Ani Choying Drolma

Ani Choying Dolma (Nepali: आनी छोइङ डोल्मा (born June 4, 1971), in Kathmandu, Nepal, also known as Choying Dolma and Ani Choying (Ani, "nun", is an honorific), is a Nepalese Buddhist nun and musician from the Nagi Gompa nunnery in Nepal. She is known in Nepal and throughout the world for bringing many Tibetan Buddhist chants and feast songs to mainstream audiences. She has been recently appointed as the UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador to Nepal.

Biography

Ani Choying was born on June 4, 1971, in Kathmandu, Nepal, to Tibetan exiles. She entered monastic life as a means of escape from her physically abusive father, and she was accepted into the Nagi Gompa nunnery at the age of 13. For a number of years, the monastery's resident chant master (who was trained directly by the wife of Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche) taught Ani Choying the music that she is famous for performing.

Musical career

In 1994, guitarist Steve Tibbetts visited the nunnery and eventually recorded much of the Tibetan music with Ani Choying on two albums. The recordings, titled Chö and Selwa, were released to critical acclaim. Tibbetts and Ani Choying embarked on small performance tours, which included shows at several historical Tibetan monasteries.

Sina Vodjani recorded an album in collaboration with Ani Choying Drolma.

Ani Choying Drolma is part of a fairly large group of musicians in the Tibetan tradition now active outside Tibet, including the singers Techung, Karjam Saeji, Phurbu T Namgyal, Amchok Gompo Dhondup, Yungchen Lhamo, flautist Nawang Khechog, and Jewish-American Tibetan-genre performer Amalia Rubin.

Discography

1. Chö (1997) (with Steve Tibbetts)
2. Dancing Dakini (1999)
3. Choying (2000)
4. Moments Of Bliss (2004)
5. Selwa (2004)
6. Smile (2005)
7. Taking Refuge (2006)
8. Inner Peace (2006)
9. Time (2007)
10. Aama (2009)
11. Matakalaa (2010)
12. Inner Peace 2 (2010)
13. Mangal Vani (2011)
14. Clear Light (2012)
15. Phoolko Aankhama
16. Zariya - Ani, A R Rahman, Farah Siraj—Coke Studio (Season 3) at MTV (2013)

• "Nun's Welfare Foundation of Nepal". choying.com. 
• Team MRP (4 August 2013). "Exclusive: MTV Coke Studio Season 3: Zariya by A.R. Rahman: Extraordinary". MovieReviewPreview.Com. 

Humanitarian Work

Ani Choying has been involved in several humanitarian works. She has advocated the need for an official Earth Anthem for the planet supporting the efforts of Indian poet-diplomat Abhay K in this direction. She was part of India Inclusion Summit where she delivered a heart-warming speech.