Vladimir Oidupaa

Vladimir Oiunovich Oidupaa (, 6 September 1949 – 25 September 2013), was a Tuvan musician who performed kargyraa and played bayan. He is considered one of the leading figures in contemporary Tuvan music.

Early life Oidupaa was born on 6 September 1949 in the Barun-Khemchik district of Soviet Tuva. His mother was a housewife, and his father worked as an instructor at that time. He had three siblings. As a Soviet worker, however, his father became the chairman of a collective farm in 1950, after which Oidupaa and his family moved to the village of Khondergey in Dzun-Khemchiksky District of Tuva. There, he was raised on a farm, where he also worked. His mother taught him to sing Khoomei.

Oidupaa claimed to have been interested in music since before birth, as his mother played records performed by Klavdiya Shulzhenko, Pyotr Leshchenko, and Leonid Utesov. He said these helped him understand how "the entire universe is filled with music." Before becoming skilled in the bayan, a type of accordion originating from the Russian Empire, Oidupaa was very skilled at the chadagan. His first accordion was gifted to him by his father, which his father had purchased during a trip to Moscow. With time, Oidupaa taught himself how to play it. He also taught his sister to play the accordion, which she abandoned following her marriage. However, upon his return from Sweden in 1991, he was imprisoned for a third time for 15 years in labor camps in Zlatoust, where he served his first five years, and Kemerovo Oblast, where he served the last ten, for three counts of murder and one count of corruption of a minor. However, his sentences remains a heavily debated topic, as he claimed to maintain innocence throughout his life. The timeline of his imprisonment remains vague, as even those in contact with Oidupaa claimed that he may have been imprisoned between two and three times for seven, eight, and fifteen years, respectively. Oidupaa claimed later that he irritated her on purpose, to avoid the Channel broadcasting his records for free for two years if he won. Despite the reception in Russia, in 2011, his second album, Singing with Echoes Through the Universe, was released. Oidupaa's music has been appreciated by foreign listeners, and his works were remastered and reissued by Austrian label Ebalunga!!!, with mastering done by Grammy-nominated engineer Jessica Thompson.

Personal life While imprisoned, Oidupaa converted to Christianity,

Tuva Prime Minister Sholban Kara-ool commented on the performer's death: "Vladimir Oidupaa was a colorful figure in music and made a significant contribution to its development. His work has numerous admirers, and his talent has been recognized by musicologists. I express my condolences to all who mourn Vladimir. Surely his musical talent was not wasted, and he has creative followers." In November 2013, an American fan of Khoomei, Steve Skylar, publicly released his recordings of Oidupaa during a trip to Siberia and Mongolia some years prior.

Legacy Oidupaa created his own style of kargyraa performance (high-tone kargyraa accompanied by the bayan), known as Oidupaa style and developed further by notable Tuvan performers including Chirgilchin. The Oidupaa style has been compared to Blues thanks to the bayan's tuning in minor thirds. much like Blues singers of Mississippi.

Discography

Albums TitleDetailsDivine Music from a Jail Released: 1999 Label: Friends RecordsSinging with Echoes Through the Universe Released: 7 March 2011 Label: EBALUNGA!!!