Abu Dhabi Festival announces March event lineup

The 20th edition of the Abu Dhabi Music Festival will host a series of musical events at the Emirates Palace in March 2023, featuring the finest musicians and artists from around the world.

Themed “The Will to Evolve”, the Abu Dhabi Festival will host its inaugural event on March 1 with Juan Diego Flórez and friends, featuring renowned Peruvian opera tenor Juan Diego Flórez Flores (Juan Diego Flórez) range of performances. Flórez gave a brilliant performance in a 120-minute concert that included a program of arias and melodies from Peruvian and Latin American musical cultures, followed by a repertoire of Peruvian and Latin American songs accompanied by an orchestra.

On March 10, the Emirates Palace will host the Middle East premiere of Carmen’s Arabian Nights. Throughout the captivating performance, Vanguard flamenco dancer and choreographer María Pagés outdoes the legendary female character Carmen, the gypsy cigarette girl in Merimee’s novella.

Two-time Grammy-winning jazz musician Gregory Porter made his UAE debut on 11 March, performing a set of smooth originals from his albums Liquid Spirit and Take Me to the Alley repertoire, along with captivating renditions of the classics by Chip Crawford on pianist, Emanuel Harrold on drums, Tivon Pennicott on saxophone/horn and Jahmal Nichols on bass.

Emirates Palace will host West to East: A Classical Odyssey for the first time in the Middle East on March 17. Oscar-winning composer Tan Dun conducts the Pavarotti-Freni Civic Theater Orchestra of Modena, and world-renowned Chinese cellist Wang Jian plays Mozart, Tchaikovsky, Key and Mussorgsky’s signature classics, followed by the UAE premiere of his original Pipa Concerto.

On March 18, Abu Dhabi Music Festival will present the Middle East premiere of Grammy and Academy Award-winning composer Tan Dun’s The Passion of the Buddha. Straddling the boundaries of classical music and Eastern and Western traditions, the performance is a 95-minute oratorio that tells the parables and stories of six Buddhas, the sixth of which is his ascension to nirvana. The performance captures the ancient narrative of the Buddha’s teachings and the timeless, universal concepts of love, forgiveness and sacrifice.

The 20th edition of the Abu Dhabi Music Festival features a range of events including exclusive commissions and co-productions, as well as local, regional and global premieres, in addition to a host of world-class events including music tours, panels, and workshops .

The Abu Dhabi Festival 2023 is being held under the patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Shamsa Bint Hamdan Al Nahyan, Assistant to the Chairperson of the Emirates Red Crescent Women’s Authority and Chairperson of the Higher Committee for Ataya Initiatives. The festival is also supported by its main partner, Mubadala.

Tickets can now be booked and purchased through 800 Tickets, a statement said.

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