The US west coast is on fire--yes, the grass in the hills used to burn each summer when we were kids, too, but this is different. Nearly unlivable air quality and surreal orange skies are bringing the significance of global climate change home. From Hawaii I look at those pictures with concern for my family,… Continue reading Pulling Power from the Sky: The Story of Makani
Author: Anna
Author, filmmaker, professor, specializing in music, media, and performance in Nepal and the Himalayan region.
रातो लालटिनबाट रि-पोस्ट: गीतहरु क्रान्तिकारी भएपछि भावना पार्टीगत हुँदैन
गीतहरु क्रान्तिकारी भएपछि भावना पार्टीगत हुँदैन Interview for Rato Laltin with Prakash Thapa Magar Originally posted on January 22, 2019 आना स्टर (पिएच.डी.), अमेरिकी सङ्गीत अन्वेषक ।२०५७ सालमा अमेरिकी विद्यार्थीहरुको एउटा टोली नेपाल आयो । त्यो टोलीलाई नेपाली भाषाका साथै अन्य विषयहरु पनि सिकाइयो । चार महिनाजति नेपालमा बसेको उक्त टोलीमा थिइन्, आना मारिया स्टर । उक्त टोलीले… Continue reading रातो लालटिनबाट रि-पोस्ट: गीतहरु क्रान्तिकारी भएपछि भावना पार्टीगत हुँदैन
Interview about Dohori and Other Things on Ambrin Hayat’s “Over a Cup of Tea”
Lahore-based Pakistani vlogger Ambrin Hayat kindly invited me to do a Zoom chat with her for her channel "Over a Cup of Tea," which features her conversations with academic and other successful women. We talked (in English) about music and Nepal for a general audience--not much about ancient music, despite the video's title. Thanks Ambrin… Continue reading Interview about Dohori and Other Things on Ambrin Hayat’s “Over a Cup of Tea”
Dohori with Badri Pangeni: Timlai Tadha Malai Ni Tadha (8/19/2011)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4OSqseQQkPs In these days of social distancing we're all far away from each other--if only we could move our homes "a fishbone's width apart" as the song says. Missing you all! This recording is from August 19, 2011, at Nirmaya Rodhi Club, and I'm singing dohori with Badri Pangeni, with the help of Shila Ale,… Continue reading Dohori with Badri Pangeni: Timlai Tadha Malai Ni Tadha (8/19/2011)
What Keeps Us Company: Nepali Popular Music in Baharain (2010)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncR7pkwjMb8&t=44s Nepali workers in Bahrain, including a nightclub owner, performers, truckers, and manual laborers, rely on popular music to get them through their days and nights. For the accompanying article of mine that tells more of their story from 2010, please see: Popular Music among Nepalis in Bahrain: Nightclubs, Media, Performance, and Publics, In David… Continue reading What Keeps Us Company: Nepali Popular Music in Baharain (2010)
Singing A Great Dream wins awards!
The documentary film about Khusiram Pakhrin that Bhakta Syangtan and I made, Singing A Great Dream, won two awards at the Darbhanga International Film Festival on February 9, 2020. We're excited and honored! Here's the trailer: https://vimeo.com/364925937 And the poster:
CFP: Music, Sound, and the Sacred
CFP for a special issue of the journal Religions on Music, Sound, and the Sacred, edited by me! https://www.mdpi.com/journal/religions/special_issues/music Dear Colleagues, This Issue of Religions addresses music and sound as integral parts of religious and spiritual expression. Inviting approaches inspired by the robust work on music, sound, and religious practice in ethnomusicology, anthropology, sound studies, and… Continue reading CFP: Music, Sound, and the Sacred
Nachna Jaana Paam: Thoughts on Komal Oli’s Teej Songs and Dancing
The Record asked for an article on Teej and Komal Oli, and I was happy to oblige. The article, Nachna Jaana Paam, can be found in its entirety on The Record's website, with more photos and video links. The gist: "Song words are important, and so is the dancing that the songs inspire. It can… Continue reading Nachna Jaana Paam: Thoughts on Komal Oli’s Teej Songs and Dancing
Bernard S. Cohn Book Prize
I'm thrilled that my book on dohori song, Singing Across Divides: Music and Intimate Politics in Nepal, has won the Bernard S. Cohn Prize for first books on South Asia, from the Association for Asian Studies. In this conversation with the AAS's #AsiaNow blog, I talk about interesting aspects of dohori, obstacles as learning experiences… Continue reading Bernard S. Cohn Book Prize
“Revolutionary Songs” of the Anti-Rana Movement
Translation of a report by Sewa Bhattarai from June 1, 2017, on BBC Nepali. Although Nepali communists today refer to the 1950 overthrow of the Rana regime and establishment of democracy as "change" rather than "revolution," members of the Nepali Congress refer to this change as revolution. At this juncture, as well as in the… Continue reading “Revolutionary Songs” of the Anti-Rana Movement
