The Dutch National Opera is set to present “The 10 + 1 Strings of Captain Ud.”

The world premiere will see the Dutch National Opera and the Amsterdam Andalusian Orchestra collaborating to bring this opera to young audiences. They previously joined forces for the Radio Cairo mini-festival (2024) and the world premiere of Bushra El-Turk’s “Oum – A Son’s Quest for His Mother (2025).” Their common ground is a shared mission to bring musical worlds together.

Composed by Haytham Safia, the opera tells the story of adventurer Captain Ud who is a musical instrument turned human: an ūd, the centuries-old stringed instrument that originated in the Arab-speaking world and made its way to Europe via Tangier and Al-Andalus. Every day Captain Ud makes music, until one day he realizes that the orchestra he plays with doesn’t know where he comes from. He decides to tell his story, and calls on his old friends to help him do it.

The opera will be performed 11 times between Dec. 13, 2026 and Jan. 3, 2027 and will be directed by George Elias Tobal. It will star Sia Cyrroes, Karima El Fillali, Diewertje Dir, and Haytham Safia.

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