Thubten(1934-) Master Performer.docVIP

Thubten(1934-) Master Performer 　　Almost everyone in Tibetan operatic circles knows his name， and he only uses one. At 82， Thubten’s career has been prolific after about 500 performances， including many of his own work， and numerous other pioneering campaigns. 　　He transplanted the performing art of cross-talk and other Chinese folk art forms from northern China to Tibet for a production of King Gesar， an epic of talking-singing art strongly flavored with Tibetan mystery. Thubten is also the mind behind Auspicious Heavens， a Lamaism musical that has graced both stage and screen. In 2006， he was awarded the Fourth Peony Lifetime Achievement Award in Chinese Opera， the top honor for operatic performers in the country. 　　Thubten was born in October 1934 in Lhasa. At age 6， he was sent by his parents to a monastery named Kundeling， where he got the chance to watch Tibetan opera and other traditional operatic forms， including King Gesar. He began to learn Tibetan opera in the monastery at age 12. 　　After Tibet’s peaceful liberation in 1951， Thubten left Kundeling Monastery and joined a troupe of younger Tibetan performers. His maiden work， Vbrasdkar， an adaption of the oldest Tibetan opera， was broadcast during the Tibetan New Year in 1960. The production was so adored by audiences that it is now customarily rebroadcast every New Year’s Day on the Tibetan calendar. 　　Thubten became a member of Lhasa Song and Dance Troupe when it was established in December 1960 because it would create better opportunities to visit influential folk artisans across Tibet and improve his skills. 　　Another success came when he enriched the content and form of cross-talk as it rose in popularity in Tibetan. “I stayed around when a bunch of senior spectators swarmed me to shake my hand，”grinned Thubten. Soon afterwards， he showed his talent in other countries， including the United States. 　　None of his adaptions or performances made him prouder than King Gesar. “No one has ever don