Ensembles
The Music and Ethnomusicology Departments at the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music are home to a number of ensembles that allow student musicians and, often, community members to participate in the creation of Jewish music. While the Klezmer Ensemble is the only ensemble dedicated to strictly performing Jewish music, many of the groups, such as the Philharmonia, Chamber Singers, and Near East Ensemble have participated (or regularly participate) in significant Jewish music projects with the Milken Center.
Klezmer Ensemble
Director: Janice Mautner Markham
Course details: ETHNMUS 91Z and 161Z, section 5
The Klezmer Music Ensemble focuses on performance and style of the Klezmer musical traditions. The ensemble learns from active listening and imitation of a vast array of recordings beginning with pre-WWII European and American Golden Age klezmer, continuing into the klezmer revival and subsequent renaissance of the Seventies, and concluding with more contemporary experimental recordings. Repertoire from the Yiddish Theatre and other Jewish Eastern European traditions such as nigunim [wordless songs] will also be explored. In addition to performing, students will be introduced to key concepts in Jewish culture and history, giving context to the music.
Music of Turkey Ensemble
Director: Dr. Münir Beken
Course details: ETHNMUS 91Z and 161Z, section 5
This is a course for undergraduate and graduate students who sing and/or play an instrument. Through this class, students have the chance to study the repertoire of Turkish Art Music created by Jewish composers from Turkey, including Tanburi Isak Efendi (also known as Isaac Fresco Romano, 1745-1814) and Misirli Ibrahim Efendi (1879-1948), as well as other composers of diverse backgrounds. Additionally, the class is interested in exploring the Sephardic secular and sacred musical traditions from Turkey.