All musical endeavours have a backstory, of course. But few have as interesting a context as Small Island Big Song. The easy part first: Small Island Big Song is a touring show (and associated albums and film) that gigs at [ … ]
There really is no ‘world music’. It’s a marketing term created by the music industry to help sell non-Western music to Western buyers. In that respect, it’s proved a useful way of introducing artists from elsewhere to consumers in the [ … ]
Faraj Abyad is an interesting performer. He’s a Syrian-American composer, singer and a multi-instrumentalist, brought up in the States and living in New York City. He specialises in writing and performing music in a distinctive Arabic tradition – albeit one [ … ]
It was World Piano Day on 29 March – the 88th day of the year, corresponding to the 88 keys of a full-size piano keyboard – so we took the opportunity to ask Ioannis Potamousis, pianist and educator, about the [ … ]
The weather’s getting more pleasant for long outdoor evenings, which means it’s time for The Arts Center at NYUAD to move some of its performance outside into the East Plaza. The first such al fresco event this season features two [ … ]
Abu Dhabi has joined the UNESCO Creative Cities Network, an initiative launched in 2004 to promote cooperation among cities which recognise creativity as a major factor in their sustainable urban development plans. The Network allows member cities to select only [ … ]
It’s been a while since Womad came to the Emirates – the last of three was in 2011, and anyone who was there will recall a killer lineup with the likes of Jimmy Cliff, Paloma Faith, Baaba Maal, Afro Celt [ … ]
Berklee Abu Dhabi has published its first programme of courses, with starts from 1 March. The full swath of Berklee courses at its US base covers a range of performance skills, including for instance musical theatre and composition, and many [ … ]
The Norman Foster designed UAE Pavilion has finally found a tenant. Originally designed for the 2010 Shanghai Expo and inspired by the Emirate’s sand dunes, the swooping coloured stainless steel clad building has been used only intermittently since it was [ … ]
The magpie team is once again putting together its annual list of the 50 most exciting, innovative and stimulating people in the UAE who are making a difference to the cultural and creative life of the Emirates. And we want [ … ]
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