It’s an exciting time to be in Abu Dhabi, and from March 21 to 31 the world will be looking at us again.
That’s because 117 arts events, some of which will be world premieres, will be taking place as part of the Abu Dhabi Festival.
Now in its 11th year, the festival was launched in April 2004 by Hoda I Al Khamis-Kanoo, the founder of the not-for-profit organisation Abu Dhabi Music & Arts Foundation (ADMAF). Over the past decade, ADMAF has worked hard to establish the annual festival as one of the Arab region’s leading arts events, and it has now consolidated Abu Dhabi as an international creative hub.
Hoda says, ‘The Abu Dhabi Festival has grown substantially and it now reaches 29,000 people through three ambitious programmes, 90 per cent of which are free. Some performers are returning favourites, while others are new creations that offer a refreshing approach to the way we see the world around us. We have four UAE premieres, four Arab world premieres and two world premieres so the ‘unique’ factor is high.’
But Hoda believes the festival is much more than a collection of performances. This year’s theme is creative innovation, as the festival aims to demonstrate the power of arts and how it can unlock the potential of Abu Dhabi’s citizens.
The artistic director says, ‘Abu Dhabi stands at the forefront of the global innovation race. By teaching our children to play, perform, take a chance and create, we will nurture their capacity to innovate. When their passion for physics equals their love for music; when their interest in engineering complements their fascination for art, then we will truly become the entrepreneurial nation we seek to be. The festival is a celebration of our creativity but it also asks, “How do the arts inspire innovation in other fields?”’
Highlights from previous years include the London Philharmonic Orchestra, Salzburg Marionette Theatre’s The Sound of Music and the Puccini Festival Opera and Orchestra performance of La Bohème.
The 2014 edition will celebrate the USA as the official country of honour. This year, the main programme will kick off with an exhibition by Bill Fontana, a composer from Ohio in the States. His work, ‘Acoustical Visions and Desert Soundings’, commissioned by Abu Dhabi Festival, will be on show from March 21 until April 20 at Emirates Palace.
While most of the performances will take place at the palace, panel discussions, interactive workshops and animation and comic art exhibitions will be held in various venues across the emirates.
Excited now? Well, compose yourself… and prepare for Abu Dhabi Festival.
A heads up on the Headliners
Bayt Al Farabi by Asil Ensemble
Founded in 2003, this Arabic music troupe is known for performing classical Arabic chants with a contemporary flare. They have performed in Morocco, Armenia and Switzerland, but this show will be their UAE premiere.
Dhs50, 8pm, March 17, Abu Dhabi Theatre, Breakwater
Acoustical Visions and Desert Soundings by Bill Fontana
Discover what Abu Dhabi sounds like in this world premiere by Bill Fontana and the students he has mentored.
Register for a tour by emailing nadia.b@admaf.org. The tour at 3pm on March 22 will be led by Bill; the others – noon on March 25 and April 1, 8 and 15 and 3pm on March 29 and April 5, 12 and 19 – won’t be. Free, 6pm, March 21-April 20, Emirates Palace Gallery
Herbie Hancock
American pianist and composer Herbie Hancock has earned 14 Grammy awards for his contribution to jazz. Watch him perform jazz tunes with elements of funk and soul in this Arab premiere. Herbie will also host a pre-concert talk at 7pm.
Dhs150-350, 8pm, March 21, Emirates Palace Auditorium
Renée Fleming and the Dresden Philharmonic
American soprano Renée Fleming, also known as the people’s diva, sang for Queen Elizabeth II on the balcony of Buckingham Palace at the 2012 Diamond Jubilee concert, and sang the US national anthem at the 2014 Super Bowl. Now she’s just down the road – in a UAE premiere with the Dresden Philharmonic, conducted by Sascha Goetzel. Go early for a pre-concert talk at 7pm.
Dhs150-350, 8pm, March 23, Emirates Palace Auditorium
European Union Youth Orchestra
Grammy award-winning conductor Vladimir Ashkenazy will lead this ensemble of talented European youths. The star of the show will be Gautier Capuçon, a French cellist who has been playing since he was five. There will be a pre-concert talk at 7pm.
Dhs150-350, 8pm, March 24, Emirates Palace Auditorium
Milosš Karadaglic
Classical guitarist Milosš Karadaglic will be playing in the Arab world for the first time in a performance called Milos in Recital: An Evening of Latin and Classical Guitar. He will also lead a post-concert discussion about his work. Want to know more?
Dhs150, 8-10pm, March 26, Emirates Palace Ballroom
Coppélia by the American Ballet Theatre and Dresden Philharmonic
First performed in 1870, this comic ballet follows the story of Dr Coppelius, who makes a life-size dancing doll that is so realistic a villager becomes infatuated with it. When the villager’s partner finds out, she dresses up as the doll and pretends to come to life to trick him. Get there for 7pm for a pre-performance discussion.
Dhs150-350, 8pm, March 28-29, Emirates Palace Auditorium
Bayt Al Farabi by Michel Fadel
Lebanese pianist and composer Michel Fadel got his big break when he performed in the Presidential Palace in Lebanon. He is now a judge on the pan-Arab TV talent show Star Academy, which sees contestants perform weekly until they’re eliminated. Michel is known for fusing traditional tracks with contemporary electronic sounds. He will perform in the festival’s closing ceremony with flautist Pedro Eustache, who will also play the woodwind instrument, the duduk.
Dhs150-350, 8pm, March 31, Emirates Palace Auditorium
