Biography
Maren Lueg
Born in Germany Maren is a versatile musician and composer renowned for her innovative approach to music. Her numerous projects and ensembles in Germany and Great Britain, focus on the creative interplay between Western & Middle Eastern music.
Maren studied Traditional & Popular Music at the University of Highlands and Islands in Scotland. She then passed her master’s degree with merit in Middle Eastern music performance, specializing in Turkish & Arabic Nay flute, at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) in London. She studied with renowned masters of the Ney flute in Istanbul and Cairo.
In the UK, she formed and led notable ensembles, including the Babylon Arabic Band, Nomadiqa, Mazaj Ensemble, Souk Bab-el-Louk, and the Farah Ensemble.
She also performed for the Royal Shakespeare Company, Suns of Arqa, and the Electrostatic Ensemble. She has worked for the composer Stephen Warbeck on the film score for “Hussain, Who Said No” (2014) dir. Ahmad Reza Darvish. She performed on the recent Bollywood blockbuster “Animal” (2023) dir. Sandeep Reddy Vanga. She played for the composer Bernard O’Neill on the “Syriana album, 1325 Ibn Battutah” (2024)
Her skills have seen her working as a session musician for film music and as a theatre musician for the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford upon Avon, as well as session work on film scores such as for the British composer, Stephen Warbeck.
Performances have included playing live on BBC from Glastonbury Festival and performance and education at WOMAD both in the UK and abroad, she also performed at the Liverpool Arabic Arts festival, the Bergen Festival and the Fethiye World Music Festival in Turkey being featured on Turkish TV.
She also created & ran the MidEastFest which for 5 years delivered a 3-day Summer School of workshops & performance provided by some the best teachers & performers of Middle Eastern music, song & dance from the UK & abroad.
Maren has created numerous musical projects in Germany, collaborating with regional and national arts funding organisation and music accademies such as
the Landesmusikakademie NRW, the NRW Kultursekretariate, and the Landesmusikrat NRW, Among her most renowned projects are the Hamam Abbiad Ensemble, founded in 2016 with Syrian musicians, and the Dubarabi project, which emerged in 2018 in collaboration with producer Spy from Cairo.
In 2017, Maren established the EastWest Pacem Orchestra, a groundbreaking ensemble that combines Syrian musicians with members of the Hagen Chamber Orchestra. This project serves as a platform for cross-cultural musical exchange and creativity, with highlights including performances at the multimedia installation “The Magic of Old Damascus” in Hagen and the Essen Philharmonic’s concert “Memories of Old Damascus” in 2020.
In 2020, she founded the Nagham Ensemble, dedicated to performing iconic works by renowned Arab singers like Oum Kalthoum. Her recent ventures include the creation of the Amira Sultana Ensemble in 2023, exploring the intersection of Maqam and Indian Raga in collaboration with legendary musicians Shashank Subramanyam and Ramesh Shotham. Additionally, Maren launched the KosMoTronix project, a captivating blend of Middle Eastern musical traditions with contemporary electronic and industrial sounds, accompanied by impressive video projections that interweave culture, art, and migration stories into kaleidoscopic narratives. The multi-ethnic ensemble features musicians such as Bassem Hawar (Iraq/Djoze), Kioomars Musayyebi (Iran/Santur), Bernard O’Neill (Ireland/Contrabass), Alireza Ostovar (Iran/Sound Design, Live Electronic Performance), and Reza Samani (Iran/Percussion). In 2024, Maren formed the Amira El-Sharq Ensemble, which empowers female musicians from the Middle East.
Maren has frequently collaborated as a theatre musician with Theater Lutz at the Stadttheater Hagen and took part in the Ruhrtriennale Festival in 2024, performing in the production Unlocking Paradise under the direction of Ivo van Hove. Her work continues to push boundaries, promote cross-cultural connections, and celebrate the rich diversity of musical traditions.
Thank you for your interest in my music! I am very pleased about your interest and am at your disposal for enquiries and bookings.
UK: 0044 (0)7727604212
DE: 0049 (0)15126775182
marenlueg@gmail.com
