Emel Mathlouthi

Powerful, new Tunisian sounds by an otherworldly voice

Alongside the artist, a night souk will be available, with 40 retail vendors offering locally made artisan products, including handmade soaps, candles, local artwork, jewelry, home décor, and pottery.

Emel Mathlouthi (Tunisia)

Emel Mathlouthi is a songwriter, composer, guitarist, and singer who brings a powerful brand new sound to Tunisian music. Endowed with an outstanding voice, her early career drew comparisons to Joan Baez, Sister Marie Keyrouz, and the Lebanese diva Fairouz – propelled by her global anthem “Kelmti Horra (My Word is Free),” while her more recent projects have been compared to Bjork and Kate Bush. In her environmentally-themed project Everywhere We Looked Was Burning, which she’ll perform accompanied by electronics and a string quartet, Mathlouthi has shifted and complicated her sound, incorporating a dark atmosphere, expansive electronics, and digital glitches, without losing her spirit. As anyone who has seen or heard her perform knows, all of her work is powered forward by her otherworldly operatic voice, a voice that is comfortable in the streets, in a club or theater, or at the 2015 Nobel Peace Prize ceremony. The trio joining Emel’s performance includes Klaudia Olborska-Szymańska on violin, Rebecca Saxby on viola, and Giulia Gallazzi on cello.

Listen to the music: