The Music of Thailand Ensemble and the Sphere Project showcase traditional music and original compositions on the same stage.
Students in the Music of Thailand Ensemble will perform the distinctive regional music traditions from central, north (Lanna), and northeast (Isaan) Thailand on a diverse range of instruments including mallet percussion, bowed, plucked string instruments, and flutes. Students will be introduced to Thai musical notation, basic rhythmic cycles, singing techniques in the Thai language, and basic dance movements.
The Sphere Project features the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz Performance Ensemble at UCLA in original compositions incorporating musicians from various world traditions.
Continuing a tradition begun in 1960, the Department of Ethnomusicology draws on its incredible collection of world musical instruments to present its annual Spring Festival of World Music. It's an opportunity for student ensembles to perform and share traditional musics from around the world as they master their instruments.