Festival of Tibet

09/05/2026

https://youtu.be/tLJrIh2yNJ0?si=iNMOTzUSjmZniWdq

✨ Here is a little video postcard to Gleny Rae & everyone at Top Half Folk Festival ✨💛A little video postcard created from a combination of two beautiful mo...

23/04/2026

17/04/2026

For you weekend listening pleasure “Wo La So” is a phrase often spoken by Tibetans at the threshold of a journey, a breath before stepping into new possibilities. Inspired by the verses of the Sixth Dalai Lama, it reflects a gentle wisdom of embracing change with courage, openness, and trust in what lies ahead.

A swan lingers at the edge of a quiet lake, reluctant to leave the place it has come to love. For a moment, it imagines staying - just a little longer - held by beauty, memory, and stillness. But winter arrives without asking. Ice begins to form across the water’s surface, and in that quiet transformation, a truth reveals itself: nothing can be held forever. With a final glance, the swan lifts its wings and flies on-without regret.

ངང་པ་མཚོ་ལ་ཆགས་ནས།
རེ་ཞིག་སྡད་དགོས་བསམས།
མཚོ་མོ་དར་ཁ་བཅགས་་ནས།
རང་སེམས་ཁོ་ཐག་ཆོད།

This image, drawn from a poem by the Sixth Dalai Lama, became the seed for Wo La So, a musical reflection on impermanence and the grace of letting go. The Sixth Dalai Lama himself remains one of the most beloved and unconventional figures in Tibetan history - his poetry filled with longing, playfulness, and earthly love. His life, full of mystery and gentle rebellion, continues to live on not only in written verse but in stories passed down through generations. His antics, his romances, and his refusal to conform to expectation are still shared in oral traditions, keeping his spirit vividly alive.

Co-composed by Tenzin Choegyal and Katherine Philp, and arranged by Philp, “Wo La So” is a phrase often spoken by Tibetans at the threshold of a journey-a breath before the leap into the unknown. In this work, it carries both courage and surrender, echoing the swan’s quiet decision to leave.

Performed by Camerata - Queensland’s Chamber Orchestra, alongside Tenzin Choegyal and Katherine Philp, the music weaves voice and strings into a landscape of reflection and release.
The piece appears on the album Yeshi Dolma, named in honour of Tenzin’s late mother. Her life-marked by resilience, loss, and extraordinary generosity in exile-forms a deeper emotional current beneath the music. As she raised her children and nurtured many others displaced from their homeland, her story became one of enduring strength and compassion.

454 likes, 23 comments. "“Wo La So” | Tenzin Choegyal with Camerata – Queensland’s Chamber Orchestra"

23/03/2026

17th March 1959

A young Tibetan film student recently experimented with my song “Kyichu” from the album Be the Sky to tell the story of the escape of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama on the night of 17 March 1959.

Today marks the anniversary of that night, when he quietly left Lhasa and began the long journey into exile.
Some of the clips appear to be from the film Kundun. I’m not sure if it’s appropriate to share, but the student’s intention felt sincere and heartfelt, so I’m sharing it anyway.
“Kyichu” — from the album Be the Sky. Note : Not an official video from the album.

I shared that video thinking it’s appropriate date today and also this kid experimented … well Disney doesn’t want anyone to see Kundun anyways so let’s see if this gets blocked!!!

17 March 1959A young Tibetan film student recently created an experimental video using my song “Kyichu” from the album Be the Sky, telling the story of the e...

19/03/2026

19/02/2026

Happy LOSAR - the year of Fire Horse 2153. Here is a movie for your Losar watch

🎬 Directed by Martin Scorsese, Kundun is an absolutely stunning film — visually mesmerizing, spiritually powerful, and deeply moving. It tells the story of Tibet’s takeover through the eyes of the young Dalai Lama — not as a “liberation,” but as a profound spiritual and cultural rupture.
The backlash was swift. Pressure was placed on its distributor, and the film’s reach was quietly limited.
It’s a reminder that colonialism doesn’t operate only through territory — but through economic and cultural leverage, shaping which stories get told… and which disappear. In this case, Chinese colonial power extended beyond Tibet’s borders, influencing global studios and platforms.
Even today, Kundun remains largely absent from major streaming platforms.
Here’s an unofficial link to the film on YouTube 🎥
https://youtu.be/lzzwDAmuhBo

Pinagbibidahan ni Tenzin Thuthob Tsarong, Gyurme Tethong at Tulku Jamyang Kunga Tenzin.Musika ni Philip GlassDirektor: Martin ScorseseStarring: Tenzin Thutho...

26/09/2025

Canberra: The Tibet Office in Canberra extends heartfelt congratulations to Brisbane-based, Grammy-nominated Tibetan artist Tenzin Choegyal for his album "Snow Flower," which has been nominated for Best World Music Album at the 2025 ARIA Awards—one of the most prestigious honours in the Australian...

08/09/2025

Thu 11 Sep, 7.30pm

28/07/2025

Tenzin Choegyal & Philip Glass – "Snowy Mountains – GangRi" Film by Tenzin Tsewang From the forthcoming album Be the SkyLegendary composer Philip Glass and T...