Program for Sixth Annual Abu Dhabi Music and Arts Festival Announced Today

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(ABU DHABI, UAE) -- For the sixth year, the Abu Dhabi Music and Arts Festival features a stellar line up led by tenor Andrea Bocelli who is coming to the UAE for the first time and a repeat appearance by the Bolshoi Ballet.

The festival from March 21 to April 2 is presented by the Abu Dhabi Music and Arts Foundation under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces. Most performances will take place at the Emirates Palace Hotel.



The festival is part of Abu Dhabi's effort to market itself as the cultural capital of the Middle East and a destination for upmarket tourists who go where international VIPs of culture can be found. For the first time the festival has a theme, Bilad Al Khair or Land of Blessings, as the UAE likes to call itself.


Romanian soprano Angela Gheorghiu and German tenor Jonas Kaufmann, accompanied by the Bolshoi Theatre Orchestra under Austrian conductor Ion Marin, will kick off the festival with an opera gala.  


Highlights include the Bolshoi Ballet which scored last year with two performances of Swan Lake. This year the Bolshoi returns with another classical favorite, Giselle.  

Andrea Bocelli, the biggest selling tenor of all time, will give a one-night only outdoor concert on the lawns of the Emirates Palace, accompanied by the Bolshoi Theatre Orchestra led by Marcello Rota.

Other performers include oud virtuoso Naseer Shamma from Iraq, French pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet flautist Sir James Galway, and Russian cellist Nina Kotova.

Mrs Hoda I. Al Khamis-Kanoo, Founder of the Abu Dhabi Music and Arts Foundation, said, "with the firm commitment of the Government, Abu Dhabi continues to develop as the region's centre for culture.  We are proud that the festival and our year-round program of events and educational activities contribute to educating and inspiring UAE students, audiences, and local artists alike."

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