After almost two years of the pandemic closing concert venues worldwide, a five-day programme of live performances, poetry readings, artist conversations, visual arts exhibitions and film screenings at Berlin’s historic Pierre Boulez Saal hall, culminates this evening.
Abu Dhabi Festival, run by the Abu Dhabi Music & Arts Foundation (ADMAF), is the principal partner of the week-long Arab Music Days celebration at Berlin’s Pierre Boulez Saal. Arab Music Days closes on Saturday evening in Berlin, after a successful run from 1-5 March, which has seen events livestreamed around the world.
The week-long celebration of diverse Arab music, performed in Berlin’s iconic Frank Gehry-designed concert hall, was curated by Iraqi born oud maestro and UNESCO Artist for Peace Naseer Shamma, and featured a line-up of influential world class Arab artists.
The Naseer Shamma Trio, whose performance was accompanied by live calligraphy with Nja Al Mahdawi, were also joined by the Trio Abozekry, the Hany Elbadry Trio, the Anwar Abu Dragh Trio and the Bechir Gharbi Trio.
ADMAF founder, Her Excellency Huda Ebrahim Alkhamis-Kanoo believes 2022 is more important than ever for the foundation’s mission.
“In the wake of the pandemic, which hit the arts and culture sector extremely hard, it is truly wonderful to be able to have incredible live music performed live for audiences in an iconic venue, as well as streamed digitally around the world.
“We emerge from the pandemic into a challenging world with uncertainty all around us. When we work together, the power of the arts to build bridges between peoples and nations makes progress possible.”
Curator of the series, Naseer Shamma, said:
“This year, for the festival’s fifth edition, we presented a theme of musical trios. It is perhaps an image reflective of the world today: social distancing, reduced gatherings, people unable to be together. But with this comes the message that no matter how far apart we are, we will continue to create moments of beauty – whether we perform individually or in duets or trios, art will bring us safely to the shore.
“Accordingly, a trio is very much dependent on the individual skills and strengths of each musician and of his or her ability to convince an audience of the musical ideas they are expressing.
“This programme marks the first time Tunisia, with its rich artistic heritage and musical traditions, has been part of the festival. Bechir Gharbi is among the most skilled our players in the world and has a powerful artistic presence. They were the perfect performers to end this wonderful series.”
In December 2021, Abu Dhabi joined the likes of Liverpool, Auckland and Kingston in its official designation as a ‘City of Music’ by the UNESCO Creative Cities Network.
The Abu Dhabi Festival Abroad programme, which gives visibility to Arabi world artists abroad, showcases the artistic talent of the region to a global audience.
Founded in 2004 and organised by ADMAF, the annual multidisciplinary Abu Dhabi Festival is the largest cultural celebration in the entire Middle East and reaches across the world through commissions of great international artists and performers as well as the presentation of innovative Arab creativity around the globe. The Abu Dhabi Festival strives to deepen global cross-cultural dialogue whilst inspiring a deeper interest in the cultures of the Arab world.
The 2022 Festival’s extensive international output also includes the co-commission EDEN featuring a worldwide tour with Joyce DiDonato and Il Pomo d’Oro, and new co- productions with the Teatro Real and the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence.
Amidst a vast programme in Abu Dhabi, the Festival features a new exhibition, Portrait of a Nation II: Beyond Narratives, featuring 100 important artworks by 62 pivotal artists, tracing the UAE’s transformative development over 50 years.
ADMAF nurtures the arts, education, culture and creativity in the UAE and beyond, with the belief that culture and the arts unlock a nation’s creativity and creates connections that transcend borders. ADMAF undertakes a broad range of initiatives and events each year to bring together diverse audiences in the UAE and internationally.
