Precision and Passion: Guermazi’s Baton Guides Mazzika Orchestra Through a Record-Setting International Season
New York — 17 November 2025:
Maestra Amal Guermazi stands today at the forefront of orchestral leadership worldwide. An artist who has redrawn the contours of Arab creativity and flown Tunisia’s flag on the grandest international stages, she proves that when talent meets scholarship and vision, it becomes a force that transcends geography and bridges cultures.
Following 12 sold-out concerts in under two months across France, England, Switzerland, Belgium and Kuwait, Guermazi extended her remarkable global run in North America with two standout evenings alongside Mazzika Orchestra—the first Arab orchestra operating on a truly global production model:
- Montreal – 13 November: Théâtre Maisonneuve
- New York – 16 November: Symphony Space
These North American dates reinforce an exceptional trajectory that has made Amal Guermazi one of the most prominent Arab names on the international music scene.
A rich musical blend from the Arab world
The North American concerts featured a richly curated programme that showcased Guermazi’s ability to fuse heritage and modernity within an elevated orchestral frame. Audiences responded enthusiastically to fresh symphonic arrangements of beloved Arab songs—“Ezz El Habaib,” “Bint El Shalabeya,” “Sa’alouni El Nass,” “Betwannes Beek,” “Nassam Alayna El Hawa.” Works from the Maghreb, including “Ya Rayeh,” “Sidi Mansour,” and “Chehilet Laayani,” sparked communal sing-alongs that shook the halls with palpable energy. Surprises followed with “Alf Leila w Leila” (A Thousand and One Nights) in an elegant orchestral rendering, before a captivating Hijaz medley. Together, the two evenings delivered a panoramic Arab repertoire—“from Ocean to Gulf”—shaped to international symphonic standards.
This subtle blend between tarab and popular idioms, contemporary song and global classics offered a living expression of Maestra Guermazi’s vision: music that crosses borders and forges an emotional bridge to every audience.
From Tunisia to the world’s leading stages
Guermazi’s achievements are no accident. She holds a Doctorate in Music and Musicology from the Sorbonne and has produced reference research on Arab music—an academic grounding that informs a distinctive approach uniting intellectual rigor with aesthetic depth. Recognized among the earliest Arab women to lead orchestral formations on major European stages, she continues to cement the image of the Arab woman at the podium in a highly visible global role.
Despite her broad European and Middle Eastern presence, Guermazi’s 2025 activity in Tunisia was limited to a single concert, owing to a demanding international calendar that has surpassed 30 concerts since the start of the year—while she reiterates that Tunisia remains the source and beginning of the story.
Mazzika Orchestra — Arab production, global vision
Founded in 2017 by musician Dr. Chadi Hakme, Mazzika Orchestra has carved a path as a leading Arab ensemble with global production standards. Under Dr. Amal Guermazi’s artistic direction since 2019, the orchestra has appeared on renowned stages including Casino de Paris, Le Trianon, Bataclan (Paris), Flagey (Brussels), Alhambra (Geneva), and Megarama (Casablanca), before continuing its presence in North America.
Since inception, Mazzika has collaborated with more than 25 artists from the Middle East and North Africa—among them Rasha Rizk, Ramy Ayach, Mehdi Ayachi, Salim Assaf and others—delivering meticulously curated productions and pioneering orchestral arrangements that not only preserve Arab musical identity, but re-position it on the global map as a vibrant, evolving force.
A message that transcends borders
The success of the New York and Montreal concerts confirms that Maestra Amal Guermazi’s tour with Mazzika Orchestra is far more than a sequence of concerts. It represents a contemporary Arab vision of music—an ongoing dialogue between heritage and innovation—brought to diverse audiences through refined symphonic craft without compromising identity. With every movement of the baton, this project consolidates its standing as one of the most significant Arab musical experiences on today’s international stage.