Fantasia for 

Morin Khuur Quartet

2025

For Morin Khuur Quartet

Duration ca. 5:00

Featured in the Mongolian State Conservatory’s ‘Distant Melody’ concert, 16 Dec 2025

It was a privilege to work in collaboration with the Mongolian State Conservatory to write this piece, and to be among the first Western composers to write for the increasingly popular ensemble of the morin khuur quartet. Since being introduced to the morin khuur, I have been inspired by the lyrical, haunting and resonant timbre of the instrument, and I hope that this piece envelopes the listener in a lush musical embrace as they hear the main theme freely develop and evolve over the course of four minutes. I would like to extend a special thanks to Itgeltugs Ganzorig for facilitating this opportunity.

This piece is dedicated to the Mongolian music community.

Words from Head of the Morin Khuur Department of the Mongolian State Conservatory, Boldbaatar Sharav-Arildil

On December 16, 2026, at the Mongolian State Conservatory Concert Hall, the 'Distant Melody' concert was successfully performed, in which students of the Mongolian State Conservatory’s Morin Khuur Department performed works for the Morin Khuur quartet written by students from the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama’s Composition Department. This event was initiated and organized by Itgeltugs Ganzorig between the Composition and Morin Khuur departments of the two institutions. The morin khuur, the national instrument of Mongolia, has its roots deep in nomadic life and culture. Professional training in this instrument began in 1937 and is currently being developed continuously by combining Western classical and Eastern traditional methods. This joint artistic project between students from both countries focused on morin khuur and was a highly informative, mutually beneficial, educational, and effective work that supported individual and collective development. A large number of teachers and students from the Mongolian State Conservatory, and music enthusiasts gathered to watch the 'Distant Melody' concert. The audience was particularly interested in how the students from RWCMD would interpret and integrate Mongolian traditional music in  the works, and how the Mongolian students would bring the works created with a Western mindset to life. The works were composed with a detailed study of morin khuur's distinctive characteristics, with the incorporation of contemporary techniques. The composers’ skillful use of organology to highlight the unique timbre of the morin khuur and the usage of symbols in the sheet music to express their ideas helped the performers to understand the works.

The main significance of this activity is:

1. Students tested their professional skills and opened up new spaces for creativity.

2. The repertoire of the Morin Khuur Quartet was greatly enriched with new works by non-Mongolian composers.

3. It displayed that Morin Khuur is not only a Mongolian traditional instrument, but also a fully potential instrument that can be played on the world stage.

4. It was a major event that was in line with the content of the Mongolian President’s decree “On the Promotion of Morin Khuur”.

Acknowledgements: We would like to express our deep gratitude to G.Itgeltugs, who initiated the project, students and tutors of the Composition and Creative Music Technology department, 12 students who skillfully performed the works, as well as the quartet teachers Sh.Boldbaatar and A.Davaazorig. In conclusion, this was a very important project in which the learning and development of students were supported creatively. Also, in doing so, the two departments of the conservatoires assisted in broadening the cultural relations between the United Kingdom and Mongolia. Thus, I am confident that this project will expand further in the future. March 15, 2026