Mahmoud Chouki was a musical child prodigy in his native Morocco; today, the masterful guitarist, multi-instrumentalist, composer, and genial collaborator makes his home in New Orleans. His music is unique: with deep roots in European classical and jazz guitar, Chouki weaves a variety of musical influences from around the world to express his own voice and to explore how music connects cultures. Chouki combines classical guitar with instruments such as the loutar, the oud, an oriental lute; the Algerian mandole, the Bağlama saz, the banjo, and a variety of percussion instruments. He has engaged in prestigious performances and collaborations around the world, from Bahrain to Spain to the New Orleans Museum of Art, where he curates a monthly music program. He also organizes a series of musical residencies in Sierre, Switzerland, and teaches music at the Lycée Français de la Nouvelle-Orléans.

In 2023, Chouki performed “St. James Infirmary” with multi-Grammy winner Jon Batiste at Palais Elysee for the French president as part of the Jazz International initiative of the New Orleans Jazz Museum. He won the “Best Emerging Artist” award by OffBeat Magazine’s annual Best of the Beat Awards in 2020 (see video) and Gambit Weekly's "Best World Music Artist'' at the annual 2022 Big Easy Awards. Chouki’s commissions include “Oud Concerto for New Orleans” performed by the New Orleans Chamber Ensemble to celebrate the reopening of the Marigny Opera House after a covid hiatus. He received accolades for composing the original soundtrack for the 2021 Sundance Award winning film, “Ma Belle, Ma Beauty,” which won the audience award. He is also the music curator for the New Orleans Museum of Art.