A Concert for Peace Comes to Carpinteria

UCSB Middle East Ensemble Comes to the Alcazar Theatre

Middle East Ensemble Dancers | Photo: Courtesy

Carpinteria may be a small town, but the impact they’re looking to make is anything but. On October 27, the Alcazar Theatre will be hosting the UCSB Middle East Ensemble at 5 p.m. for a culturally rich show titled Concert for Peace.

Film producer Larry Nimmer had the idea first, this concert branching out of his promotion of his annual Carpinteria to Santa Barbara Dance for Peace show. His goal for this new project was to stage a concert that would bring together musicians in the Middle East as a way to use music as a means to advocate for peace. As someone who grew up in the ’70s, Zimmer explained his involvement and study in music as a way to celebrate peace, both historically and today. “Music is a way to be positive and entertaining, not to be divisive. I hope to see what music can do now,” he said.

His search for musicians led him to Scott Marcus, the director of the UCSB Middle East Ensemble. Marcus founded and has been leading the ensemble since 1989, and expressed his enthusiasm for the show. “Our concerts introduce people to cultural diversity and vitality in the Middle East,” Marcus explained. “Each community uses music to celebrate and respond to life’s ups and downs.”

In addition to the range of instruments used, both Middle Eastern and Western, the ensemble also consists of singers, dancers, and a chorus. For this performance in Carpinteria, Marcus will be preceding each piece with a historical explanation of the piece’s cultural origins and how it has been adapted by other communities and groups of people in the Middle East.

ShelterBox USA President Kerri Murray gives cookware to a widow in Morocco | Photo: ShelterBox USA

Zimmer is also working in collaboration with the nonprofit ShelterBox U.S.A., which is helping to sponsor the event. They will have a booth in the lobby of the theater on the night of the event to talk more about their work in response to global conflict and natural disaster. Communications Director Paul Vercammen expressed his hopes for the show as “a brilliant way to focus on the Middle East’s beauty, culture, storied music, dance, and art.”

“My hope is to support each other and support the humanity of people in the Middle East,” Zimmer said. With this show as an example that supports all people, he expressed his hope that it will encourage others to have similar programs and shows that, in a small way, lead to peace.

Concert for Peace takes place at the Alcazar Theatre (4916 Carpinteria Ave., Carpinteria) on Sunday, October 27, at 5 p.m. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased at bit.ly/3NCDfQN. For more information, visit thealcazar.org. For more information about ShelterBox U.S.A., see shelterboxusa.org.