Gen Lobsang Samten la was born in July 5th 1957 in Tibet and joined the Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts (TIPA) India in 1974. Among those distinguished artists was someone affectionately known by the nickname “Tiny”— or Gen Lobsang Samten la. Gen Lobsang Samten la was one of the finest Tibetan performing artists of his generation. By the time I was ready to perform as a junior artist, Gen Lobsang Samten la had been appointed Artistic Director of TIPA. In 2019, Gen Lobsang Samten la moved to San Francisco with his wife after retiring as the artistic director of TIPA.