Vocal soloist Sam Khattar with the UCSB Middle East Ensemble
Course Information
Course Numbers: MUS A 70N, 170N, 270N (Ethnomusicology Ensemble)
Directors: Scott Marcus
Class time: Tuesdays from 5-6:30 pm
Class location: Room 1207, Music Building
Course Description
Join the UCSB Middle East Ensemble as a member of the UCSB Middle East Chorus! The chorus sings in a variety of Middle Eastern languages: Arabic, Armenian, Greek, Persian, Turkish, and more. All are welcome! No prior experience necessary. No auditions.
The UCSB Middle East Ensemble presents formal end-of-the-quarter concerts each quarter and additional (optional) concerts on and off campus throughout the year.
Please contact Professor Scott Marcus at smarcus@music.ucsb.edu for more information.
Ensemble Information
The UCSB Middle East Ensemble is an official "Ethnomusicology Performance Ensemble" in the
Department of Music at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Begun in 1989 by
ethnomusicology professor Scott Marcus, the Ensemble has performed internationally (in Egypt
and Uzbekistan), in Michigan, Arizona, D.C., and widely throughout California, including
concerts in San Diego, L.A., Mendocino, Pomona, San Bernadino, Pasadena, Santa Barbara, San
Luis Obispo, Berkeley, and Sacramento.
The Ensemble regularly performs end-of-the-quarter concerts in the Music Department’s Lotte
Lehmann Concert Hall. The instrumental component of the Ensemble rehearses throughout the
year on Tuesday evenings, 7 - 10 pm in the Music Department’s Geiringer Hall. The chorus
rehearses on Tuesdays at 5 pm in Music room 1207. We invite any and all to come and join us
at these rehearsals. Community members are most welcome. Ahlan wa sahlan!
The ensemble's repertoire reflects the great variety of cultures found in the Middle East. The
ensemble performs music and dance from Arab, Turkish, Persian, Armenian, Greek, Jewish,
Uzbek, Kurdish, and Assyrian cultures. Performance items range from classical pieces to
religious songs, folk and popular songs, children's songs, folk dances, classical dances, and
cabaret-style dances.
The ensemble performs on traditional instruments such as the pan-Middle Eastern short-
necked lute (the `ud/oud), the Turkish long-necked lute (the baglama saz) the end-blown reed
flute (the nay), the Persian hammered dulcimer (the santur), the Arab/Turkish plucked dulcimer
(qanun or kanun), the Turkish and Egyptian oboes (the zurna and mizmar), and a variety of
Middle Eastern drums (the darbuka/dumbek/tabla, riqq, daf, bendir, mazhar, tabl baladi, and
zarb). In addition, the Ensemble uses the accordion (retuned to accommodate Middle Eastern
scales), the violin, cello, double bass, the clarinet, and on occasion, the guitar, trumpet,
keyboard, and saxophone.
The ensemble performs at various sizes. At its fullest, the instrumental section of the ensemble
is a 40 to 45-member orchestra; the chorus has 10-12 members; and dancers number up to a
dozen. For our "road performances," we often present a smaller group of up to 20 members.
To learn more about the UCSB Middle East Ensemble, please visit their website.