Tunisian oud player and composer, founder of Dar El Oud Ettounsi: a life devoted to the Tunisian oud and to passing on the malouf.
Born in July 1991, Zied Mehdi began his musical studies around the age of twelve. He trained in classical Arabic and Tunisian music with renowned Tunisian and Turkish masters, before joining the prestigious Rachidia Institute in Tunis to deepen his command of the traditional repertoire.
In 2009 he earned a diploma in traditional Tunisian music from the Rachidia, along with the national diploma in Arabic music the same year.
Deeply attached to the Tunisian oud — which he distinguishes from the oriental oud — he places malouf at the heart of his art, blending subtle tonal colours with profound expressive depth.
Heir to the Tunisian school of the maqâm, he carries on the Arabo-Andalusian repertoire gathered by Tunis and handed down from generation to generation.
He explores new forms within a quartet — oud, piano, percussion and double bass — that brings North African music into dialogue with contemporary jazz.
He performs in Tunisia, France, Italy, Morocco and Germany, carrying the Tunisian oud onto international stages.
From this twofold commitment — faithfulness to tradition and the urge to create — was born Dar El Oud Ettounsi, in the heart of the Medina of Tunis: a house where the teaching of the oud, the malouf orchestra and the lutherie workshop come together around one shared heritage.
A debut album, produced by Dhafer Youssef, is expected at the end of 2026, blending original compositions, North African tradition and contemporary nuances.
Follow his concert news at ziedmehdi.com.
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