Between chanson, jazz and the Middle East: Hiba Tawaji and Ibrahim Maalouf in concert

In recent years, Hiba Tawaji and Ibrahim Maalouf have forged two very different artistic paths, yet one driven by the same idea of ​​cultural crossover. She comes from musical theater, contemporary Arabic song, and the Francophone tradition. He has transformed the trumpet into an instrument capable of moving between jazz, Arabic music, improvisation, and cinematic orchestration. With À La Française, scheduled for the Dubai Opera on November 27, 2026, the two artists bring these trajectories together in a single show. The concert is built around the repertoire and imagery of the French chanson, reinterpreted through contemporary arrangements and jazz influences. Tawaji's voice and Maalouf's microtonal trumpet thus become the two poles of a performance that crosses languages, musical traditions, and cultural references. Ibrahim Maalouf is today one of the most recognizable figures on the international jazz scene. Born in Beirut and raised in France, he has developed a musical language that blends jazz improvisation, Arabic melodies, and orchestral composition. In recent years, he has collaborated with artists as diverse as Sting and Wynton Marsalis, as well as pop and film productions. A two-time Grammy nominee, Maalouf maintains a musical practice that is difficult to classify within a single genre. Hiba Tawaji also moves across different registers. Active since 2008, she has worked across Arabic music, musical theater, and French repertoire, collaborating with artists such as Andrea Bocelli and Lara Fabian. In 2024, she sang at the reopening of Notre-Dame in Paris under the direction of Gustavo Dudamel, in an internationally followed event. Her career also includes theater productions such as Notre Dame de Paris and dubbing the character of Jasmine in the French version of Aladdin.