produced the first book for learning and perfecting overtone singing techniques, first in Dutch (1989, with + cassette), later published in English (1996, with CD) and updated and expanded with DVDs (2010).

Rollin also created the very first music video with overtone singing, accompanied by Celtic artist Kate McKenzie and Classical Indian vocalist Ustad Mohammed Sayeed Khan.

See our earlier post about the Superstringtrio and their performances here.

Photography by Cham Horn (below), Jochem Hartz (others).

The post Online Premiere of Superstringtrio’s overtone singing spectacle appeared first on Fusica.

The Mongols, the Tuvans and Tibetans practise it since times immemorial.

Composers Lamonte Young and Karlheinz Stockhausen introduced it to a select audience in the West.

Singers David Hykes, with his Harmonic Choir, and Michael Vetter developed a whole new way of doing it.

Your own voice resonates multiple sounds when you sing, and even when you speak.

[you are reading the transcription of the text spoken in the video]

In recent decades, more and more people discover this unusual way of vocalising, making it somewhat more …. usual.

I am talking about the technique called overtone singing. A singing practise that allows one to produce a low note and a melody of higher tones on top of it, using only the human voice.
Overtone singing is not mystical, secret or esoteric by itself, though it’s easy to understand the association.

Anyone can learn the basics of producing two tones at the same time, using only his or her voice. And this course teaches that in a few dozen clear and infectious videos. Each video zooms in to one specific way to develop a more resonant voice, making your overtones more and more audible.

Join me, Mark van Tongeren, author of the definitive sourcebook on the subject, on a path I am travelling for over 30 years.

I taught myself the basics of overtone singing around 1990. And then went on to study, record and interview many important people in the field around the world, starting with Rollin Rachele, author of the first-ever study guide for overtone singers. Soon after I set out to study with the famous throat singers from Tuva, Siberia, like Kaygal-ool Khovalyg of Huun-Huur-Tuu.

I wanted to understand how they look at their vocal art, music and sound and the connections to body, mind, spirit and religion.

This course is my condensation of decades of singing, teaching, listening and learning.
Full of tips and tricks and all the basic tools you need to jump-start your own journey to new dimensions of your resonant body, mind and voice.

Set apart one to two months for this fascinating journey, to change the way you listen and the way you make sound with your voice.

Enjoy access for the rest of your life.
Join my course Overtone Singing – Basics now.

Go to https://voice-resonance.com/online-course-basics

The post Learn Overtone Singing @ Home appeared first on Fusica.

This very complete workshop teaches you the principles of resonance by learning the basics of overtone singing: a special way of listening to and making vocal sounds that has many useful applications for singers and non-singers alike. It requires no previous musical training. It is taught by one of the world’s leading overtone singers, Mark van Tongeren, who spend decades documenting this fascinating technique by visiting and recording performers in all major traditions and interviewing many contemporary singers and composers.

R E S O N A N C E  is Mark’s most complete course. It gives you a thorough basis in practices based around overtone singing and the resonant voice in general. This course was first launched in 2014 and is now running for the 11th time. In recent years it was updated to take advantage of the fact that all three team members can assist through their long training with Mark as overtone singers and ‘resonators’. The result of this shift became clear at the end of the most recent 8-day courses (2025 and 2026): students perform better and learn quicker than in previous years.

We also introduced a new format that allows you to learn the basics at your own pace at home. The subsequent stages are:

– an easy-paced, one month online course that introduces many of the basic concepts and practices.

– a four-day in-person workshop to further explore your personal voice and ways to harmonise, resonate and sing overtones together.

– 9 weeks self-study at home or together

– another four-day group session with pieces and improvisations guided by two Teaching Assistants …

–  … also including a one-on-one class with Mark for each student to work on specific obstacles

– life-time access to the online modules

Are you not living in or near Taiwan and not able to join our retreat? Or are you not a beginner anymore? Then you can consider to take one or several 1-on-1 online classes with Mark.

TIMELINE RESONANCE 2026

Part I: The Seed Awakens: December 10 – 30: every week one new online module Overtone Singing – Basics

Part II: Emerging from the Soil: January 7 – 10 Guangfu Workshop

Part III: Blossoming into Light: March 18 – 21 Guangfu Workshop 2

DETAILED PROGRAM

Online December 10 – 30, 2026  (3 weeks) 2026

We start the learning journey online. The online video course contains 3 modules with 35 videos (2 hours total). You will receive one module per week. You can go through the videos at your own pace, and start to practice with the video instructions.

Module A (December 10 – 16): Introduction to resonance

Module B (December 17 – 23): The basic techniques of overtone singing

Module C (December 24 – 30): Polishing your listening and vocal skills

3 Online Live Q&A sessions: December 16, 23, 30 (19:30-20:00)

SAPIENTIA (Guangfu) January 7 – 10   (4 days fulltime) 2027

We come together in the tranquil, focused setting of Sapientia in Guangfu, Hualien, where we will sing, listen, sense and resonate together for four days. We immerse ourselves in the resonances of each other’s voices, building on the power that emerges from close-listening. We fine-tune our voices in harmonies – both conventional ‘outer’ harmonies and the ‘inner’ harmonies of overtones. These practices are interspersed with insightful stories from the world’s most iconic traditions of overtone singing, documented by Mark himself in the course of more than three decades of research and artistic exploration.

Day 1

Finding inner and outer harmony from embodied breath and natural resonance

Day 2

Traditional practise and wisdom explored and utilised for new forms of resonant singing

Day 3

Harmonics as/in healing and therapy: confronting fear, developing self-confidence.

Day 4

Boosting your Resonance and creative applications.

SESSION TIMES SAPIENTIA

Breakfast 8:00-9:00

Morning sessions: 9:30-12:30

Lunch break: 12:30-14:30

Afternoon sessions: 14:30-16:00 + 16:30-18:00.

Dinner break: 18:00-19:00

Evenings are for resting, self practice, jamming… till 22:00?

The last session finishes in the afternoon of Sunday at 4 PM.

THEMES FOR THESE FOUR-DAYS

SINGING

° learn to sing the basic techniques of overtone singing: NG (gong), RR (bird), LL (sygyt), vowel (ee-uu)

° enrich your vocal resonance

° meditative and therapeutic practices

° embodied listening, embodied vocalising

° musical ritual and wisdom from Christianity and Buddhism

° Mongolian, Siberian and Tibetan forms of throat singing

Like no other, Mark has single-handedly undertaken enduring, in-depth investigations into all the major traditions of overtone singing: Tuva and the Siberian and Mongolian Altai, Tibet, Sardinia, South-Africa.

LISTENING

° break through your habitual patterns of hearing and making sound

° ‘ear cleaning’: make a new start listening to all sound instead of familiar patterns

° hearing overtones in the colours and timbres of a voice

RESONANT ENCOUNTERS

° guided resonating with one or more voices

° giving feedback to each other’s voices

VOCAL STYLE and INSTRUMENTS

The main emphasis is on using / applying / hearing resonance with a relaxed, more occidental voice. Short introductions to the pressed, guttural voices of throat singing, for example Tuvan khöömei and sygyt are also given for comparison. We will learn some pieces and guided improvisations by by Mark and also create our own. In addition we will use instruments such as singing bowls, bells, lutes and fiddles. You are encouraged to bring your own – the greater the resonant spectrum, the better!

9-WEEK SELF-STUDY

As you continue your journey with your own voice, we provide you with a curated selection of some of the most interesting and important videos on the internet. These will guarantee to keep you inspired in your own practise and deepen your understanding. (Primarily English – Mandarin may not be available.)

Optional: organise your own online or in-person gatherings to learn with/from each other, discuss videos, etc..

SAPIENTIA (Guangfu) March 18 – 21 (4 days fulltime) 2027

During this second get-together, Mark and his teaching assistants will build upon the results from the previous 4-day immersive workshop and your personal journey over the past 9 weeks. Much time is spent on technical work, which will be diversified to cater for different types of students and their needs.

The basis of resonance is concentrated voice/body work, balance of body-mind exercise and good overtone singing skills. During these four days, each student will have a one-on-one private session with Mark to erase stumbleblocks. We also work in small groups, and collectively on pieces that we learn or to create new work. After this weekend, you will know your strengths and which direction to go. On the second afternoon students collaborate to create final pieces to round off their  R E S O N A N C E  retreat..

SESSION TIMES SAPIENTIA 

same as the part 1 workshop, please see above

ABOUT SAPIENTIA RESORT | GUANGFU, HUALIEN

For the sixth year, stylish Sapientia is the ‘home’ of the  R E S O N A N C E  retreat. We are happy to return to this wonderful place. The two-story building with Japanese garden-style architecture features a classroom with floor-to-ceiling windows, offering views on an expansive forest garden. The chorus of frogs, insects and birds are an exquisite setting to awaken your auditory senses. Host Peter brews different flavours of specialty coffee in his cosy coffee corner every day; hostess Ping serves delicious home-made breakfast for every guest. The guesthouse offers 7 uniquely designed rooms with comfortable large beds and Japanese-style tatami floors.

Unwind at Sapientia while enjoying our Sound Resonance Workshop experience!

LANGUAGE

The course will be conducted in English. Our interpreter Haopin WU will be present to summarise or translate entire parts of the course into Mandarin, depending on the needs.

FOR WHOM?

No previous musical experience is required. All levels welcome.

We’ve had office workers, people with speech problems, poets, singing bowl players, linguists, sanyassins, professional singers, dancers, academics and more in previous  R E S O N A N C E  courses. Anyone who is curious about developing her or his voice potential, whether professional or amateur or non-singer, will benefit from these lessons.

PRICING

Full Price 72.500 NT$

Up to 16 September 2026:

Early Bird / 15% off NT$ 61.625

After 17 September 2026

Full price NT$ 72.500

TOSA members  / 15% off  NT$ 61.625

Bring a friend :  – NT$ 2.500

Included:

• Tuition
• Guangfu lodging in shared rooms (a private room if available).
• Guangfu Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
• Coffee and snacks

Not included:

• Transport to the retreat in Hualien.

If possible, bring an instrument of your own. It is also possible to pre-order a shruti box from Mark to help your own practice during and after the workshop. For pre-orders, discounts apply: inquire for the details (depending on availability).

REGISTER

We reserve the right to change program time and contents.

Please sign up through this form: https://forms.gle/dcFHhmGyB9uN2WFD8

Let us know if you need help!

OUR TEAM

This workshop is brought to you by Jackal Mei, Yvonne Chichen Lee, Haopin Wu, Hsi-Yin Chang and Mark van Tongeren.

Mark van Tongeren 

Mark is a sound explorer with a deep interest in the synergy of arts, sciences and contemplative traditions. Mark has over 30 years of experience in theatre, music and dance productions and holds a PhD from Leiden University’s Academy of Creative of Performing Arts. In his work he combines all kinds of voice/music/performance, sometimes overlapping with contemplative practices (meditation, pranayama, yoga).

Watch this teaser from the online module showing the 7 basic techniques of overtone singing.

To get an idea of what this workshop is about, listen to Mark’s TEDx talk about listening and singing overtones.

Jackal Mei

An overtone singing / jaw harp enthusiast since 2019, Jackal is deeply involved with the Taiwan Overtone Singing Association and the Taiwan World Jaw Harp Culture Association. He is a member of IUooUI and Inner Galactic Wanderers. Jackal is also a passionate lover of dessert baking and coffee.

Haopin Wu

Haopin has been studying resonance and overtone singing for more than five years. He quickly comprehends what beginners need when learning overtone singing from various viewpoints. He holds a Ph.D. in mathematical sciences.

Yvonne Chichen Lee

Passionate for all ways of singing with instruments across traditions. Interpreter for Mark’s first R E S O N A N C E course in 2014 and again in 2026. Now a performer at times, singing, playing, or moving.

Hsi-Yin Chang

An intuitive singer and sound healing practitioner now living in Germany. She was trained in sound therapy since 2021 and is now dedicating her work to healing music and sound journeys.

CONTACT INFO

For any questions about the contents in English ask Mark, in Chinese, ask Jackal Mei.

For registration ask Hsi-Yin, for lodging and food details ask Jackal.

Jackal Mei (Organizer)

Phone: 0936-596-910

Mail: jackallala@gmail.com

Line ID: jackallala

Mark van Tongeren (Course facilitator)

mark@fusica.nl

Phone: 0910382749

LINE: 091038274

Hsi-Yin Chang (administration assistant)

hsiyin724@gmail.com

PAYMENT

Payment upon registration by bank or Paypal.

Bank code: 808

Name of bank: E.SUN Commercial Bank

Beneficiary: Van Tongeren Mark Christiaan

Account number: 0314-979-191796

Make sure to send an email after your payment with the last few digits of your bank account.

CANCELLATION

We try to keep prices reasonable. We will return 90% of the fee if you cancel 60+ days prior to the workshop.

We will return 80% of the fee if you cancel 45 – 59 days prior to the workshop.

We will return 50% of the fee if you cancel 30 – 44 days prior to the workshop.

We will return 30% of the fee if you cancel 15 – 29 days prior to the workshop.

We will return 10% of the fee if you cancel 1 – 14 days prior to the workshop.

If you find a substitute for your spot, we will only keep 10% of the administration fee.

© Mark van Tongeren 2026

© Photos Jackal Mei

OTHER UPCOMING WORKSHOPS

Voice Yoga Winter Solstice Retreat 2026:

December 19-22 at Dulan

PLEASE ALSO CHECK OUT:

TOSA https://www.facebook.com/overtonesingingtw

R E S O N A N C E   X I I

will take place in early 2028

The post R E S O N A N C E   XI (11) – 2026-2027 appeared first on Fusica.

Concerts, workshops and other upcoming events.

Details below

Friday October 9

14:30 CEST

Online Premiere of full performance Incognito Ergo Sum by the Superstringtrio.

Live with Mark van Tongeren and Rollin Rachele

Sunday December 13, 2026

10 AM – 5 PM.

Taipei, place tbc

Member Day, Taiwan Overtone Singing Association.

More about the association here.

More about some of our activities here.

Go to R E S O N A N C E   XI (11) – 2026-2027

Voice Yoga Winter Solstice Retreat 2026

Not found what you are looking for?

Tell us so we can help you.

The post Autumn Program 2026 appeared first on Fusica.

Here is a video in which I explain some of the things that are essential for those who start on the path of learning to sing overtones. Enjoy!

The post How to hear your own overtones? appeared first on Fusica.

For decades I have known a technique of Western overtone singing that I heard perform only one time. Many singers use the technique on which it is based, which I call the L-technique, as their standard for singing overtones. But I suspect that this particular technique is unknown to most overtone singers. Since hearing the shimmering, glistening sound of this unique method, I practise it occasionally. Recently I notice it does not sound as clear as it used to, and so it is high time to share it with others, who then can also use it. I am now getting it back in shape again and will present this technique in a live performance as part of a longer piece, next month in my solo show In|nbalance in Potsdam. In this video I tell a bit more about it and show the technique.

I will give three workshops especially for Designing Voices in Potsdam about overtones and resonance stuffed with information and exercises about many overtone singing techniques, from various forms of Tibetan chant through Western techniques to Tuvan/Mongolian techniques.

So the technique has one clear characteristic that makes it stand out: it highlights two overtones while not sounding the overtone that is between them. This goes against the common wisdom of every practising overtone singer, which holds that you try to concentrate the sound energy in one clear, central overtone. With this little-known technique, it seems you sort of split this energy out again in two directions around one central overtone that you cannot hear. When normally you try to focus all energy on, say, overtone number 9, you now adjust your tongue so that the energy flows out to numbers 8 and 10, making both of them loud enough to be heard. A rather unusual procedure. Very characteristic is the combination of the seventh and the ninth overtones, leaving out number eight; and also nine combined with eleven (with number ten being inaudible). (For the microtonality / Just Intonation freaks and serious singers: more details about the overtone range at the bottom of this post)

For reasons I cannot fully fathom myself, I have never spoken to anybody about this technique: not with Michael Vetter, not with Borg Diem Groeneveld or with other overtone singers. Somehow it remained this special treasure all this time. It is possible others have heard it and know more: please drop me a line if you do. Since I do not know if Michael Vetter ever gave this technique a name, I need to come up with one. I usually think of it as the ‘parallel third technique’ but there can be a fourth in the low range and possibly seconds in the higher range. I find the parallel thirds the most striking element, however, so I prefer that name: the “parallel-third technique.”

Interesting detail: the storm created a special atmosphere in the church in Utrecht: this was also clearly palpable in the live broadcast itself. It was amplified by the storm we, listeners, heard at home, raging outside. This situation and the name Töne im Sturm is also very fitting for the theme of the In|nbalance program I am working on. Is it a coincidence that unusually strong winds are blowing around my place in Amsterdam for several days now, in September 2025, while I am working on this piece and this video? Every now and then the rain flies past my window almost horizontally. The wind produces ominous, low rumbles day and night; rustling sounds produced by thousands of leaves come and go in waves; and then there are the ‘ordinary’ sounds of wind, mid-range, between these high and low frequencies. Three stacked layers of sound. Just as in the parallel-third technique itself.

Michael Vetter with brezel (pretzel). Photo by Mark van Tongeren

The radio programme that featured Michael Vetter’s concert, baptised Töne im Sturm (‘Tones in the Storm’) by the singer, was De Wandelende Tak, which mostly featured traditional music from around the world, often original recordings by musicians, ethnomusicologists and other people with special knowledge of that tradition. I was a frequent guest myself in this program with recordings from Siberia, Mongolia, Kalmykia and other places. The overtone singing concert from Vetter was characteristic of the ambiguous status of overtone singing, because it is not traditional music, like the content of nearly all other episodes of De Wandelende Tak. The concert was organised by Diem Groeneveld, a long-time Dutch student of Michael Vetter and a fine overtone singer himself. Walter Slosse was the host who interviewed Groeneveld about Vetter before and after the concert, and it was broadcast by the VPRO.

This is my recording of the radio programme, made on a cassette and later transfered to the computer. There is a  silence towards the end for a short while, of which I am not sure at which stage it happened – probably during the A/D conversion.

After listening again, I conclude that Vetter’s technique was in an absolutely superb state at this point,

as can be heard  in all the ‘ordinary styles’of overtone singing. The parallel technique becomes clear particularly at around 12:45, and comes back several times later. 

Töne im Sturm.

Live radio broadcast for VPRO radio’s

De Wandelende Tak, mid-1990s.

Details about the range of overtones and their distances

For the overtone cogniscenti: the extremes on the recording of my own version are overtones ten and twelve, but I can go as high as twelve and fourteen, and as low as six and eight. Every time, the overtone in between them is not audible. Nearly all these combinations are variations of the interval of a third. The interesting thing is of course that every third is different, as the distance between the two tones grows smaller with every higher step on the harmonic scale. The H6 + H8 combination, my lowest combination, is a near-perfect fourth apart (497 cents, in case you were wondering), then next is the largest third H7 + H9 (a very large major third of 435 cents). The thirds progressively decrease their distance: the smallest and highest interval I could still sing clearly with this technique is a very small minor third of the overtones H12 + H14 (266 cents).

To hear this technique in its full splendour, come to Potsdam next month! And to learn more, I will give three workshops especially for Designing Voices in Potsdam about overtones and resonance stuffed with information and exercises about many overtone singing techniques, from various forms of Tibetan chant through Western techniques to Tuvan/Mongolian techniques. Check out all the details here.

For all workshop dates in Amsterdam/Potsdam/

Zürich/Vilnius/Ljubljana/Helsinki:

check my upcoming events page.

The post Töne im Sturm: Singing Parallel Overtones appeared first on Fusica.

Upon arrival I had noticed a fascinating adobe-colored tower on the grasslands surrounding the museum. I had had a quick look and listen but was most eager to explore it more indepth and invited my singers to join me after the concert. It turned out to be a splendid work of art, of architecture, or something in between. A sonorous temple graced with the most intricate light patterns I have ever seen on adobe-like structures (earthy hues have been my favorite at least since the beginning of this millennium). These shifting light rays are the result of several horizontal slits placed in irregular intervals along the body of the tower. We stood in awe, listened in awe, walked around in awe. Notwithstanding the presence of a few other visitors, we began quite naturally to emit our first tones. The resulting resonance was as soft and layered as the plastered walls, which had uneven, undulating surfaces that still showed the signs of paintbrushes. Our voices bounced off the walls in a pleasant, smooth way, not as crystal-like and pure as glass-covered structures, but with a coarser grain of sound.

Walking around, you would hear your own sound, or someone else’s suddenly shifting from one direction to a totally different direction. Or even enveloping you from all sides. It is a familiar but surreal phenomenon in many round, resonant spaces with the wall or ceiling curving inward. In certain spots someone who is standing opposite you talking or singing, sounds as if she is behind you.

I knew already during the first glimpse: this is the kind of place I have been looking for in Taiwan for more than ten years. As time passed I knew I had to temper my expectations. There were occasional resonant places, like the one I had stept into earlier this year, but those were usually not very suitable for performing, or not very pleasant to be in, or too expensive or too inaccessible. This new tower was in fact many times better than what I had ever expected. It was not just a sonic treasure, which I somehow usually imagined to be a white or grey space, or otherwise colourless. This was the most intimate, warm, lush light I had seen in years, if I had ever been in such a building at all. It simply seemed to breath by itself already.

We did some more research and learnt to our astonishment that this treasure was not part of the newly opened museum, but it had been standing there for 14 years. Some months later, Sunny noticed an announcement of an event in the tower with the architect, the next day: the day when IUooUI rehearses! I quickly jotted down a simple idea we could sing and shared it. We rehearsed it in the morning and set out to the museum. Exactly at the designated time, the architect appeared from a hidden door, as if coming from nowhere. In the center of the spiraling form he began to talk casually about the history of his tower, its symbolism, problems he had overcome, adaptations to the original idea and more. The place came alive even stronger with these stories. Pei, as the tower is called, really was opened 14 years ago and virtually nothing happened with it, to the chagrin of the architect, Lin Shuen Long.

During the Q&A we introduced ourselves and asked if we could sing a piece to honour the architect and his creation. We spread out and sang Pi:Ecce (I thought the name of the tower was Pi, not Pei). I then started an improvised piece which IUooUI completed beautifully with several solo parts. The architect was enthusiastic about our musical performances and told me something that moved me to the core: “this tower has been waiting for you for fourteen years”.

This place is a treasure, a multi-faceted gem of a building. Not designed with a 3-D program, but by bare hands with mud or clay, just like all that amazing pottery that the small town of Yingge is famous for. Some pottery shops in Yingge have a history of 500 years behind them, and took their technology with them from the mainland. There is no more suitable architectural tribute to the town then a tower designed like most pottery is designed: from an ancient, artisanal practise. We can be greatful to the decisions-makers who planned to build something like this, for chosing this architect, and for both parties to overcome all the hurdles necessary to complete the project. And what is 14 years in the light of generations of pottery making? Now let’s hope steps are taken soon to celebrate the incredible potential of this tower, both visually and acoustically!

Our more or less failed outdoor performance on that early Summer day happened for a good reason. I feel blessed that we ran into something so special.

The post Discovering Lin Shuen-Long’s PEI appeared first on Fusica.

During one of my concerts in Taucha, Germany, last month, I asked the audience who knows the name Michael Vetter. Several people raised their hands. But as I expected, many people at the Ancient Trance Festival don’t know his name. Of course, quite a few more may have heard his music in the Age of Spotify: you listen but don’t know what album is playing, now that a physical relationship to the medium (as in the time of LPs, CDs) is outdated. Besides, Ancient Trance is not exactly overlapping with Vetter’s artistic direction. He was much more avant-garde, with musical influences from Baroque to Dada and Fluxus, and a host of visual influences, from mediaeval religious painting and Chinese calligraphy to comics.

In the next few weeks O TRIOM is looking back at the life and work of the instrumentalist, vocalist, painter, poet, pedagogue and ordained Zen master Michael Vetter (1943-2013). We will be showing how his legacy continues to inspire, inform and transform our performing today in several concerts, a lecture and workshops. Why? Certainly not because Vetter was such a fine overtone singer. There are and have been many fine overtone singers, and Vetter’s style of singing and performing was one of many – not ‘just’ one of many, but a very influential one, to be sure. In the 1980s, anyone wanting to do something with overtone singing went to Vetter’s workshops and bought his albums, at least in very active German-speaking areas (and The Netherlands too). Vetter set certain standards for overtone singing, for a certain period of time, and those standards hardly changed.

Michael Vetter making Indian ink drawings, Academia Caparaia, Italy, 2009. (Photograph Mark van Tongeren under protection of Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND)

The interest of O TRIOM in Vetter also started with overtone singing, but soon branched out in many other directions. For example: Vetter as a typical Zen Buddhist. He insists again and again that one should give undivided attention to what one is doing when making music (or anything else, though he would not talk about anything, but about art). And he applied this attitude in all his music, and all his other creative work, as well as his cooking and everyday life. When I read and re-read his texts, or when I go through the conversations we had and the interviews I did with him, I frequently stumble upon contradictions (literally: ‘counter-speaking’) concerning his spiritual or religious outlook. You may be looking to clarify his positions towards spiritual questions, and find that he has much to say about that. Many people felt he was a very religious person and his biography testifies to that. Certainly a believer! But then you will sooner or later find a remark in which he warns for overzealous religious interpretations. “Here and there one learns about the connection between overtones and Our Lord. That is far removed from me!” And yet, many of his art and music works bear very clear Christian (and not just Zen) elements.

It seems that it does not make sense. And that is exactly what we can take away from Michael Vetter (or maybe from Zen in general), and what keeps me coming back to him for fresh insights: there is no single, or final way to talk about or do anything. There are only temporarily, or partially ‘true’ or ‘convincing’ arguments to believe, or positions to take. As soon as one clings too much to certain truths, it is time to let it go again and look for yet another perspective .

In the weeks to come we will prepare ourselves with this in mind: try as best as you can to follow certain aesthetic and creative paths, and be always willing to throw them overboard again and replace them with something new. I am excited about this moment in our O TRIOM collaboration, which began in early 2022, if I remember well. And I salute the brilliant artist who bridged so many visions and visuals, sounds and musics, thoughts and dreams in a lifetime bursting with creative output.

Read an earlier post about why we should remember Michael Vetter here.

PROGRAM

FOR CONCERT TICKETS

CLICK HERE

O TRIOM Artists

LEE Wei Lin

LU Qi Chung

Mark van Tongeren

Production

Organizer| Taiwan Overtone Singing Association TOSA
Executive Producer  | Lee Chichen
Visual Design  | Bai Chi Hao
Image source | Michael Vetter

Lecture| prof. CHUNG Mingder

Taiwan Overtone Singing Association is also on Facebook.

Photos from a 2014 concert by O TRIOM

O TRIOM 紀念米歇爾·費特大師 系列泛音講座、工作坊暨音樂會

與談者將說談泛音音樂在台灣發展的故事，從當年北藝大邀請國外泛音音樂家來台傳藝及演出，到《OM泛唱作為藝乘》一書的誕生，泛音藝術家米歇爾・費特大師的生平創作故事，及至往後泛音音樂在台灣生根2022年台灣泛音詠唱協會TOSA的成立。

＊同場放映呂啓仲拍攝之泛音藝術家費特大師來台紀錄片《Transverbal穿越語言的相遇》。

｜工作坊內容｜

介紹「泛音唱法」，引領學員如何唱和體驗泛音，藉由唱出和聽到泛音，踏上精神的探險之旅。

點此報名工作坊＆講座

O TRIOM 米歇爾‧費特大師 紀念音樂會

時間：

2023/10/21  六 19:00

2023/10/22 日  14:00

地點：

夢響廳 Dreamphony Hall

新北市蘆洲區光榮路97巷59號

**捷運蘆洲站步行約5分鐘**

演出者：Mark van Tongeren．呂啓仲．李維琳

 音樂會購票點此 

O TRIOM 演出者

製作團隊

主辦單位| |台灣泛音詠唱協會

執行製作  | 李紀辰

視覺設計 |  白濟豪

圖片來源 | Michael Vetter

講座講者| 鍾明德教授

台灣泛音詠唱協會Facebook

Read an earlier post about why we should remember Michael Vetter here.

The post O TRIOM remembers Michael Vetter appeared first on Fusica.

Events by the Taiwan Overtone Singing Association and IUooUI

The year began with our new performance group, IUooUI presenting itself with concerts in Mei Garden, Taipei. This was followed by the establishing of the Taiwan Overtone Singing Association (TOSA), and then again more concerts by IUooUI. It is very encouraging to see the developments of some of my most loyal students in this performance group, and a growing audience for our musical adventures, now joining in an official association. I am grateful to all the members, supporters and to Sunny Chen, who is the driving force behind TOSA and pushed ahead with the concert programs for IUooUI. The highlight was a series of concerts in the Taipei Fringe Festival.

Performing Hsu Po-Yun’s music at the National Concert Hall, Taipei

As icing on the cake of the overtone singing events in early 2022, I was invited to perform in a piece of the venerable Taiwanese composer Hsu Po-Yun, contributing with Tuvan throat singing, in the National Concert Hall in Taipei.

Smells of 2022: Healing Island Videos

One of the recurring activities in 2022 was the shooting of short video documentaries about Taiwanese trees and plants that my wife June Wen included in her book Healing Island. That is sort of a new role for me as a video-host/presenter without direct link to my performing roles (though surely I do sometimes popped out some guttural sounds or overtones – don’t worry!). Here we shot one of the favorite species we visited: shell ginger aka pandanus aka kewra. An aroma that ‘blew me away’ when I first smelled its extract at the book launch in January 2022.

Jew’s Harp extravaganza

Just like some 15 years ago, we had several days of Jew’s Harp music, but this time in Taiwan. The first large-scale festival of its kind. I had the honour to open and close the festival with a solo performance. The closing ceremony turned into an hour+  jam with everybody joining – including the audience. Special guest and old friend Leo Tadagawa joined me for some visits to several great, indigenous Jew’s harp makers.

Authoring of a New Music text

I contributed not only music (voices and Jew’s harp) but also text to a new composition by the German-Chinese composer Yang Song (who also has Mongol parentage). The writing fits into my current practise of writing one okyo a day, but I specifically sought out Mongolian characteristics. Full story here.

365 Algorhythms: 23112001

I am writing at least one new okyo every day since early December. Okyo is Japanese for sutra, borrowed from Michael Vetter’s use of the term (more about that later).

Listen and join in if you like (click the image).

Oldest Institutions

For some time (decades, in a way) I am interested in the question what are the oldest institutions in the world. A post I read last year of an organisation dedicated to thinking and acting on the long term provided interesting yet unsatisfying answers. There is a nice list of old institutions as a GIF image, with some truly surprising names. It includes Japan, too, which is important. But China was lacking, as was India, and I am not sure yet how that could be possible. I guess this lack gave me the impetus, a few months later, to decide to attend that very ancient ceremony, celebrated on Teacher’s Day in Chinese-speaking countries. I had been thinking about that for at least 10 years, but now was the time. Time to act. Time to witness history. On September 28, I heard the ceremony designed by Confucius, and I saw Kung Tsui-Chang, who can claim descent from that old master. The 79th generation, 2572 years later. A stunning idea. Several versions of the ritual seem to exist and changes did and do happen. Yet we can praise Confucius for creating something that more or less survived all these two-and-a-half thousand years.

https://youtu.be/rypAVwtHurA

Two new albums, one book and one book contribution

Click on the image for the full story.

The post 2022 in sounds, sights and smells appeared first on Fusica.

Join me this weekend for the first of three launch events of the book and album Overtone Singing. The first one will be most suitable for people on Asian time (Saturday 7 January  at 12 AM for Taipei/Hong Kong) and LA time (US) on Friday 6 January at 8 PM). The second one takes place in NYC (Saturday 14, evening) and Asia (Sunday 15, morning). A third launch in European time will happen on February 4.

I will look back on 30 years of research as a singer and musicologist, tell stories, sing some demos and pieces and there will be one or more special guests to say a word about this book or their own experiences in the field of overtone singing. There will be a short Q&A at the end too.

Please celebrate this occasion with me. We will braodcast on the Fusica YouTube channel. If you would like to receive a notice or subscribe to other notifications, write an email to Jane Tsai by clicking here:   jame79522@gmail.com.

All information about the book is here.

LAUNCH #1

WESTCOAST US

Friday January 6

20-21:30 LA time

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Saturday January 7

12-13:30 TW/HK time

The FB event page

https://www.facebook.com/events/565031861852798/?ref=newsfeed

LAUNCH #2

EASTCOAST US

Saturday January 14

20-21:30 NY time

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Sunday January 15

9-10:30 TW/HK time

The FB event page

https://www.facebook.com/events/1810308066007379/?ref=newsfeed

LAUNCH #3

EUROPE

Saturday February 4

13-14:30 C.E. TIME

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Saturday February 4

20-21:30 TW/HK time

The FB event page

https://www.facebook.com/events/1187454068549532/?ref=newsfeed

Official worldwide release date: January 10.

Global distribution everywhere through The MIT Press / Penguin Random House.

Available NOW through Fusica and Terra Nova Press.

Book (pre)orders: Publisher Terra Nova

https://www.terranovapress.com/books/overtonesinging

Or as a package with the Anthology album:

https://markvantongeren.bandcamp.com/album/anthology-of-overtone-singing

The book in short:

The Overtone Singing Book

The post Book Launch 1, 2 & 3 appeared first on Fusica.