The Sun Valley Spiritual Film Festival continues to bring fascinating and interesting events to the Wood River Valley to inspire and educate as part of its mission to have a year-round presence. The festival will present "Shining Spirit: The Musical Journey of Jamyang Yeshi" on Monday, May 24, at the nexStage Theatre in Ketchum. Tickets are $15, available at the door.
The evening will include a 30-minute film about Yeshi and his efforts to unite his family through multi-track recording. In addition, filmmaker Karen McDiarmid will be present to discuss the project and the film.
McDiarmid, recording technician Mark Unrau and the irrepressible Gompo Kyab of Tibet were able to assist Yeshi in joining the voices of his family, which he had not seen in 12 years. This story is the subject of McDiarmid's documentary film.
Yeshi was born a nomad into a musical family in the Amdo region of northeastern Tibet and escaped Chinese rule across the Himalayas in 1998. After living in Dharamsala, India, for seven years and performing widely with the Aku Pema group, he was invited to Canada to perform, and settled there as a refugee.
Yeshi has performed at festivals and has toured Moscow, Europe, Canada and the U.S.
"Shining Spirit: The Musical Journey of Jamyang Yeshi" is a testament to the power of music, the resilience of the Tibetan culture and the enduring bond of a family separated by politics and geography.
McDiarmid will introduce the film, setting it in the context of the current situation in Tibet. Following the screening, Yeshi will perform live, singing and playing traditional Tibetan instruments such as the dranyin and the kara, as well as the nontraditional ukulele. After the film and performance, both Yeshi and McDiarmid will answer questions.
The film is currently on the Banff Mountain Film Festival's world tour, and will be screened at the Telluride Mountainfilm festival at the end of the month.
Sabina Dana Plasse: splasse@mtexpress.com
The Sun Valley Spiritual Film Festival presents the film “Shining Spirit: The Musical Journey of Jamyang Yeshi” at the nexStage Theatre. Photo by
