Sonia Tamar Seeman is an Associate Professor of Ethnomusicology in the Sarah and Ernest Butler School of Music at the University of Texas at Austin, with cross-appointments at the Center for Middle Eastern Studies, Center for Women and Gender Studies, and Center for Russian, Eastern European and Eurasian Studies. She serves as the Bachelor of Arts Program Coordinator for Music, UT's Fulbright Program Advisor and Chair, and directs the Bereket Middle Eastern Music Ensemble. Dr. Seeman earned her Ph.D. from UCLA in 2002 with the dissertation "'You're Roman!' Music and Identity in Turkish Roman Communities". Prior to UT Austin, she taught at UCSB for four years as a post-doctoral fellow and lecturer. Her research centers on Middle Eastern and Southeastern European musical traditions, specializing in Romani communities' expressive culture since the mid-1980s. Through fieldwork in Macedonia (1985-87, 1989) and Turkey (1995-1999, 2003), she examines how music mediates identity formation amid Ottoman legacies, nationalism, and cosmopolitanism. Current work investigates Turkish cultural expressions and gendered identity negotiations during European Union accession processes, integrating phenomenological and post-structural frameworks. Recent publications reveal evolving scholarly trajectories from foundational identity studies in Turkey to Balkan music analysis and pedagogical innovation. Her 2019 monograph "Sounding Roman" synthesizes decades of Romani performance research, while articles on Macedonian Čalgija demonstrate music's role in national identity construction, and pedagogical works advance embodied learning techniques in ethnomusicology education. As BA Program Coordinator, she advises music concentrations and mentors Fulbright applicants for international research. Her advising emphasizes interdisciplinary approaches connecting music studies with gender, post-Ottoman, and diaspora frameworks. She founded and directs the Bereket Middle Eastern Music Ensemble, which trains students, faculty, and community members in regional court, religious, and popular music traditions from the Middle East, Balkans, and diasporic communities, serving as a living laboratory for her research on transnational musical practices.










