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Profile:

Albina Degtyareva is based in Yakutsk, Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), Russia. Lives in the biggest Siberian region. Born in the little village of Kyrgyday.

Regalia: The honored culture worker of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia).

Jobs: Currently works as a khomus music teacher at Yakutsk Music College and as the artist of Yakutia's State Variety Art Theater. Used to work as a khomus music tutor at Yakutsk Children High Music School for more than 10 years. Had research work experience at International Khomus Center (known also as Yakutsk Khomus Museum).

Education: Graduated from Yakutsk State University with major in the Sakha language and literature.

Activities:

Started activity in culture and arts in 1983 as a Jew's-harp (khomus) performer at the Yakutsk State University. As a member of the university-based khomus players group “Algys”, Albina Degtyareva deservedly became a laureate of the XII World Students & Youth Festival in Moscow in 1985. In 1987 she participated in tours to promote the USSR in West Europe.

Since 1991 she performs on stage as a professional artist. Well-known outside of the Sakha Republic and Russia. Considered as the promoter of khomus music. Her Jew's-harp playing is notable for gifted creativity, individual style, subtle technique, and strong improvisation. Her well-known compositions are At a Tethering Post, Lullaby, The World of Nature, Home Tunes, etc. She recreates the old ways of folk singing – nasal, throat, palatal singing. Those techniques are effectively used in author's music and theatrical performance.

Being a khomus master, Albina Degtyareva deserved the right to be the honored representative of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia). She participates in many official events arranged by Yakutia's Government within Russia and abroad. She took part in Days of the Republic in Moscow, St Petersburg, Khabarovsk, China, Japan (EXPO 2005), and other places.

Albina Degtyareva supported documentalists and moviemakers. For instance, she participated in making movies “The Echo of Centuries” (1984), “The Yakut Ballad” (2000), “Congeners” (2001). Published author's CDs in Austria and Japan. She is also known as a skillful modeler. Her costumes done in traditional style earned the Grand-Prix of Yakutia models competition “Saharha” in 1997. She is a poetess as well. Her literature works have been published in printed media.

Albina Degtyareva makes an important contribution to the preservation of music, arts, and culture traditions, to the promotion of khomus and world music.

AYARKHAAN

To promote the Yakut khomus, live ethno music, and folk singing, Albina Degtyareva established the ethno group “Ayarkhaan” in 2002. For the short time being, she with group members managed to revive lost manners of singing – khabarha yryata, tanalai yryata, etc.

Ayarkhaan deserved a lot of awards at various Russian and international live ethno/folk music festivals. Among earned trophies, for instance, there are:

the Grand-Prix of

• the Russian Festival “The Lights of the North” (Syktyvkar, 2003),
• the 2nd World Ethno Music Festival “Sayanring” (Krasnoyarsk, 2004),

• the International Khomus Festival “Il Khomus” (Yakutsk, 2004),
• the International Live Music Festival “The Magic of the Voice” (Brozlav / Poland, 2005),
• the International Verbal Folk Traditions Festival (Warsaw / Poland, 2005),
• the International Khomus Festival (Kyzyl / Russia, 2005).

• the International Live Music Festival in Chadan (Tyva / Russia),
• the International Ethno Music Festival in Moscow (Russia),
• the International Live Music Festival “Riddu, Riddu” in Minland (Norway),
• the International Turks Music Festival “The Music of the Great Steppe” in Kyzyl Orda (Kazakhstan).

Translated by YakutiaToday.com

Article:
Her unique world
Written by Alexander Solovjev.

Khomus (Yakutian jew's-harp) is the most ancient musical instrument, which meets practically at all peoples in this or that “modification” – there are models from wooden, whale moustache, and naturally metal, which plays our today’s person Albina Degtyareva. She was born in creative family in small Viluy village with a melodious name Kyrgyday. In seven years the girl has asked mum to teach her to play on khomus. Those days khomus was a rarity, it ordered from Megino-Khangalas region, at Semen Innokentjevich Gogolev. The girl has without effort mastered a khomus and quickly safely repeated in a step the old brothers. Now Albina – a pride of republic without which any ethnic concert or action of republic doesn’t pass.

After numerous concerts and world tours Albina became an idol for amateurs of modern ethnic music.

Albina’s life is inseparably related with khomus, at school she participated in all concerts of her region, she occupied honored places in republican competitions and festivals. She earned people's love. In student’s years she was, during some time, the head of ensemble of khomusits of the faculty of history and philology. Since 1985 there have begun the first trips abroad, where she showed and, to the present time, shows a magnificent and bewitching game on khomus.

Albina's unforgettable moments during trip on island Hokkaido:

THE SEAGULLS ON HOKKAIDO ISLAND

- The island Hokkaido – the most beautiful place in the world, the north of Japan, and, probably, therefore it wasn’t touched by a civilization. Hokkaido – is snow-white caps of mountains, branchy trees growing in a lower course, the cleanest air and the bright sun blinding the eyes.

And I stood on a coast of ocean, listening attentively in a roar reaching whence from the entrails of the earth. After I learned that the ocean is alive and it breathed. Moreover, during any time it seemed to me that we breathe together, we inhale and exhale the air simultaneously. It was a very strange sensation. And suddenly I was dawned with the next idea: a shout of seagulls would be conformable to this ocean excitement, this noise going whence from apart.

I haven’t noticed how I have approached to lips my khomus, which always, certainly, with me. A heart-rending shout of seagulls was raised itself. Soon I have felt that another sound has flowed into my sound, more alive and strong. I have listened: the seagulls shout! I have looked narrowly: near to me, on the edge of coast, from nowhere, there was a whole flight white of seagulls. Then we have gone alone and have seen Siberian white cranes.

DANCE OF SIBERIAN WHITE CRANES

There is a Yakut legend: the person any time seen in a life the dance of Siberian white cranes, learns a true happiness. Perhaps, so speak, because it is difficult to see these birds?

In Japan I managed to see Siberian white cranes, but as against ours, they were adapted. Probably, therefore they looked so prosily: they didn’t sing and dance. It became sad to me and for somehow to dispel this sadness I became to play on khomus. Sounds flew easily and freely. Surprising affaire! – five minutes have not passed, as birds, as if having forgotten about their bondage, have appeared before me in all natural beauty! The word of honor, we adequately supplemented each other! It was unforgettable! The present symphony …

AMONG HERD OF HORSES

One day I was carried on a pasture, where the herd of horses was peacefully grazed. Having seen them, I have felt a certain fear: it is not known, how they will lead themselves? They will rush suddenly? However on all it was visible, that horses not paid attention to me.

Under sounds of my khomus I imaged our Yakut horses, such small and thickset, which by their hoofs procure under a thick layer of snow forage – a last year’s grass. It seems I left far in my ideas, having missed the main thing: the herd of horses approached to me! The word of honor, it was terrible for me. As there was no place for to disappear and I have silently whispered: “Pretty, please, stop, don’t come nearer!” Surprising affaire: horses as if having heard my words, have stopped and began to be grazed themselves…

Having talked and having heard Albina's surprising stories it would be desirable to learn to play on khomus and to learn other world, the world of the nature and melody.

Resource: Sakha-Info.Ru