Casablanca – Lebanese singer, composer, and oud player Marcel Khalife will open Tetouan’s 27th International Luth Festival on October 29, bringing his music to the Théâtre Español for a three-day celebration of Mediterranean sounds and traditions.
Running through October 31, this year’s edition explores the Mediterranean’s diverse musical heritage, with artists from Morocco, Lebanon, Italy, Spain, Argentina, and Palestine.
The program will also honor Moroccan oud masters Souhail Serghini, Mohamed Al-Achraki, and Khalid Najed Al-Jadidi.
A Mediterranean dialogue through music
Khalife will lead the opening concert alongside Italian lutenist Aurora Manfredi, bringing Arabic musical traditions into conversation with the wider Mediterranean soundscape.
His visit will extend beyond the stage. Khalife will meet audiences at the Centre d’art moderne de Tétouan, where the program will continue with the opening of “Géométrie de l’âme,” a Moroccan calligraphy exhibition featuring artists Abdeslam Fellous and Ahmed Al-Abboudi.
On October 30, the festival will turn to a different musical combination as Moroccan oud player Tariq Banzi joins Spanish pianist Jesús Pardo and Moroccan multi-instrumentalist Boujemaa Razgui.
Their performance will bring together distinct instrumental traditions in a shared exploration of Mediterranean music.
The same evening, the Suhail Ensemble will explore the meeting point between Arab-Andalusian music and Granada’s flamenco tradition. Souhail Serghini will join flamenco guitarist Miguel Fernández for a performance that connects two musical worlds shaped by centuries of cultural exchange.
The oud in celebration of unity
Palestinian oud player and composer Nizar Rohana will perform on the festival’s closing night, ahead of a special appearance by the Moroccan Oud Orchestra.
The orchestra will gather 50 instrumentalists from Morocco’s 12 regions for a performance marking the first anniversary of “Aid Al Wahda” (Unity Day), which Morocco celebrates on October 31.
The national holiday commemorates a turning point in Morocco’s Sahara issue, following the UN Security Council’s adoption of Resolution 2797 in 2025, which supports Morocco’s position on the matter.
Through this closing performance, Tetouan will mark the occasion with the sound of the oud, bringing musicians from across the Kingdom together on one stage.
The festival’s final evening will thus connect Morocco’s regional musical traditions with a national occasion, closing three days that place the oud at the heart of a wider Mediterranean conversation.
Read Also: From Gnawa Trance to Amazigh Voices, Moroccan Music Takes Over Paris Philharmonie
