© 2026 Michigan State University Board of Trustees
Public Media from Michigan State University
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Khan! The Rock Opera

Rock opera, the tradition that has thrived since its early days of the Who's Tommy and Andrew Lloyd Webber's Jesus Christ Superstar, now embraces another likely figure: Genghis Khan.

The show blends multi-tone throat singing with heavy metal, as young Mongolian musicians and dancers stage the first rock opera to celebrate the life of Khan. It is timed to commemorate Mongolia's 800th birthday.

In the thirteenth century, Khan united the nomadic tribes of Mongolia and began to create what became an empire stretching from China to Eastern Europe.

The opera premieres in the capital city of Ulaanbaatar on May 8.

Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Anna Panoka
WKAR has closed the gap left by the loss of federal funding. Because of you, trusted journalism, inspiring stories, and classical music remain freely available to everyone in mid-Michigan.
Now the work continues — your monthly gift helps maintain this success and keeps public media free for all.