Penpa Tsering (Courtesy photo)

Penpa Tsering, a world-class Tibetan musician, singer and dancer, is coming to Harvard on Feb. 4 to perform a concert of traditional Tibetan music and song to benefit the Virginia Thurston Healing Garden.

The concert will be held at the Harvard Unitarian Universalist Church from 4 to 5:30 p.m., with all proceeds going to the Healing Garden.

The concert was arranged by Marilyn Strong, a Reiki therapist who works at the Healing Garden. Strong has heard Tsering a number of times, including in a sold-out appearance at Gillette Stadium that featured the Dalai Lama.

"He has performed at Symphony Hall, Tanglewood, and many other venues around the world," Strong said.

Tsering's journey to the United States was a long and arduous one. Born in Tibet in 1963, as a child he saw family members killed by Chinese forces that had taken over Tibet in 1951. He learned traditional healing songs from his mother, who forbade him from joining a monastery out of fear for his life.

After his mother died about 20 years ago, Tsering made the difficult 27-day trek over the Himalayas into Nepal, and later to India to visit the Dalai Lama. He remained there for some time to become a teacher and performer of music and dance.

Arriving in the United States in 2000, he now performs as a musician and singer, including a style called throat singing, also known as overtone singing, in which a melodious pitch is created in a single frequency.

Tsering has won worldwide recognition for his performances, appearing in Japan, Thailand, India, and Nepal, as well as throughout New England. In a 2008 Boston Globe interview, Tsering said that his philosophy is to tell of his homeland with joy, not sorrow.

"I never really perform with sadness. If I play in a positive way, music is healing," he said. One can see why Tsering would want to perform to help the Healing Garden.

Tsering is now a citizen of the United States, exposing his intriguing culture to American audiences. His presentations include performances on 16 different traditional instruments, including strings, pipes, and horns, as well as dance demonstrations and explanations of Tibetan philosophy and religion.

Tsering is also the official Speaker of the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile, traveling the world to attend conferences on democracy promotion and human rights.

The Press was not able to reach Tsering in time for this article, but in an email to the Press, Strong said, "Penpa is devoted to the message of compassion and nonviolence of the Dalai Lama. He will be bringing his long mountain horn (like the Swiss ones); it is very spiritual and will help us connect with our higher realms–he only plays it in very special settings."

For his upcoming performance in Harvard, Tsering is expected to be performing both traditional and original Tibetan and Central Asian music, which are tied to his practice of Tibetan Buddhism. It promises to be a captivating experience.

At the concert, a tax-deductible donation of any amount will be accepted, with checks made payable to the Virginia Thurston Healing Garden.