FROM ZAYTON TO NEW YORK: World Music Series

VOL.1 — Voice of the Mongols

Live performance by Anand Avirmed

Date: Saturday, May 31, 2025
Time: 4:00 PM
Venue: Beef Up Noodle, 352 3rd Ave, New York

Intruments

Tovshuur (ᠲᠣᠪᠰᠢᠭᠤᠷ)

The tovshuur is a traditional two-stringed lute from Mongolia known for its warm, resonant sound and deep cultural roots. It has been a musical companion to nomadic herders and storytellers for centuries, and continues to enchant listeners in both folk and contemporary music settings.

Morin khuur (ᠮᠣᠷᠢᠨ ᠬᠤᠭᠤ)

The Morin Khuur is a traditional Mongolian bowed string instrument, known for its distinctive carved horse head and deep, resonant tone. Played with a loose horsehair bow, its two strings are traditionally made of horsehair as well, symbolizing the strong bond between Mongolian herders and their horses.

More than just an instrument, the Morin Khuur carries spiritual and cultural meaning—it is used in folk songs, storytelling, and ceremonial rituals. Its melodies are said to echo the gallop of wild horses across the steppe.

Artist Bio
Khoomei throat singing mimics the sounds of nature—flowing water, blowing wind, mountain echoes, and the calls of animals. Once integral to shamanic rituals, it is now commonly performed at festive gatherings. The song repertoire evokes the vast steppe, traversed by nomadic herders in a timeless cycle of seasons.

Anand Avirmed-Altangerel is a rising master of Mongolian throat singing and a versatile multi-instrumentalist. Born in Washington, D.C., and descended from a lineage of renowned throat singers, he considers it a privilege to humbly share the musical heritage of the Altai Mountains with the world.

Since childhood, Anand has performed traditional Mongolian folk music at cultural events across Mongolia and North America. His deepening connection with his heritage has led him to study related musical traditions among the Kalmyks in the West, the Yakuts in the North, and others throughout Central and Northern Asia.

Anand is proficient in five distinct styles of khoomei and plays a wide array of instruments from Mongolia, Central Asia, and the West—including the morin khuur (horsehead fiddle), tovshuur, doshpuluur, igil, jaw harp, guitar, piano, and bass.

His past performances include solo concerts in the Washington, D.C. area; appearances with the Anura music ensemble under his morin khuur teacher Urlagbaatariin Khatanbold; and showcases at the Sound of Dragon Music Festival in Vancouver (2022 and 2024).

Crew
Curator: Mu Qian
Producer: Shi Qianyi
Poster Designer: Liu Haolun
Sound Engineer: Kaiwei
Photographer: Xu Boyi
On-site staff: Bocai
Merch Designer: Liu Keling, Shi Qianyi

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