Kuwait – 25 October 2025
Thursday night, 23 October 2025, was no ordinary night. It was an exceptional moment in time — one that will remain in the memory of Arabic music. Around thirty elite international musicians took the stage at the Sheikh Jaber Al Ahmad Cultural Center in Kuwait, as part of the 25th edition of the International Music Festival organized by the National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters. They presented a spellbinding evening titled “Melodies from the Maghreb — From the Ocean to the Gulf,” performed by the international orchestra “Mazzika,” under the baton of conductor Dr. Amal Guermazi, and featuring vocalists Mehdi Ayachi and Lamia Jamal.
This musical event marked a historic moment for Arab female leadership. The evening carried within it a milestone: Maestra Amal Guermazi — who has uniquely led an Arab orchestra on major European and international stages, and who is considered one of the rare global conductors qualified to lead a musical production of this scale — reaffirmed in this grand concert in Kuwait that music is not only the language of peoples, but also a mirror of cultural and social transformation. With her commanding presence and her baton weaving a pulse of nostalgia and innovation, Guermazi led the performance with the mind of a researcher, the eye of an artist, and the heart of an Arab woman carrying an inheritance and breathing new life into it.
The evening, held under the umbrella of the International Music Festival and supervised by the National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters, was defined by range and craftsmanship. The program included works newly arranged specifically for the orchestra, invoking voices and icons from the Maghreb — from Tunisia to Algeria to Morocco — in a bouquet of melodies where popular North African rhythms intertwined with refined symphonic language. The notes of “Qa’al Jani Ba’d Youmain” (Samira Said), “Ez El Habaib” (Saber Rebai), “Lola El Malama” (Warda), and “Wahayati Andak” (Zekra) flowed alongside “Mzyana,” “Ya Rayeh,” “Sidi Mansour,” “Ally Gara,” “Bint Bladi,” “Abdelkader,” and more — a musical vision that united the spell of the Arab East with that of the Arab Maghreb, on Kuwaiti soil. In this exceptional evening, timeless melodies met mesmerizing voices: artist Mehdi Ayachi dazzled with his velvety tone and warm presence, while Lamia Jamal captivated the audience with a performance that blended tenderness and strength, in exquisite harmony with the orchestra.
Behind the scenes, this achievement would not have been possible without the creative vision of the orchestra’s founder and general director, Dr. Shadi Hakmeh, who has, over the years, succeeded in shaping “Mazzika” into a distinctive force in the global music scene — fusing contemporary aesthetics with an authentic Arab identity, making the orchestra a cultural bridge that transcends borders. Since its establishment in 2017, “Mazzika” has become a global Arab voice, touring major stages across Europe and the Americas, reintroducing Arabic musical heritage through a modern orchestral lens. Under the musical direction of Dr. Amal Guermazi since 2019, “Mazzika Orchestra” has become synonymous with artistic excellence and innovation. The orchestra has collaborated with more than 25 artists from across the Arab world and has delivered large-scale performances welcomed from Paris to New York to Montreal and beyond.
With the resounding success of its Kuwait concert, Mazzika Orchestra once again reaffirms its mission: to present Arabic music as a living, breathing art form capable of touching hearts everywhere. This evening was more than a concert; it was a vibrant artistic journey that merged Maghrebi heritage with orchestral modernity, carrying the audience from the shores of the Atlantic to the banks of the Gulf, where the scent of authenticity met the elegance of symphonic arrangement, and where traditional maqamat echoed as a bridge of shared legacy and shared dreams.
At the end of the night, the audience rose in an ovation that lasted several long minutes. Applause that was not only for a flawless performance, but for an artistic journey whose notes carried a human message: that music can be a bridge, a dialogue, and a celebration of identity.
With this concert, Mazzika Orchestra has written a new chapter in its international musical journey, affirming that the Arabic melodic voice — when performed with a global spirit — can captivate, unite, and inspire.