Abu Dhabi, UAE— More than 20,000 people visited the 20th edition of Abu Dhabi Festival in the first twenty days of March this year, drawing culture, arts, and music lovers from all walks of life.
Held under the honorary patronage of Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the UAE’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, the festival took place at the Emirates Palace, Cultural Foundation, and NYUAD.
The festival hosted 9 performances, with an additional 10th planned for later this year, making it the largest edition yet.
It featured some of the world’s most renowned artists, composers, tenors, musicians, and more, who delivered memorable performances throughout the first three weeks of March.
This year’s festival advanced its position as one of the most significant and influential cultural events in the region. It partnered with the US embassy in Abu Dhabi, resulting in a dynamic fusion of music and culture showcasing the festival’s ongoing commitment to promoting cultural exchange and diversity.
The festival also ventured outside of its traditional venue of Emirates Palace and hosted its Recital Series at NYUAD Arts Center, with a program that featured the winner of the 2021 International Chopin Piano Competition, Bruce Liu, acclaimed Shanghainese pianist, Haochen Zhang and violin virtuoso Leia Zhu.
On Wednesday, 1 March, the festival kicked off with a performance by acclaimed Peruvian tenor, Juan Diego Flórez. The singer gave a spectacular performance accompanied by an orchestra, featuring a program of opera arias followed by Latin American songs.
As part of Abu Dhabi Music & Arts Foundation’s ongoing commitment to providing opportunities for young artists to showcase their talent, Emirati singer and rising star Rashed Al Nuaimi gave a performance during the Festival’s opening night.
Toward the middle of the festival, the two-time Grammy Award-winning Jazz musician, Gregory Porter, made his UAE debut. He performed a set of his smooth original tracks from his albums Liquid Spirit and Take Me to the Alley, as well as captivating renditions of the classics, joined by Chip Crawford on piano, Emanuel Harrold on drums, Tivon Pennicott on saxophone/horns, and Jahmal Nichols on bass.
On March 17, for the first time in the Middle East, the Emirates Palace hosted From West to East: A Classical Odyssey. Academy Award-winning composer, Tan Dun, conducted the Orchestra of Teatro Comunale di Modena Pavarotti-Freni, joined by world-famous Chinese cellist Jian Wang, in an unforgettable musical journey from West to East featuring an iconic classics repertoire of Mozart, Tchaikovsky, and Mussorgsky, followed by the UAE premiere of his original Pipa Concerto.
Abu Dhabi Festival also presented the Middle East premiere of Buddha Passion by Grammy and Academy Award-winning composer, Tan Dun, on Saturday, 18 March.
Spanning the boundaries of classical music and Eastern and Western traditions, the performance was a 95-minute oratorio illustrating six Buddha parables and stories, with the sixth being the Buddha’s ascension into Nirvana.
The performance captured the ancient narratives of the Buddha’s teachings and the timeless, universal concepts of love, forgiveness, and sacrifice.