Anda Union

Beyond Anda Union brings majesty of Mongolia and leaves lasting legacy in the Valley

In October 2011, Anda Union made their first residency visit to the Valley as part of their performance in the 2011- 2012 Beyond Season. The majority of the group had never been in Arizona before and were excited to experience our Valley. The group visited The Desert Botanical Gardens and were amazed by the desert foliage; had the cowboy experience at Rustler’s Rooste complete with riding the famous “tin” slide; but it was a visit to the Musical Instrument Museum (MIM) that created a special place their hearts.

At the time the MIM had just opened a few months prior and was already receiving amazing reviews from visitors from across the world. When the museum found out about the upcoming performance of Anda Union the staff requested to have the musicians visit the museum.

The group headed to the MIM a few days prior to their performance. The museum arranged for the group to have a special tour. Anda Union was enjoying seeing the instruments from around the world. But it was when the group got to the Asian Instrument Gallery they were in for a pleasent surprise. One of the band members was looking at the Mongolian exhibit. It had instruments that they knew well and videos of Mongolian performers that showed up on the screen. One of the videos that was used was noted as an “unknown group” from Mongolia. While watching the video the band member start smiling and laughing. He called the translator over and pointed to the screen and exclaimed, “That is us!” The “unknown group” was Anda Union. The MIM staff quickly reached out to their curation team, and the Asian instrument curator came up to meet the musicians. He was so thrilled to meet the group from the video and began working on getting “unknown” changed to Anda Union.

The curator continued to chat with the band members. The group was sharing with him about the instruments they used when they performed and the ones that were the best for the sound they create. One of the members decided to give the MIM one of his favorite handmade flutes so that museum would have something from Anda Union to have to remember their visit and for the curation team to enjoy. The museum staff so grateful for Anda Union’s insight and generosity that an impromptu ceremony in the front lobby where Anda Union presented their donation to the director of the museum.

Anda Union in 2011 exploring the Musical Instrument Museum

This year on October 27 ASU Gammage will host Anda Union for the third time, almost seven years from the day that we first hosted them. Each visit brings amazing and lasting memories for everyone involved. The impact this group leaves on our community is beyond measure.