There are as many different styles of Nepali music and dance as there are ethnic groups. These traditional arts are rarely performed outside Nepal, which means that you'll be in a position to appreciate some wonderfully rare sounds and sights as you travel around the country. Meanwhile, a new wave of non-traditional Nepali music is beginning to break into the world-music charts, and as a traveller in Nepal you'll be able to sample the full range and pick up the latest releases.

Gopal Yonjan, Carol Tingey and David Reed

Gopal Yonjan, the main author of these essays, was one of Nepal's most beloved musicians. Like Narayan Gopal, with whom he is often compared, Yonjan wrote and performed songs that touched Nepalis deeply, though they were unknown to non-Nepali-speakers. He was also a source of great pride and inspiration for members of his Tamang ethnic group, who suffer considerable racial discrimination in Nepal. He died in 1997.