FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Sarah Snyder
ssnyder3@umd.edu
301.405.8151
College Park, MD— Anda Union brings the old and forgotten music of Mongol to the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center on September 20 at 8pm with The Wind Horse. The group, who describes themselves as music gatherers, digs deep into Mongol traditions and holds on to the essence of Mongol music while creating a haunting, fresh sound.
Anda Union’s concerts feature driving, percussive pieces like “Ten Thousand Galloping Horses” and “Grasslands Journey,” as well as guttural throat songs and the clear long notes of urinduu (long-song). Arrayed in stunning traditional Mongolian clothing, the musicians perform on the horse-head fiddle (morin khuur), as well as traditional percussion, wind and plucked instruments.
About Anda Union
Anda Union’s combination of Mongolian musical styles is a reflection of their roots. Hailing from differing ethnic nomadic cultures, the ten-member group unites tribal and music traditions from all over Inner Mongolia in China. Keenly aware of the threat to the Grasslands and their age old Mongolian culture, Anda Union is driven by their fight for the survival of this endangered way of life, by keeping the spirit of the music alive.
Formed in 2000, Anda Union has influenced a generation of young Mongolians in Inner Mongolia as traditional music has begun to flourish in the capital. The group derives its name from the word “Anda,” which means blood brother or sister. For Mongolians an Anda is more important than a birth brother or sister, as you choose a person to become an Anda, a life- long blood brother or sister. Nars, a member of Anda Union, says, “Most of the band members have been playing together since childhood. As adults, we studied professional vocals and instruments together. We are like a family. Thirteen years ago, Anda Union was forged and we haven’t looked back.”
Tickets
More information can be found on our website. Tickets for this performance are $35/$10 (Regular/Students), and can be purchased online or by calling (301) 405-ARTS (2787).
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Located on the University of Maryland campus and a part of the College of Arts and Humanities, Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center is a premier presenting arts venue and collaborative laboratory shared by the School of Music (SOM), the School of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies (TDPS) and the Michelle Smith Performing Arts Library. The Center made its debut in 2001 and has grown into a national model for campus performing arts centers, presenting performances and programs by visiting artists as well as by students and faculty of SOM and TDPS in an environment of creative learning, exploration and growth. The Center remains active in the larger university community through its innovative partnerships and extraordinary experiences.
The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center is supported by a grant from the Maryland State Arts Council, an agency dedicated to cultivating a vibrant cultural community where the arts thrive. An agency of the Department of Business & Economic Development, the MSAC provides financial support and technical assistance to nonprofit organizations, units of government, colleges and universities for arts activities. Funding for the Maryland State Arts Council is also provided by the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.