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| Poster by Mariam Krisht |
Established in 1997 at the University of Chicago, the Middle East Music Ensemble (MEME) serves as a platform for exploring the theoretical and historical traditions of the region through performance in a welcoming, familial, culture that nurtures all who join the ensemble. MEME was founded by its first director Martin Stokes, the world-renowned ethnomusicologist, who was a professor in the Department of Music at the University of Chicago from 1998-1999. At the beginning, the ensemble was a mere handful of musicians. Over the years, the ensemble has grown in numbers and stature to become a well-established and revered ensemble in Chicagoland for expertly performing classical, folk, and popular Middle Eastern music with a focus primarily on the Arab, Persian, and Turkish traditions. From the beginning, MEME was comprised of members from across the University and community members from around greater Chicago.
When Martin Stokes left the University of Chicago, Issa Boulos, a celebrated composer and jazz cross-over artist, became the became the director from 2000-2001. Walid al-Hajali was the director from 2001-2002. At that time, Issa Boulos became the director again from 2003-2010 and grew the ensemble from small to mid-sized. In 2010, Wanees Zarour, the current director, took over. Under Wanees’s leadership, the ensemble has grown significantly in size. At the first concert of the academic year that just end, A Salute to Ziad Rahbani on December 7, 2025, the orchestra was the largest it has ever been with 50 musicians and a choir of 35. At 85 in total, it is safe to say that MEME is the largest Middle Eastern orchestra in the United States.
MEME performs three concerts a year at the end of the Fall, Winter, and Spring Quarters. Since 2012 when the Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts opened on the University of Chicago Campus, every MEME concert has filled the beautiful 500-seat performance auditorium.
While the growth in ensemble membership is impressive, the musicianship, the talent level is probably at the highest level as well. The new musicians that join MEME are simply more talented and experienced. This is exemplified by the quality of the ‘first reads’ which is basically the first time a piece is played at a rehearsal. Ten years ago, the first reads basically indicated how much practice was needed before the piece might be performance ready. Now, it is amazing how much better our first reads are. For simpler pieces, the first reads are practically concert ready. For more challenging pieces, the first reads are much closer to being concert ready than ever before.
More and more at practices, someone in the ensemble will do something truly impressive enough that make others turn head to look. It might be a bass run from C Mikhail, a beautifully executed enhancement from our cello, percussion, or woodwind sections. Pan Fayang is amazing on the ney. When Ronnie Malley plays an oud taksim, it is brilliant. If it is in nahawand, it is absolutely over the top. More recently, a brass section has been added which is not typical in Middle Eastern music. But they are totally able to accommodate the Middle Eastern maqams with ease. This gives Maestro Wanees another wonderful color on his arrangement pallet. Experienced musicians that join the ensemble in order to learn and perform Middle Eastern music for the first time benefit from the family culture of the ensemble and learn quickly in the nurturing environment. The growth of our choir is equally impressive and is invaluable in all the genres we tackle, especially for classical Arab and Turkish music.
Up until the 2023-24 season, MEME had a tradition of the Fall concert being Turkish, the Winter concert Persian, and an all Arab program in the Spring Concert. Starting in the 2024-25 season, Wanees moved us to a mixed format that will allow the ensemble to begin to include other regional tradition in their repertoire.
As referenced earlier, one of the hallmarks of MEME is the unique culture that endears everyone to the ensemble. The members are from ethnicities and religions that self-serving leaders use to divide people and create instability. This is not the case in MEME. The love for the music is the primary and uniting force. Members of the ensemble see similarities, not differences, and the result is everyone often calling it ‘the MEME family.’ It is very powerful and central to MEME’s success. More and more, MEME members perform in smaller groups in the Chicago World Music scene.
On July 26, 2025, all of MEME were saddened by the sudden passing of the famed Lebanese pianist, composer, playwright, and political activist, Ziad Rahbani at the age of 69. Rahbani was very important to many of the ensemble members. Wanees soon let us know that he wanted our Fall Concert as “A Salute to Ziad el-Rahbani” noting that Ziad was his primary musical influence and inspiration. Wanees could have picked selections that were crowd pleasers and the ensemble could easily master. But these weren’t the compositions of Ziad that influenced and inspired him. Wanees instead choose a program of pieces that were fusion of jazz and Middle Eastern modal music. He chose intricate orchestrations and had a vision to recreate live performances of these pieces which were even more interesting and intricate than the ‘official’ recordings. He wanted to showcase the best of the famed and revered composer.
Simply, it was the most challenging repertoire MEME has ever performed for a few reasons. First, Wanees’s vision would take the ensemble beyond the limits of anything they had ever played. Lastly, the biggest challenge for Wanees was that there were no scores available of these live performances he wanted to emulate. He spent several all-nighters preparing the score to be as accurate as he could be to Ziad Rahbani’s arrangements. Wanees had a vision to bring this Salute to Ziad el-Rahbani to life on a grand scale.
The ensemble worked hard to prepare. Wanees challenged, coaxed, guided, and motivated them to fulfill his vision and to make it a shared vision for everyone involved. As the family we are, we responded and did exactly that. We are always happy after a concert. This time our happiness, our joy, was a quantum level or two higher than the norm.
The audience at MEME concerts are always appreciative. For this concert, the audience was clearly there to “Salute Ziad el-Rahbani” and they really enjoyed the music. They clapped along for the lively pieces and applauded louder and longer than any MEME concert in the past ten years. The audience and the ensemble were certainly energized adding the overall excitement and enthusiasm in the auditorium.
The concert included nine selections
1.
Mais el-Reem
(click to hear this piece from our concert on FB)
2. Salimli ‘Aleih
3. Al Bosta
4. Shou Hal Ayyam
5. Film Amerki Tawil
6. ‘Udak Rannan
7. Khallasu il-Aghani
8. Talfan ‘Ayyash
9.
Rah
Nibqa Sawa
In a denouement discussion with Wanees, he lamented that “It was a bit unfair and a bit of a shame that the members of MEME worked so hard on this concert for only one performance. This, however, is the fate of university ensembles like MEME. It would have been nice to have several more performances.” Thankfully, the concert was professionally recorded and may be available on YouTube in the coming months.
Wanees also spoke about the family-like culture that defines MEME more so now than ever before. “We encourage each other, have lots of involvement, to help run the orchestra from photography, visual elements, putting together the programs including translations of the lyrics, to running the MEME social media sites, and much more. We encourage each other and praise each other. This culture was a critical catalyst in bringing this concert to life. I am grateful to have such amazing people and musicians in our ensemble.”
Here are the reflections of some of the musicians.
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| Wanees Zarour and Firas Zriek |
First and foremost, is Firas Zriek our featured guest artist for this concert. Firas a Palestinian-born, New York-based kanun player, composer, and educator. He studied jazz composition and performance. He is known for taking the fusion of Middle Eastern maqam and jazz to the next level.
This was a true tribute to Ziad Rahbani’s prolific legacy, the authenticity, accuracy and love for the music was well presented in Zarour’s re-arrangements and transcriptions, as well as the execution of the talented members of MEME, their love and belonging to this community is truly remarkable and it made my experience warm and valuable.
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| Ronnie Malley |
Ronnie Malley is a multi-instrumentalist, composer, actor, and educator known for his work in bridging global music traditions. A fixture in Chicago’s world music scene, he is gifted oudist and has contributed to numerous award-winning theatrical and television productions. Ronnie is currently pursuing a PhD in Ethnomusicology at the University of Chicago. He is an amazing mentor, cheerleader, and inspiration to everyone in MEME.
The 2025 fall MEME concert for Ziad Rahbani was truly spectacular. In almost 20 years of playing with the ensemble, this was the best I’ve heard it sound. Wanees did an excellent job remaining faithful in transcribing the arrangements, and the ensemble instrumentation was made for Ziad’s style. The choir, soloists, and instrumentalists all sounded amazing, and it’s always a pleasure to play along side the marvelous kanun player, Firas Zreik. Everyone brought their energy, musicianship, and joy to honor Ziad’s legacy, but most importantly, the ensemble and audience were all riding a wave together. It was a fitting tribute to a legendary artist.
Sham Abyad is a Syrian-American vocalist and soloist based in the Chicago area, known for her performances in passionate interpretations Arabic music. Besides MEME, she frequently performs with major ensembles, including the Chicago Immigrant Orchestra and the Tayf. Sham and Karl El Sokhn were the lead vocalists for this concert. Abdo Timejardine-Zomeño, clarinet, summed up Sham’s stellar performance in a post shortly after the concert: “I could listen to this queen sing all night long.”
I think the arrangements were absolutely incredible. Wanees Zaarour is one of the hardest working composers and musicians I have ever seen, and honestly, I do not know how he does everything he does with so much passion and honesty. Ziad al Rahbani is his biggest influence, and you can feel how deeply Wanees loves Ziad’s work in every detail of this concert. It truly felt like a heartfelt salute to someone who has shaped so much of his musical world. I especially loved that Wanees chose to use Ziad’s live music and arrangements. That is extremely hard to do, and Wanees did it in a way where you would never guess how much work was put into it because of how smooth and natural everything sounded. Being able to transcribe music from a live concert with that level of accuracy and sensitivity is something that honestly only Wanees Zaarour would take on and deliver so beautifully. And as I mentioned earlier, I really believe Wanees was able to bring out all the emotions that exist across Ziad’s lifetime of work, and he did that in a concert that was actually very short compared to how much material Ziad has. Summarizing all of that into only nine pieces while keeping the work honest, real, sensitive, and beautiful is something I find truly impressive. It all came through so clearly during the performance. I am truly honored, and it is such a pleasure to sing under Wanees’s direction and to be part of the MEME family.
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| Mariam Krisht and Sham Abyad |
Mariam Krisht is a Lebanese designer, creative director, and storyteller based in Chicago. She is the founder of KIFMAKAN, a creative studio and fundraising initiative that explores themes across Lebanon, Palestine, and the SWANA (South West Asia & North Africa) region. Mariam produced the beautiful graphics of Ziad Rahbani that graced the program and on-stage graphics for this concert. She also sang in the choir for this concert.
The process of bringing Ziad Rahbani's cultural and artistic legacy to life demanded the very best of us, as a musical ensemble but also as a community forged in diaspora. I feel particularly honored, as a Lebanese graphic artist and a member of the choir, to have had the opportunity to share his work with the audience. I can only hope that our individual contributions resulted in a fitting tribute, especially at a time when his loss is felt so deeply.
I didn't initially set out to join the choir at MEME, I simply wanted to support the ensemble in whatever way was needed. So, to find myself performing Ziad Rahbani's songs with the choir, singing his words in unison - in a language that is actually foreign to some members of the ensemble - in celebration of such an important figure in Lebanese and Arab culture, was truly an unforgettable experience.
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| Mark Gavoor and Rasa Mahmoudian |
Rasa Mahmoudian, the MEME Concertmaster, is an Iranian-born violinist, violist, educator, and cultural storyteller based in Chicago. His work is recognized for bridging diverse musical traditions, including Western classical, Middle Eastern, South Asian, and Eastern European sounds. Rasa is a superb musician and an very competent assistant to Wanees in practices.
MEME has never felt like ‘just an ensemble’ to me, it feels like family. Since I joined in January 2020, every concert has been a kind of lesson and a kind of celebration: I leave educated, entertained, and somehow lighter.
A big part of that is Wanees’s arrangements, and the way he moves through the world as a musician. They’re always thoughtful and sensitive, and you can feel the care in every detail. With so much grace, and a real awareness of the social and cultural threads of the region, he shapes programs that make you smile, make you think, and sometimes melt your heart.
Ziad Rahbani tribute was especially meaningful, and beautifully challenging. The music was transcribed and arranged with such devotion, like something precious being carried in open hands. Every member brought something to it, and together we created an experience that I don’t think anyone in the room will forget. There were so many moments that stayed with me: Sham sang with pure generosity, the kind that fills the room and stays with you. Karl’s debut brought humor and cool energy. The choir and orchestra poured everything into it and created such a powerful sound. And hearing Firas and Ronnie play so beautifully was a true gift.
Even at the after party, one thought kept returning: how can we do this again, so more people can hear it? I feel lucky that Mark Gavoor invited me into the MEME family, and I am truly grateful for the support, warmth, and belonging I’ve found here.
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| Yasmeen Abushawish |
Lastly, Yasmeen Abushawish is a Palestinian-American singer-songwriter, music educator, audiobook narrator, and social activist based in the Chicago area. She started with MEME in Choir and for this concert was part of the six-person oud section anchored by her teacher, Ronnie Malley.
This experience with MEME has been so incredibly fulfilling and inspiring. I have been in the ensemble for about a year, and this concert was the first concert where I played oud with the ensemble. It had always been a dream of mine to learn to play oud.
This was my fourth concert with MEME and I must say, though all of them have been beyond special, there was something about this one in particular that words could not describe.
Wanees, our director, really made this experience incredible. His immense hard work, passion, and dedication to this music is truly remarkable. I think his commitment to transcribing, specifically LIVE recordings, of Ziad Rahbani’s works speaks volumes. There is an essence of humanity that Wanees captured when transcribing these works that only exist in the live versions of these beloved songs. The amount of work that went into this from his end is beyond what most people would ever be capable of doing, and that is a testament to his complete love for Ziad Rahbani’s music and dedication to honoring Rahbani’s legacy through this tribute.
This ensemble has been the biggest highlight of my life this past year. Especially in a time where our community is facing such tremendous hardships, spaces like this have been so healing. As someone who is of the Diaspora, MEME has made me connect so much deeper to my roots. This community has truly felt like home to me. Everyone is so welcoming and supportive and willing to help. It’s has been the best place for me to learn and grow in this craft. Everyone is so talented and to be performing music of this caliber with such amazing people is such a dream.
It is clear from these comments that MEME is very special ensemble with an amazing culture and camaraderie. This Salute to Ziad el-Rahbani took the musicality of the ensemble to another level. The future is full of promise for the Middle East Music Ensemble of the University of Chicago.
From the Concert.
All other photos are from our rehearsals.
