Event Artists

Ziad El Ahmadie - Oud and composition
Mounir Mahmalat - Cello
Bahaa Daou - Percussion

Artist's Biography

STORIES//Bridging Traditions of oriental and European music. In original compositions, Stories mesmerizes with a unique fusion of genres. Founded in 2018, Stories has played throughout the country to explore how music can bridge between cultures, spaces, and audiences. With “Ibhar”, the trio launched their debut album in 2022. Stories, that is three instruments and a plethora of musical worlds – by Ziad El Ahmadie (oud and composition), Mounir Mahmalat (cello), and Bahaa Daou (percussion).

Ziad El Ahmadie, Oud and composition:

Ziad El Ahmadie is an internationally known Lebanese composer, oud player, and singer.

He studied the oud at the National Lebanese Conservatory, while pursuing an undergraduate degree in communication arts at the Lebanese American University.

While Ziad’s interest in music stems from traditional Arabic music, he fuses sounds from various influences and wide-ranging harmonies into his musical creations. He composes music for television, cinema, and theatre, such as the long-standing cabaret show “Hishik Bishik”.

As a soloist, he collaborated with many internationally renowned composers. Ziad has won many awards in musical composition among which the “Zaki Nassif” Award in Beirut in 2013.

Mounir Mahmalat, Cello:

Mounir Mahmalat pushes the cello into new territories – from Irish folk, to rock, tango, and oriental music. His musical work questions the established conventions of classical music by seeking new answers to an old question: how can music create emotional connections?

Mounir received a classical education in music performance from Robert-Schumann-Conservatory of Music in Düsseldorf, Germany, and ventured into jazz with Eugene Friesen (Berklee College of Music in Boston). After endeavors with various (folk-) rock bands as a cellist, singer, and studio musician, he played in the Habanera-Duo, arranging hidden masterpieces of contemporary classical tango, jazz, and flamenco music for piano and cello.

His second instrument is the 5-string-banjo with which he attends to his hidden love: blue-grass-music. He received several prizes for music performance and composition.

Bahaa Daou is a Lebanese riq player, music researcher, and music teacher. He studied the riq at the National Lebanese Conservatory, while pursuing a teaching diploma in music at the Lebanese University.  While Bahaa’s interest in music stems from traditional Arabic music, he fuses rhythms from various influences and uses a wide range of percussion instruments. As a percussionist, he recorded music for television, cinema, and theatre as well as many album releases, among which is Fantasia by Samir Nasredine. He moreover participated in many national and international festivals with bands and orchestras.

Bahaa has won many awards in choir conducting among which the “Youth School Choir” Award in Beirut in 2015, and is regularly invited to perform at numerous concerts and festivals in the Middle East and in Europe.

Due to the circumstances, the program might change, please check always the website