Yungchen’s name, given to her by a lama when born in Lhasa, translates as ‘Goddess of Melody’. Although she always wanted to be a nun, she dedicated her life to music and became probably the most celebrated Tibetan singer. From 1989 on she made the journey via India to Australia, where her first album, ‘Tibetan Prayer’, led to her being invited to sing at WOMADelaide in 1995. Her album won Australia’s equivalent of a Grammy, the ARIA Award 1995 for Best World Music Album, and Yungchen returned to WOMADelaide the following year. Further more records were released on Peter Gabriels label "Real World Records".
Yungchen has toured more than 80 countries on all five continents, including such prestigious venues as Carnegie Hall, New York; Royal Festival Hall and Royal Albert Hall, London; National Concert Hall, Dublin; The Louvre, Paris; Philharmonic Hall, Berlin; International Performing Arts Centre, Moscow; The Vatican, Rome and Opera House, Sydney.
