Ayan-ool Sam

Ayan-ool Sam was born in 1983 in the Erzin Kozhuun region of Tuva. When he was in the fourth grade, he began studying with Kongar-ool Ondar at the Republic School for the Arts in Kyzyl. After completing a B.A. in National Instruments at the Kyzyl Arts College, he continued his studies at the Moscow State Pedagogical University and at the East Siberia State Academy of Culture and Art in Kyzyl. Ayan-ool has toured in Russia, Europe, North America, and China. He was awarded first prize for throat singing at the 2008 Xöömei Symposium (video1, video2, video3). In 2015, he was named a People's Xöömeizhi (throat singer) of the Republic of Tuva. He sings all styles of Tuvan throat singing and is best known for his exceptional ezenggileer. He plays all the traditional Tuvan instruments, with particular emphasis on the doshpuluur.