as part of the Fabbrica Europa 2026 festival

Rabih Abou-Khalil, a musician of Lebanese origin now based in Germany, where he relocated after the civil war that ravaged his homeland, has made the encounter between different cultures the defining feature of his musical exploration.

A composer, oud player and conductor, he has collaborated with some of the most prominent figures in jazz, as well as with traditional Arab and Armenian musicians, classical string quartets, fado singers and many others.

The BBC Symphony Orchestra and the Ensemble Modern have commissioned several works from him, recognizing him as a leading figure in the dialogue between East and West.
Born and raised in the cosmopolitan atmosphere of Beirut in the 1960s and 1970s, he began playing the oud, the short-necked Arab lute, at the age of four.

After leaving Lebanon in 1978, he studied classical flute at the University of Music and Theatre Munich under Walther Theurer. His in-depth study of the European classical tradition enabled him to view Arab music from a new theoretical perspective, giving rise to an artistic inquiry capable of crossing and connecting different musical systems.