Concert
Events


Strings & Dreams : A French Classical Music Journey
Dubai Opera Studio Downtown Dubai, DubaiThe Baldaquin Ensemble – featuring cellist Petr Gladysh and violists Anna Larionova-Gladysh, Sergei Belozertsev, and Daria Kuchenova – presents a concert of French romantic crowd-pleasers: Debussy Clair de Lune arr for string quartet Debussy String Quartet in G mino Fauré [ ... ]
AED 430
Arooj Aftab
Zabeel Theatre Jumeirah Zabeel Saray, Palm Jumeirah West Crescent, DubaiThe uber-cool Pakistani-American singer (and songwriter, and producer) brings her latest – and very good – album Night Reign to Dubai. It's elegantly jazzy, earning a 2024 Grammy nomination for Best Alternative Jazz Album (she didn't win: it was a [ ... ]
From AED 245
Max Richter
Dubai OperaMax Richter, a leading figure in contemporary classical music and top film scores (and something of a favourite with Dubai audiences), is touring his latest studio album In a Landscape – field recordings from his travels and from around the [ ... ]
From AED 330Carmina Burana
Emirates Palace Abu DhabiCarl Orff's choral crowdpleaser gets the full production from Dubai Singers & Orchestra – some 120 singers accompanied by a 50-piece orchestra. It will be conducted by Dubai Singers' Music Director Jennie Lee-Foster, The performance will feature a trio of [ ... ]
From AED 100
Layth Sidiq Quartet: Ramadaniyyat 2025
The Arts Center @ NYUAD NYUAD Campus, Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab EmiratesA concert for Ramadan, featuring less well-known Ramadan songs from across the Arab world that celebrate the Holy Month with music that connects the past and present in an intimate and inspiring evening, performed by Layth Sidiq (violin/voice), Samvel Gasparyan [ ... ]
AED 105
Kodo
The Arts Center @ NYUAD NYUAD Campus, Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab EmiratesIn Japanese, the word ‘kodo’ can have two meanings – it can be translated as ‘heartbeat’, the primal source of all rhythm, and in a different context it can mean ‘children of the drum’, which reflects the group’s desire to [ ... ]
AED 175
Kodo
The Arts Center @ NYUAD NYUAD Campus, Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab EmiratesA second performance for the Abu Dhabi Festival by this troupe of highly skilled Japanese drummers
AED 175Korean National University of Arts Symphony Orchestra: Jaewon Wee and Sang Hyeok Park
The Arts Center @ NYUAD NYUAD Campus, Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab EmiratesThe KNUA Symphony Orchestra have their Arab World Premiere with this Abu Dhabi Festival performance under the baton of Chung Chi-Yong, one of the country’s most celebrated conductors. For this evening, KNUA Symphony Orchestra the soloists the award-winning violinist Jaewon [ ... ]
AED 175Korean National University of Arts Symphony Orchestra: Jaewon Wee and Sang Hyeok Park
The Arts Center @ NYUAD NYUAD Campus, Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab EmiratesThis second Abu Dhabi Festival performance for the KNUA Symphony Orchestra is conducted by the Italian-Lebanese maestro Toufic Maatouk and features star soprano Jessica Pratt and top tenor Javier Camarena, singing arias and duets from Bellini, Donizetti, Rossini, Mascagni, Massenet [ ... ]
AED 175Unique Encounters with Rising Stars
The Arts Center @ NYUAD NYUAD Campus, Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab EmiratesViolinist Yamen Saadi returns to the Abu Dhabi Festival with a lineup of exceptional young talent, playing alongside the violist Sara Ferrandez and cellists Kian Soltani and Pablo Ferrandez. Saadi, born in Nazareth, joined the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra at 11, [ ... ]
AED 175National Youth Orchestra
Dubai Opera Studio Downtown Dubai, DubaiThe Encore Performing Arts Series continues with the National Youth Orchestra (NYO) via its Senior Strings Camerata and Concert Band, with prizewinning soloists and Concerto Competition finalists. The Camerata will be conducted by the UAE-based conductor and composer Jonathan Barrett [ ... ]
AED 250Berklee Abu Dhabi’s Jazz Night
Berklee Abu Dhabi UAE Pavilion, Saadiyat ISland, Abu Dhabi"A celebration of jazz as a unifying force, bridging musical traditions from around the world". This year’s Jazz Night programme looks a particularly exciting one, and a fitting match for International Jazz day. The artists: Esperanza Spalding (USA) – Berklee [ ... ]
SOLD OUT but there may be returnsBlue Note – Celebrating Jazz Day
Dubai OperaAn evening to celebrate International Jazz Day and honour 85 years of Blue Note Records with classics from John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, and more. The all-star ensemble is led by award-winning bandleader Peter Long and includes Peter Long [ ... ]
From AED 290
International Jazz Day All-Star Global Concert
Etihad Arena Yas Island, Abu DhabiPresented by DCT Abu Dhabi, a five-week citywide series of jazz performances, education programmes and community events in the UNESCO Creative City of Music peaks with the now-traditional All-Star Global Concert. Led by iconic keyboardist Herbie Hancock and hosted by [ ... ]
SOLD OUT but there may be returnsKhaleeji Jazz
Cultural Foundation Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum Street, Abu DhabiA slightly belated World Jazz Day celebration in the form of a concert by Grammy Award-winning Egyptian oriental jazz pioneer Fathy Salama with a world premiere of his latest work. He will be joined by the noted bassist André Segone and [ ... ]
From AED150Mon Hymne à Piaf
Zabeel Theatre Jumeirah Zabeel Saray, Palm Jumeirah West Crescent, DubaiA tribute to the iconic Edith Piaf, led by the French-Lebanese singer Manel Mallat and directed by Kristian Abouanni. She is accompanied by an orchestra of 20 musicians, conducted by top film composer Danny Bou-Maroun, who has reimagined Piaf’s classics [ ... ]
AED 195Mon Hymne à Piaf
Zabeel Theatre Jumeirah Zabeel Saray, Palm Jumeirah West Crescent, DubaiA second and final evening for this tribute to the iconic Edith Piaf, led by the French-Lebanese singer Manel Mallat and directed by Kristian Abouanni. She is accompanied by an orchestra of 20 musicians, conducted by top film composer Danny [ ... ]
AED 195Bea Laszlo: Questions of My 20s
The Arts Center @ NYUAD NYUAD Campus, Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab EmiratesAn intimate evening of heartfelt songs, reflecting on the complexities of navigating love, friendship, and family as life shifts during this transformative decade. It's a celebration of vulnerability, change, and the ongoing journey of rediscovering who we are. An NYUAD [ ... ]
AED 55Bagjan Oktyabr: Soul Therapy
Zabeel Theatre Jumeirah Zabeel Saray, Palm Jumeirah West Crescent, DubaiThe noted Kazakhstan / Turkish cellist performs his well-known and much loved 'Soul Therapy; programme, accompanied by a chamber orchestra – music from famous Turkish movies and TV series, folk songs, romantic ballads, classics, and "simply soulful works that are [ ... ]
From AED 190Evgeny Khmara: Piano in Motion
The Fridge Warehouse Warehouse 5, Alserkal Avenue, DubaiThe noted Ukrainian double pianist makes classical music accessible without losing its depth, "blending familiar influences with a modern touch" as the promoter puts it. For this performance he will play both a baby grand and a Roland electric piano, [ ... ]
AED 150Beethoven’s The Fifths
Dubai OperaA proper full-scale orchestral concert evening, even if the combination of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony and his Piano Concerto No.5 (“Emperor”) feels as though it might be driven more by marketing than a natural musical combination. Still, there are no complaints [ ... ]
From AED 190Édith par Jil Aigrot
Cultural Foundation Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum Street, Abu DhabiThe 'Edith' is Edith Édith, and singer Jil Aigrot provided Piaf's voice in the Oscar-winning La Vie en Rose. This production, which has already been a success when staged in Dubai some months ago, takes audiences on a journey through [ ... ]
From AED 150Faces and Voices of Malta: A Mediterranean Odyssey
Cultural Foundation Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum Street, Abu DhabiTraditional music from Malta comes to the Cultural Foundation's outdoor amphitheatre, presented in partnership with the Embassy of Malta. The evening will showcase the art of għana, a distinctive style of Maltese folk music that probably has its roots in [ ... ]
AED 75The UAE Youth Orchestra & Choir: Bridging Worlds Through Harmony
Cultural Foundation Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum Street, Abu DhabiFresh from a recent tour to China, the Youth Orchestra is back in Abu Dhabi with a geuinely international programme – starting with the beautiful UAE melody ‘Dar Zayed’ (soloist Rashed Al Marzooqi), the concert with feature traditional pieces from [ ... ]
AED 50Ibrahim Maalouf & the Trumpets of Michel-Ange
Cultural Foundation Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum Street, Abu DhabiA unique cross-cultural experience by the acclaimed French-Lebanese trumpeter and composer Ibrahim Maalouf. Known for his innovative quarter-tone trumpet, Maalouf seamlessly bridges Arab traditions with jazz, classical, and contemporary influences; this concert promises a programme of well-loved works like "True [ ... ]
From AED 250Kenan Adnawi: moonlight road
The Arts Center @ NYUAD NYUAD Campus, Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab EmiratesKenan Adnawi is a Syrian virtuoso oud player, composer, and improviser known for blending traditional Middle Eastern music with classical, jazz, and contemporary styles. His solo oud performances are a mesmerizing journey through Arabic maqamat, unfolding from introspective modal improvisation [ ... ]
AED 105Dubai Singers & Orchestra: Music of the Isles
New Covent Garden Theatre Mall of the Emirates, DubaiThis concert celebrating “the best of the choral and orchestral works of the British Isles” features some 60 voices and a 30-piece orchestra conducted by musical director Howard Wong. “The best” is a grand claim, but certainly the programme features [ ... ]
tbcJon Batiste
Dubai OperaThe American singer, songwriter, musician, composer, bandleader, TV personality and sometime actor is genuinely talented. He has put in the hard yards – including a seven-year stint as bandleader and musical director on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, a [ ... ]
From AED 280Christmas Opera Gala
Dubai Opera Mohammed Bin Rashid Boulevard, DubaiA seasonal concert in the finest tradition of Italian Opera with three top-class voices — tenor Vittorio Grigolo, baritone Luca Salsi, soprano Alisa Medvedeva — accompanied by the National Symphony Orchestra of Uzbekistan under Alibek Kabdurakhmanov. The programme features classic [ ... ]
From AED 170UAE Youth Orchestra and Choir: End of Season Celebration
Cultural Foundation Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum Street, Abu DhabiFor their year-end concert, the Youth Orchestra and Choir deliver a selection of pieces from The Nutcracker, Bizet’s Carmen, and Carl Nielsen’s Aladdin Suite. Organized by Abu Dhabi Culture in collaboration with the International Music Institute, this concert promises a celebration [ ... ]
AED 50The Yemenis Orchestra
Dubai OperaThe Yemenis Orchestra, led by its noted conductor Mohamed Al-Ghoom, is dedicated to preserving and promoting Yemen's rich musical heritage. It grew out of Al-Ghoom's Heritage Symphonies project, aiming to integrate traditional Yemeni music with orchestral arrangement, and the results [ ... ]
From AED 395Bait Al Oud Annual Concert
Cultural Foundation Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum Street, Abu DhabiThe Bait Al Oud Annual Concert brings together students, graduates, and instructors to celebrate the musical achievements of the year with the oud, qanun, cello and rebabah. It's always good ...
tbc
UAE National Orchestra: The Beginning
Emirates Palace Abu DhabiThe UAENO's inaugural concert series, the first with its full ensemble of 70 musicians and 30 choir, includes six dates around the Emirates in January. Performances in Abu Dhabi and Dubai will feature the acclaimed Iraqi oud virtuoso Naseer Shamma [ ... ]
From AED 250
The Viennese Ball with the UAE Philharmonic Orchestra
Theatre of Digital Arts Souk Madinat Jumeriah, DubaiA recreation of the classic Strauss-laden New Year’s concert from imperial Vienna, an hour and a half of classics from Die Fledermaus to the waltzes (like Blue Danube, Emperor Waltz, Voices of Spring, Donner und Blitzen). And yes, there will [ ... ]
From AED 200UAE National Orchestra: The Beginning
Al Ain City Municipal Theatre Civic Centre, Al Jimi, Al AinThe UAENO's inaugural concert series, the first with its full ensemble of 70 musicians and 30 choir, includes six dates around the Emirates in January with variations in the programme (though all include Nadim Tarabay's specially commissioned symphony The Beginning) [ ... ]
From AED 150UAE National Orchestra: The Beginning
Dubai OperaThe UAENO's inaugural concert series, the first with its full ensemble of 70 musicians and 30 choir, includes six dates around the Emirates in January with variations in the programme (though all include Nadim Tarabay's specially commissioned symphony The Beginning) [ ... ]
From AED 250UAE National Orchestra: The Beginning
Fujairah Cultural Centre Hamad Bin Abdulla Rd, Fujairah City Centre, FujairahThe UAENO's inaugural concert series, the first with its full ensemble of 70 musicians and 30 choir, includes six dates around the Emirates in January with variations in the programme (though all include Nadim Tarabay's specially commissioned symphony The Beginning) [ ... ]
From AED 150UAE National Orchestra: The Beginning
Ras Al Khaimah Cultural Centre Theatre Al Hisn Rd, Dafan Al Nakheel, Ras Al KhaimahThe UAENO's inaugural concert series, the first with its full ensemble of 70 musicians and 30 choir, includes six dates around the Emirates in January with variations in the programme (though all include Nadim Tarabay's specially commissioned symphony The Beginning) [ ... ]
From AED 150UAE National Orchestra: The Beginning
Sharjah Performing Arts Academy University City, SharjahThe final performance in the UAENO's inaugural concert series, the first with its full ensemble of 70 musicians and 30 choir. The programme: Alexander Borodin Prince Igor – Polovtsian Dances (arr Shakir Hassan) Ercan Saatçi Alisamadim for Qanun and Orchestra [ ... ]
From AED 150
Maksim Mrvica
Zabeel Theatre Jumeirah Zabeel Saray, Palm Jumeirah West Crescent, DubaiKnown for his dramatic performances, an edgy take on classical crossover, and roguish good looks, the young Serbian piano virtuoso infuses classical music with dance beats while (mostly) keeping his intricate playing to the fore in his arrangements. Mrvica definitely [ ... ]
From AED 220
Faces of Love
Cultural Foundation Qasr al Hosn, Abu DhabiThe UAE National Orchestra's second concert programme unfolds in three movements: Emerging Love, Passionate Love, and Eternal Love. There's no information about the music, but we're told that "at the heart of this journey, the ney traces a path of [ ... ]
From AED 150Vivaldi: A Journey East
The Arts Center @ NYUAD NYUAD Campus, Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab EmiratesThis UAE National Orchestra concert looks like a really interesting (and challenging) option – music by the baroque master composer rescored for the instruments, modes and sounds of the Arab world: "a musical dialogue emerges, as harpsichord converses with qanun and [ ... ]
From AED 250Happy Chinese New Year Concert by Firdaus Orchestra
Al Wasl Plaza Expo City, DubaiThe Expo City-funded all-women ensemble celebrates Chinese New Year under the Al Wasl Dome: "blending the elegance of a symphonic performance with the beauty of traditional East Asian melodies, the concert captures the joy, hope, and togetherness that define this [ ... ]
Free
Sama Al Taei: Layali Al Musiqa Al Arabia
Zayed Theatre, SUAD Campus Hazza Bin Zayed St, Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, United Arab EmiratesSpecialising in Arabic classical music, the Omani singer Sama Al Taei brings to life the repertoires of Fairouz, Umm Kulthum, Warda Al Jazairia, and Mohamed Abdelwahab – "a captivating musical journey through the heart of Arabic musical heritage".
AED 50UAENO: Russian Classics
The Arts Center @ NYUAD NYUAD Campus, Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab EmiratesA UAE National Orchestra concert featuring three classic Russian works that speak of emotion, imagination and human resilience. The programme looks nicely balanced: Shostakovich Overture on Russian and Kirghiz Folk Themes Stravinsky Pulcinella Suite Tchaikovsky Symphony No.5
From AED 250
UAENO: Echoes of Time – Ibn Arabi
The Arts Center @ NYUAD NYUAD Campus, Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab EmiratesThe UAE National Orchestra continues its inaugural season with a concert inspired by the words of Ibn Arabi, the Arab scholar, Sufi mystic, poet, and Muslim philosopher from 12th and 13th century al-Andalus. This is the world premiere of a [ ... ]
AED 150CANCELLED UAENO: Echoes of Time – Ibn Arabi
Dubai OperaA second performance for the UAE National Orchestra concert inspired by the words of Ibn Arabi, the Arab scholar, Sufi mystic, poet, and Muslim philosopher from 12th and 13th century al-Andalus, in the form of a symphonic poem by Nadim [ ... ]
From AED 250
Faces of Love
Fujairah Cultural Centre Hamad Bin Abdulla Rd, Fujairah City Centre, FujairahThe UAE National Orchestra's second concert programme unfolds in three movements: Emerging Love, Passionate Love, and Eternal Love. There's no information about the music, but we're told that "at the heart of this journey, the ney traces a path of [ ... ]
From AED 150Classical masterpieces by Firdaus Orchestra
House of Arts Expo City Dubai, DubaiDoes what it says in the title – Expo City's excellent all-female orchestra tackles some classical favourites. From the promo: "from sweeping symphonies to iconic overtures, this concert pays tribute to legendary composers whose works have shaped the history of [ ... ]
AED 75