Established in 1994, the Middle Eastern Music Ensemble is composed of 15-25 primarily undergraduate students who come to the group with excellent musicianship, to present the Arab, Turkish, Persian, Armenian and Greek Traditions that comprise the music of the Middle East.  Over the years the group has presented numerous formal concerts featuring guest artists from a variety of Middle Eastern traditions including: Munir Beken (composer, ‘ud and tanbur), Nadim Dlaikan (nay), George Sawa (qanun), Yusef Kassab (composer, vocalist), Nabil Azzam (composer, violin) and others.

          Dr. Anne K. Rasmussen, the founder of the group, is Associate Professor of Music and Ethnomusicology and is the Chair of the  Department of Music at the College of William and Mary. She has been performing Middle Eastern music since 1985 in conjunction with her studies at the University of California at Los Angeles and in her fieldwork among Arab Americans in communities across the country. Prior to her arrival in Williamsburg, Rasmussen directed ensembles at Oberlin College and the University of Texas, and she has performed widely as a soloist and with other ensembles in the US and abroad.

        The concert is open to the public.  A free-will offering will be received and a reception follows the concert.