Magic Lute is a collaborative ensemble that brought together virtuoso musicians specializing in traditional plucked string instruments from across Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. Formed as a special project for the 2009 Rudolstadt Festival, the group centered its sonic exploration around lutes and related instruments—including baroque mandolin, koboz, laouto, mandora, oud, and pi'pa—creating a unique cross-cultural dialogue through acoustic world music traditions.
The ensemble combined the instrumental expertise of performers from Belarus, Hungary, Greece, Sweden, Palestine, Taiwan, and Germany, layering intricate melodies and rhythmic textures across multiple percussion and vocal arrangements. This international collective demonstrated how traditional plucked-string instruments could be arranged and performed as an integrated ensemble, bridging diverse musical heritage through collaborative musicianship and shared sonic experimentation.