Ziad Trabelsi & Carthage Mosaik

Ziad Trabelsi, a Tunisian artist who has made Rome his second home, weaving together the deep Arab musical tradition with Western influences of rock and blues. Since moving to Rome in 2002, Ziad has sought a creative dialogue between different musical cultures, mainly expressing himself through the oud, the Arab lute. Founder of ‘El Hadhra a Roma‘ and a long-standing member of the Orchestra di Piazza Vittorio, he has contributed to numerous musical and theatrical projects that explore the boundaries of ‘urban neofolk’ and the Mediterranean music scene.

Ziad has also distinguished himself in cinema and theater, composing for productions such as ‘Letters from the Sahara‘ and ‘Pizza and Dates‘, and participating in international projects ranging from the ‘Arabic Language Festival‘ in Europe to touring with the Orchestra di Piazza Vittorio in Africa. His collaboration in 2019 with jazz saxophonist Gabriele Cohen led to the creation of the duo ‘Dialoghi Andalus Sedarad‘, an exploration of Arab and Jewish musical roots through modern jazz improvisation.

Ziad continues to teach and lead in the music community, guiding the children’s choir at the Tunisian Cultural Center in Rome and participating in innovative educational projects such as the Dar Oud music school. His commitment to creating cultural bridges is also evident in the recent project ‘She, هي, elle, lei – voices of water and land, sounds of sea and sand’, a multicultural celebration of the female voice in the global context, which started in 2022 and continued with exciting performances in 2023.