About The Columbia Middle Eastern Music Ensemble

November 28, 2011 by EthnoAdmin

The Columbia Middle Eastern Music Ensemble (CMEME) is a new performance ensemble devoted to vocal and instrumental music from the Middle East and other nearby regions, including the Balkans, North Africa, and Central Asia. Co-directed by ethnomusicologists and musicians Dr. Farzaneh Hemmasi and Ozan Aksoy, and established by Dr. Hemmasi in the fall of 2011, the group’s repertoire includes songs and instrumental pieces from folk, popular, and classical genres and from Arabic, Armenian, Greek, Hebrew, Kurdish, Ladino, Persian, Turkish, and other ethno-linguistic backgrounds, emphasizing the many commonalities of diverse groups in this greater cultural area. CMEME gives those concentrating in music additional exposure to non-Western musics and provides a performance opportunity for students taking the Global Core course Asian Music Humanities: India and West Asia. The ensemble also complements the many Middle East-focused course offerings in departments across the university.

CMEME is open to both beginning and experienced musicians from Columbia’s undergraduate, graduate, faculty, and staff communities, and undergraduates may enroll in the ensemble for credit. Students may receive instruction on fretless string instruments, guitar, woodwinds, percussion, and voice. Auditions are held in the fall, but interested participants may contact the directors at any time of year. CMEME is generously funded by Columbia’s Center for Ethnomusicology and the Louis Armstrong Jazz Performance Program.

For more information, contact Dr. Farzaneh Hemmasi at hemmasi@gmail.com

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