The Middle East Ensemble (MEE) at the University of California, Santa Barbara, founded and directed by Professor Scott Marcus in the late 1980s, is one of the most distinguished university-based ensembles dedicated to the performance, preservation, and teaching of Middle Eastern music and dance traditions. Over the decades, the Ensemble has become a cornerstone of UCSB’s Department of Music and a vibrant representative of cultural diversity on campus.

Under the artistic direction of Amin Mahini, PhD student at the University of California, Santa Barbara, the Ensemble will present a selection of four traditional Azerbaijani pieces—featuring both instrumental and vocal works that highlight the lyrical depth and rhythmic vibrancy of Azerbaijan’s musical heritage.

Mahini will lead this segment while performing on the Azerbaijani kamancha, an iconic bowed string instrument central to the region’s classical and folk traditions. To ensure a performance rooted in authenticity, he has developed detailed musical notes and contextual insights for each selected piece and is actively training Ensemble members in the stylistic nuances, ornamentation, and interpretive techniques characteristic of Azerbaijani performance practice.