Nepal Music Archive

Our manager, Phuyal Smarika performed alongside the incredible Aastha Raut in Karnali Tandav 'म मण्ठ हुँ' at Sisnupani’s Jurukka Karnali event last week.

जुरुक्क कर्नाली २०८२ भाग १ || Jurukka Karnali Part One || Sisnupani Nepal || Karnalikokuda जुरुक्क कर्नाली २०८२ भाग १ || Jurukka Karnali Part One || Sisnupani Nepalजुरुक्क कर्नाली २०८२उद्देश्य : प्रकृति र संस्कृतिको प्रदेश कर्णालीक...

NMA wishes you all a joyful Teej filled with warmth and togetherness.

Every year during Teej, singers across Nepal release new songs. Alongside the celebrations, Teej songs have carried another role. They are a space where women express grief, frustrations, and everyday struggles.

Over time, they became an alternative space in the history of Nepali music where women could tell their own stories.

As Teej songs are released again this year, we wonder, how many of these voices are being heard beyond the festive season?

Here's a glimpse into that history through Teej album covers at Nepal Music Archive.

Image 1, 2 and 3: from Haridevi Koirala collection
Image 4: from Mukti Kunwar collection
Image 5: from Anil Sthapit collection

Three new books in our collection.

Invitation to Contribute to the Archive

Nepal Music Archive is an initiative dedicated to preserving and promoting Nepal’s diverse musical heritage through archiving, research, education, and public engagement.

We invite artists/bands, music enthusiasts, collectors, and the general public to contribute CDs, cassettes, vinyl records, books and articles on music or any other materials for digitisation and safe archival. We welcome materials of all genres and languages. All materials will be handled with care and returned to the contributor once the digitisation process is complete.

Your contributions will become part of NMA’s growing collection, serving as a resource center for researchers, students, and future generations. By sharing your materials, you are helping to safeguard Nepal’s musical traditions and ensure their continued relevance and accessibility.

If you’d like to contribute or learn more, feel free to DM us or email us at [email protected] or call us at 9803120107‬.

संरक्षणका निम्ति अडियो सामग्रीहरूका लागि आह्वान

नेपाल म्युजिक आर्काइभ नेपालका विविध साङ्गीतिक परम्पराहरूलाई दस्तावेजीकरण, अनुसन्धान, शिक्षा र संवादमार्फत सुरक्षित राख्न समर्पित साझा प्रयास हो।

हामी सम्पूर्ण सङ्गीतप्रेमी, कलाकार, ब्यान्ड, सङ्ग्रहकर्ता तथा आम नागरिकहरूलाई हाम्रो सङ्ग्रहलाई अझ समृद्ध बनाउन सिडी, क्यासेट, भिनाइल रेकर्ड, सङ्गीतसम्बन्धी पुस्तक तथा लेखहरू वा अन्य कुनै पनि सामग्रीहरू प्रदान गर्न हार्दिक आह्वान गर्दछौं। हामी सबै विधा र भाषाका सामग्रीहरू स्वागत गर्दछौं। प्राप्त सबै सामग्रीहरूलाई सावधानीपूर्वक डिजिटाइज गरिनेछ र प्रक्रिया सकिएपछि फिर्ता गरिनेछ।

तपाईंले प्रदान गर्ने यी सामग्रीहरूले नेपालका पुराना गीत-सङ्गीत र साङ्गीतिक इतिहासलाई सुरक्षित राख्न सहयोग गर्नेछन्। यी सामग्रीहरू भावी पुस्ता, विद्यार्थी, शोधकर्ता तथा सङ्गीतमा रुचि राख्ने सबैका लागि अमूल्य स्रोत बन्नेछन्।

यदि तपाईंसँग यस्ता सामग्री छन् भने वा थप जानकारी चाहनुहुन्छ भने, हामीलाई [email protected] मा इमेल वा ९८०३१२०१०७ मा सम्पर्क गर्नुहोस्।

Open Call: Full-Time Archivist

📍 Kupondole
🕒 Monday to Friday, 10 AM - 5 PM

Nepal Music Archive is looking for an archivist to join our team. This is a full-time role focused on the digitisation, care, and organisation of our growing music collection. We’re looking for someone curious and detail-oriented, someone who understands the steady work of preservation.

The hands-on role involves working closely with both physical and digital materials: digitising old recordings, cataloguing them, and helping make the archive more accessible for artists, researchers, and anyone interested in Nepali music and its histories.

No prior experience is required, on-the-job training will be provided.

Key Responsibilities:
-Digitise audio materials from various formats (cassette tapes, CDs, etc.) using available tools and equipment
-Catalogue and organise recordings and related metadata using our archival system
-Assist in maintaining both physical and digital collections with care and accuracy
-Work closely with the team to improve accessibility and usability of the archive
-Assist visitors in navigating and engaging with the archive
-Assist in the daily operations of the workplace

Submit your application through this form forms.gle/Lum1YRnNGiJYXWjx6

Deadline: 15 July 2025

If you have any questions before applying, feel free to DM us or email us at [email protected].

As they say change is constant, today, as we complete three and half years, we are happy to welcome Phuyal Smarika to the team, who will be leading NMA moving forward as our new Manager. She is an Ethnomusicology graduate who blends her roles as a musician, composer and ethnographic researcher. She promotes the music and stories of women in Nepali music, contributing to a more inclusive and diverse musical landscape.

At the same time, we would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude to Jiwan Thapa Magar for believing in us and being a part of this initiative from Day 1. Not only have we learned and grown together as a team, but he has also been a rock-solid foundation for NMA—someone without whom we wouldn’t have come this far. We wish him a life full of adventures as he embarks on his next chapter.

📷 Rojina Tamang

Send a message to learn more

𝗟𝗔𝗧𝗘 𝗣𝗢𝗦𝗧

Suyash Kumar Neupane's presentation on The Annapurna L. Bech Memorial Collection at Indiana University's Archives of Traditional Music (ATM) highlights one of the most significant ethnographic documentations of Nepali music and culture from the 1960s and 1970s. Drawing from his experience as an ethnomusicology graduate student at IU and an archival assistant at the ATM, Neupane explores the contextual importance of the Bech Collection in contemporary Nepal and South Asia, as well as the future research opportunities it offers to students of Nepali culture.

This event was organized in association with Raithane Music and Kathmandu University Department of Music

(RE)TELLING THE PAST : A contemporary visit to Terence R Bech Collection by Suyash Kumar Neupane ⁣This public presentation event was organized by Nepal Music Archive, in association with Raithane Music and Kathmandu University's Department of Music on 03...

लेखको लागि धन्यवाद, सेवा!

नेपाली संगीतको डिजिटल भण्डारण अभियान नेपालका सबै किसिमका संगीतको अभिलेख एकै ठाउँमा भेटिंदैन। नेपाल म्युजिक अर्काइभ (एनएमए) यो कमीलाई पूरा गर्न कस्सिए...

Join our team at the Nepal Music Archive and become a guardian of Nepali music heritage. We're excited to announce several internship opportunities for dedicated individuals to help with a range of tasks, including sorting, digitizing, editing, metadata creation and catalogs management. This is a short-term unpaid internship based in Kathmandu, with work hours from Monday to Friday, 10 AM to 5 PM.

No prior experience is required – we'll provide all the necessary training. Your love for music is a bonus, but it's not mandatory. To apply, simply send your CV to 𝗻𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗹𝗺𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗶𝘃𝗲@𝗴𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺.