Based in Amsterdam, Nai Barghouti is an award-winning Palestinian singer, flutist, and songwriter. Together with her ensemble of diverse artists, she blends original material with arrangements of classic Arabic repertoire, jazz, and Western classical music, “to create an experience combining poise and nuance with an immediate sense of joy.”
The event is free and open to the public.
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A programme of the Asia+ Festival 2026
Performers
Nai Barghouti, voice and flute
Khalil Khoury, qanun
Ruven Ruppik, drums and percussion
Mark Haanstra, bass
Tony Roe, piano
Biography
Nai Barghouti is an award-winning Palestinian singer, composer, and flutist. From her first concerts in Ramallah and Cairo at the age of 14 through her packed concerts at the London Jazz Festival, Edinburgh International Festival, the United Nations in New York, and in renowned theaters in Paris, Washington, Toronto, Montreal, Istanbul, Amsterdam, London, Oslo, Casablanca, Rabat, Tunis, Riyadh, Kuwait, and Beirut, the Jerusalem-born artist has been praised as a “classical diva” and an “exceptional virtuosa.”
Nai combines her talent with academic study and achievement to deepen her knowledge of music and vocal technique. She first studied classical music at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music and then jazz and vocals at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam, where she was awarded a Master’s degree with highest honor in music. In her studies, Nai explored the nexus between Arabic Tarab music and Jazz, eventually inventing her own unique vocal technique - NaiStrumentation. This technique was featured on many of her works, including her highly acclaimed performance at the prestigious A Colors Show in Berlin in 2024.
In 2021, Nai was awarded the prestigious Young Talent Award of the Royal Concertgebouw theater in Amsterdam. In 2022, she debuted her critically acclaimed first album, Nai 1, a genre-defying, contemporary feat of passion, musicality, and vocal prowess. In 2023, she collaborated with the multiple grammy-award winning EDM artist Skrillex on their hit, Xena, to rave reviews in Rolling Stone, NME, Your EDM, and Pitchfork, among others. On this track, Nai sings an old Palestinian folk wedding song to the electronic beats mastered by Skrillex to astonishing effect.
A programme of the Asia+ Festival 2026
Registration
- Free admission. Tickets will be allocated on a first come, first served basis.
- This event is for ages 6 and above.
- Online registration is required; each registration admits one person regardless of age.
- Registrant who successfully made the booking will receive a confirmation email with intrusctions to access the ticket, either by using the Eventbrite app or website.
Admission Details
- Registrants are required to show the QR code on the ticket for check-in at the reception on the day. Each QR code is unique and cannot be transferred to other guests.
- Check-in will start 30 minutes before the event starts.
- No hourly parking or free parking will be provided to registrants. Registrants are encouraged to take public transportation to HKUST.
- The organizer reserves the right in its sole discretion to make changes to the event program without prior notice.
House Rules
- No eating and drinking is allowed during the performance.
- No unauthorized photography, recording or filming is allowed.
- No mobile phone and other electronic devices should be used during the performance.
- Please keep noise to a minimum during the performance.