Traditional Yakut Khomus | Yakutsk, Sahka Republic, Russia
Yuliyana Krovoshapkina is a virtuoso in the art of the khomus, the national instrument of the Sakha Republic in Russia. It functions much like a mouth harp, but differs in several respects. A conventional mouth harp is limited in range, volume, and pitch. The khomus is loud and strikingly expansive in range. Yuliyana’s skill allows her to play sounds across about three octaves. She was the winner of the Ethnic Sound category in the Discovery International Music Pop Festival in Varna, Bulgaria. Yuliyana has performed in Korea, France, Germany, Belgium, USA, Japan, China, Thailand, Holland, Norway, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Azerbaijan, Tatarstan, Bashkortostan, and Turkmenistan. Her music draws on the powers of Nature and the wisdom and traditions of the Yakut people to portray the timeless relationship between Man and the Universe.
Her repertoire combines throat singing and folk melodies accompanied by the khomus (jaw harp). Her voice and khomus blend to create unique harmony that often evokes feelings of profound wonder. Audiences might hear the rustle of grass in the wind, the cry of a bird startled in the sky, and the quiet incantations of an ancient shamanic ritual.
Yuliyana herself seems to undergo transformations as she adapts to a given song, to give her audiences the full sense of immersion, When she tours abroad, Yuliyana not ony introduces audiences to the Yakutian culture, but seeks out new sounds to add to her growing repertoire, She combines the sounds of other cultures with the unique styles of the Yakutian khomus.
Yuliyana will be accompanied by Aidyn Byrtaan-ool, a Tuvan throat singer who also performs with several traditional Tuvan instruments.