Moroccan Oud Player Named Artist in Residence at Pennsylvania College
From Morocco to the jazz clubs of New Orleans, Mahmoud Chouki has come a long way. The guitarist and composer has just been selected as an artist in residence at an American university. It is another recognition for a musician who brings Moroccan traditions into dialogue with jazz.
A Moroccan oud made from a cigar box, eleven strings and a room full of American music lovers. On Saturday, October 3, Mahmoud Chouki gave a well-received concert at the Williams Center for the Arts in Pennsylvania. Accompanied by six musicians, the Moroccan performed his compositions for an audience at Lafayette College, which selected him as artist in residence for the 2026-2027 academic year.
This distinction caps a career built across several continents. Trained in music in Morocco, Mahmoud Chouki moved to New Orleans, the birthplace of American jazz, in 2019. There, he developed a style blending classical guitar, oud, loutar and traditional instruments with jazz sounds. Collaborations with artists such as Jason Marsalis and Herlin Riley gradually opened doors for him on the local music scene.
The Moroccan musician has done more than play in clubs. He also teaches at the Lycée français de La Nouvelle-Orléans and helps with music programming at the New Orleans Museum of Art. His work has earned him several awards, including the Big Easy Awards’ Best World Music Artist prize in 2022.
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It was in New Orleans that Jennifer Kelly, director of the music department at Lafayette College, discovered him during a research trip. She says she was impressed by his talent, but especially by his ability to let other musicians shine. “There was no ego,” she told the student newspaper The Lafayette, which published a profile of him on Friday, October 9.
On stage, Chouki guides his fellow musicians with a wave of his hand, giving each one room to improvise. At this first college concert, seven artists performed five pieces, including three selections from his album “Caravan: From Marrakech to New Orleans.”
“Music is not just about playing; it’s also about building bridges between cultures,” the Moroccan musician says. His most unusual instrument perfectly embodies this philosophy. Made especially for him by his friend Brett Gardner from a cigar box, the oud now travels with him around the world.
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The American residency has another important date in store for him. On February 27, 2027, Mahmoud Chouki will return to the Williams Center for the Arts for a concert where he will be the headliner. It will be another opportunity to share his Moroccan influences with an American audience.
