Culture
Mongols Descend on Nelsonville
By: Mark Hellenberg
Posted on:
The Mongolian ensemble that wowed audiences a few years back at Stuart's Opera House are scheduled to return on Nov. 7.
AnDa Union is based in Hohhot, the capital of the Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region, a city of nearly three million located in north-central China. Of that population, only nine percent are ethnic Mongolian.
In modern China, a nation that has experienced much upheaval and change over the past century, many ancient customs and traditional ways have been lost. AnDa Union's mission is to preserve the essence of the region's songs that were quickly being forgotten and to encourage young Mongols to speak their own language and safeguard their culture.
By combining the musical styles of Inner and Outer Mongolia, they have created something unique and new while still preserving the old traditions.
Although now living in cosmopolitan Hohhot, many members of the group are descended from the various tribes of horsemen and nomadic herders that roamed the grasslands for centuries and eventually united by Genghis Khan.
As children of musical families, AnDa Union were trained as professional singers and instrumentalists, with some performing with The Inner Mongolian Music and Dance Troupe. In performance, the band features the guttural throat singing, hoomai, as well as the long song form.
The instruments played on stage include the horse head fiddle, the three hole flute and Mongolian versions of the lute and the mouth harp. Since forming in 2005, they have traveled the globe, entertaining thousands while promoting their distinctive music and culture.
The group will perform at Stuart's Opera House Monday, Nov. 7 at 8 p.m. For more information and tickets call (740) 753-1924 or visit www.stuartsoperahouse.org.