Sergei Sotpa

Sergei Sotpa is an accomplished maker of Tuvan traditional instruments and a particularly talented xomus player. He is also acclaimed for singing the special style of kargyraa called kozhaga, which is very subtle and not commonly performed by Tuvan singers.

Sergei was born in 1981 in the taiga village of Ishtii-Khem in the Ulug-Khem region of Tuva. He attended music school in the village of Mezhegei in the Tangdy Region, and graduated from the Republic School of the Arts in 2003. In addition to being a skilled musician, Sergei was a champion cross-country skier and runner in his school days.

An original member of Alash, Sergei performed with the group from 1999 through 2006.