Dhafer Youssef at Louvre Abu Dhabi: oud and jazz on 19 December
The Tunisian oud player and his quintet close out the Abu Dhabi Festival season under the museum's dome.
Tunisian oud player and singer Dhafer Youssef performs at Louvre Abu Dhabi on Saturday 19 December 2026, as part of the Abu Dhabi Festival. The museum lists the concert on its Auditorium Plaza from 8pm to 9.30pm, with doors at 7.30pm.
Youssef is known for taking the oud into contemporary music, mixing Arab traditions and Sufi heritage with jazz, classical music and subtle electronics. Louvre Abu Dhabi notes that he was born in Tunisia into a family of muezzins and grew up with Quranic recitation, before a move to Vienna led him to jazz.
He appears with his quintet. The National says the set features material from his album Shiraz, and the museum says the programme draws on his established repertoire as well as new works, with vocals and improvisation.
The concert is presented by the Abu Dhabi Festival with the Abu Dhabi Music and Arts Foundation. December 19 is also the final day of the festival's 23rd edition, which opened at Etihad Arena on 10 October, according to Gulf News.
Source: Louvre Abu Dhabi, The National, Gulf News
