The Mystical Arts of Tibet

 

Tibet Today: History of a Diaspora

Lecture

Friday, October 2nd, 2026

1:00 p.m.

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Cantrell Hall

The University of Virginia's College at Wise

1 College Avenue, Wise, VA 24293

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Sacred Music, Sacred Chants for Peace & Healing

Performance

Friday, October 2nd, 2026

7:00 p.m.

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Gilliam Center for the Arts Black Box Theater

The University of Virginia's College at Wise

1 College Avenue, Wise, VA 24293

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Free and open to all

W. Campbell Edmonds Concert Series

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The Mystical Arts of Tibet will also be doing a Mandala Exhibition!

The Mystical Arts of Tibet: Sacred Music, Sacred Chants performance comprises selections believed to generate energies conducive to world healing. Robed in magnificent costumes and playing traditional Tibetan instruments, the Loseling monks perform ancient temple music and chants for world healing. The Drepung Loseling monks are particularly renowned for their multiphonic chanting known as zok-kay (complete chord). Each of the main chantmasters simultaneously intones three notes, thus each individually creating a complete chord. The Tibetans are the only culture on earth that cultivates this most extraordinary vocal ability.

 

In recent years The Mystical Arts of Tibet, featuring the famed multiphonic singers of Drepung Loseling monastery, have taken the world by storm. Endorsed by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, they have performed in many of America's greatest theaters and music halls, and have twice been featured artists at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival.

 

The lecture focuses on the contemporary Tibet situation: the invasion by Communist China in the 1950s, the efforts of the refugees in exile to preserve their civilization, and the situation in occupied Tibet.

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What is The Mystical Arts of Tibet?

The Mystical Arts of Tibet is a world tour produced by Drepung Loseling Monastery in Atlanta, GA. There are two main programs: Sacred Music, Sacred Chants for Peace & Healing, a 90 minute stage performance, and the Mandala Sand Painting live exhibition. The Mystical Arts of Tibet also offers complementary programs, including a photo exhibit, lectures and workshops.

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What is the purpose of The Mystical Arts of Tibet tours?

Endorsed by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Richard Gere with the direct guidance of Drepung Loseling Monastery in India, the tours have three basic purposes: to make a contribution to world peace and healing through sacred art; to generate a greater awareness of the endangered Tibetan civilization; and to raise support for the Tibetan refugee community in India.

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When did the tours begin?

In 1988-89 eight monks undertook Drepung Loseling’s first world tour. Jointly sponsored by the Canada Tibet Friendship Society and Richard Gere of Tibet House, NY, and billed as “Sacred Music, Sacred Dance for World Peace,” the group performed their traditional monastic music and masked dances in 130 cities in North America and Europe. They were previewed and reviewed in hundreds of newspapers, and made numerous radio and television appearances. Wearing rich brocade costumes and playing 12-foot-long trumpets, they were greeted by full houses wherever they went. Inspired by the success of this first visit to the West, the monastery agreed to continue sharing their sacred arts for world peace and healing. The tours have continued since then, with each touring group visiting more than 100 cities in the United States, as well as many in South and Central America, and often Europe and Asia.

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Who are the artists, and where do they come from?

The artists are monks from Drepung Loseling Monastery, which has been re-established in exile in south India. The performers on The Mystical Arts of Tibet tour are not full-time professionals; rather they are genuine monks who are taking time off from their life-long devotion to contemplation and study to participate in the tour. These monk artists consider it an honor to be selected to represent their monastery and share their cultural traditions on the tour, hoping that they will be able to make some small contribution toward world peace and toward greater awareness of the Tibetan situation. At the end of each tour the monks return to Drepung Loseling Monastery to continue their vocation.

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How are the monks selected?

For each Mystical Arts of Tibet tour, the monastery selects a group of monks who together represent the full range of skills necessary to execute the activities of the tour. The monastery also selects a senior lama to lead the tour; this lama assumes responsibility for guiding the continued spiritual development of the monks while they are away from the monastery. In addition, the head lama gives lectures and workshops on a variety of topics relating to Tibetan philosophy, psychology, meditation and culture. To compose a group with the requisite skills, the monastery selects at least two monks from a small group of chantmasters. The chantmasters are experts in the form of multiphonic chanting for which Drepung Loseling is renowned. A special emphasis is placed on selecting monks who are particularly skilled in ritual chants, and several masters of the art of the Mandala Sand Painting. Other monks are chosen for their talent in playing the traditional Tibetan musical instruments, such as the 10-foot-long dung-chen horns and the gyaling trumpets. Most of the monks on the tour are multi-talented and fill more than one role.

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Pro-Art partners with a variety of venues, for accessibility inquiries or general questions, call (276) 376-4520 or email contact@proartva.org. For weather related updates, patrons are encouraged to check proartva.org for real-time information.

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Pro-Art is supported in part by the Virginia Commission for the Arts, which receives support from the Virginia General Assembly. Pro-Art is additionally supported in part by the C. Bascom Slemp Foundation, The University of Virginia’s College at Wise, Smith Vicars Family Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Arts.