NUANS was founded on 17 December 2001 at the State Academic Theatre of Opera and Ballet, and that is where its creative journey began. The members graduated as opera singers from the Mongolian State University of Arts and Culture and are students of the pioneers of Mongolian opera: People’s Artist of Mongolia and Hero of Labour Ts. Purevdorj, People’s Artists of Mongolia A. Zagdsuren and B. Jamiyanjav, Honoured Artist Ts. Tuvshintugs, and G. Gerelbaatar.
The opera theatre has raised many gifted and celebrated artists, and today a new generation of classical musicians walks in step with new genres of Mongolian and world music. NUANS — a group of artists who came out of that theatre and sing popera, or operatic pop — is one expression of this.
The name “popera” was first heard on Mongolian stages in 2006. The group’s singers graduated from the University of Arts and Culture as opera singers in 2001, joined the State Opera and Ballet Theatre as soloists that same year and founded NUANS. Honoured Artist G. Erdenebat, then director of the theatre, deputy director D. Baatar and Colonel B. Kolya supported the group’s work from the start.
“As the institution that develops classical art, the opera theatre must have its own group of professional singers.” — Honoured Artist G. Erdenebat
No group had sung in the popera style before. Popera depends on a professional singer’s skill, experience and musical education. The aim of NUANS was to bring pop songs and melodies into the operatic style, or to bring classical repertoire into pop, and share it with audiences.
On 26–27 March 2007, on World Theatre Day, NUANS gave its first “NUANS popera” concert in the concert hall of the Ulaanbaatar Palace — the “birthday” of operatic pop in Mongolia.
Pioneers of popera
Before turning to popera, the group explored many genres, styles and rhythms: it gave a pop sound to old Mongolian hits and to works by Mongolian composers, and presented classical opera repertoire in its own arrangements. Graduates of the University of Arts and Culture with the title of professional singer, they showed their skill at a professional level and became a bridge between opera and pop.
Through great effort and constant work, NUANS became the first group to bring popera (operatic pop), a fresh genre of world vocal music, into Mongolian musical vocabulary and to Mongolian listeners — an achievement that has earned it a place in history.
Many languages, many stages
The group is known for singing classical works and well-known pop and popera songs in French, Italian, Spanish, Russian, English, Chinese and German. Each concert features its own stage design, scenery and fresh ideas, with professional stage designers, musicians and dancers, and the group directs its shows itself.
Since that first concert NUANS has built a repertoire of more than 250 songs in Mongolian and other languages and released over 40 music videos. It released its first album “NUANS” in 2006, the “Nuans” popera album in 2008, the “Amore” popera album in 2010, and the album “We Share One Wish”.
Between 2012 and 2023 the group toured Irkutsk, Ulan-Ude and Chita in Russia with “Nuans Popera”, and has performed with success at international events and festivals in France, Spain, Korea, Taiwan, Inner Mongolia and Russia.
NUANS is Mongolia’s first operatic pop group. By bringing pop and classical songs to audiences through popera, it has opened opera up even to people who thought opera was not for them.
