Peace Through Music
Every quarter, the UCSB Middle East
Ensemble, a group that is comprised of a mix of
university students, faculty, community members, and renowned guest
artists performs an epic-length concert. The evening provides the
equivalent of a magic carpet ride to the audience who is
transported through music to lands with a musical timbre far from
Santa Barbara. The program for this fall quarter concert, like many
before, is filled with a dizzying list of music and dance
revelations.
Two “Songs for Peace” are featured as a special part of the
performance, a much-needed reminder as news reports tout anything
but. Symbolically and musically diverse, Arabic and Hebrew
selections will be performed. 
appearance by Syrian vocalist Abboud Bashir. Not
only will Bashir perform traditional Syrian melodies, he will set
score aside for some seldom-heard (in Lotte Lehman hall in any
case) Syrian vocal improvisations.
Improvisation will highlight tradition, as the ensemble will
also feature other seldom-heard gems, including songs from Egypt’s
most famous female vocalist, the late Umm Kulthum.
Guest vocalist Dalia Khan will take on “Tala`a
l-Badru `Alayna,” while the ensemble will perform one of Kultum’s
early compositions.