Brian Prunka

The Near East River Ensemble is a long-standing project devoted to exploring modern chamber music that draws on the intersection of Arabic music, the Western Classical tradition and jazz-influenced improvisation, performed by musicians with deep commitment to and in-depth experience in these art forms.  

Originally founded around 2005 as a trio led by oudist/composer Brian Prunka featuring violist/composer Leanne Darling and percussionist Rami El-Aasser, it soon expanded into a larger group with the addition of Danny Zanker on double bass, Megan Weeder Gould on violin,  and Timothy Quigley on additional percussion.  Later iterations featured Bridget Robbins on both silver flute and Arabic nay, Marandi Hostetter on 5-string violin, Eric Allen on cello, and guest percussionists Philip Mayer and Mark Katsaounis.  

Currently, the group comprises a specific vision — a traditional string quartet joined by oud and percussion.   This is an extension of the prior versions of the group to more fully explore the potential of integrating the Western and Eastern string traditions. In 2025 Prunka received a grant from the Brooklyn Arts Council, commissioning new works for this instrumentation.  At present, the group is primarily focused on these compositions by Prunka, with additional arrangements contributed by Megan Gould and Eric Allen. Going forward, the group hopes to collaborate with other composers and arrangers working in this area.   

The current members of the ensemble are diverse group of highly accomplished, distinctive artists with decades of experience performing in the Arabic music community, as well as Western Classical music, jazz, and many other traditions and styles:

Brian Prunka, oud
Megan Gould, violin
Sarah Mueller, violin
Marandi Hostetter, viola
Eric Allen, cello
Alber Baseel, percussion