Biography
Outail Maaoui is a Tunisian violinist, violist and composer born in 1982 in Tunis. Raised in the heart of the city, steps away from the historic medina and Avenue Habib Bourguiba, he began his musical journey at the age of seven when the violin found him — an instrument that has never left his side since.
He holds a Diploma in Arabic Music (1999), a teaching degree in Music and Musicology (2008) and a Master’s degree in Cultural Sciences, Music and Musicology (2011) from the Higher Institute of Music of Tunis, where he later served as assistant professor from 2013 to 2017. He is currently a violinist with the Tunisian National Orchestra and teaches violin at the National Centre for Popular Arts, Sidi Saber.
As a performer, Outail Maaoui has appeared on stages across Tunisia and internationally — in France, Italy, the United States, the United Arab Emirates, Lebanon, Morocco, Algeria and Palestine. He has performed alongside some of the Arab world’s most celebrated artists and has contributed to numerous studio recordings.
His talent as a composer has earned him prestigious recognition: the Silver Tanit at the Carthage Musical Days for his composition Al Kahina, and the First Prize at the Tunisian Song Festival for Atlas Al Liqaa.
As a soloist and project leader, Outail Maaoui has built a body of work that bridges Tunisian musical heritage with contemporary influences. His trilogy — Liqaa (لقاء, 2014); Ombres d’Atlas (ظلال الأطلس, 2024), premiered at the Museum Nights of Sousse and selected at the Carthage Musical Days; and Sadeh (صدى, 2026), selected for the International Festival of Hammamet and the International Festival of Boukornine — forms a complete artistic cycle rooted in the Maghrebi musical landscape.