Connoisseurs across the UAE are in for a treat from October, with the start of a year-long festival of World Music celebrating unique sounds from various parts of the world. Presented by Abu Dhabi's Authority for Culture and Heritage (ADACH), the festival will feature weekly concerts of contemporary world music.
Performers will be drawn from several countries across the globe, prominent among them being China, India, Italy, Ireland, Pakistan, Spain, Turkey and the United Kingdom.
Beginning October 9, live performances will be held every Thursday at the Al Dhafra Auditorium in the Cultural Foundation, Abu Dhabi, which will begin at 8:30pm. On offer will be a fusion of sounds from international greats such as Spain's Flamenco guitar phenomenon Diego Amador, along with the UK's Mobo award-winning saxophonist Denys Baptiste, oriental Jazz maestro Kamal Musallam, Chinese virtuoso Liu Fang and Turkish group Taksim Trio, who will open the festival.
This year's event follows the ADACH's initiative last May when the authority presented the first-ever Arab music festival – Sounds of Arabia – to great acclaim and sold-out performances. It included live acts by acclaimed artists Jahida Wehbe, Omar Khairat and Farida.
This was followed by the recently launched Abu Dhabi Classics festival, which brought together the world's best classical orchestras, soloists and conductors in the UAE capital. Apart from great entertainment, the festival also focuses on music education, especially in the form of workshops and courses for school children.
And that's not all: The capital's cultural education got another boost during this Ramadan through spiritual music. Performers from all over the Middle East are hitting the right notes for the Blossoms of Ramadan.
Abdulla Salim Al Amri, Director of Arts and Culture, ADACH, told Emirates Business that the events were designed to establish Abu Dhabi as the cultural capital of the region. He said the ADACH has carefully selected the line-up of performers to provide the most eclectic mix of geographical locations, musical traditions and variety in genres. "We aim to present musicians who have demonstrated a unique dialogue between Eastern and Western sounds – what we call fusion – through their recordings and live shows," said Al Amri. And even before this initiative has taken off, its success seems evident.
The general public is receiving the advent of the World Music season with enthusiasm. Saudi-born Rania Al Shamekh, a student at the American University of Sharjah, is looking forward to the concerts and plans to attend with her friends.
"It's exciting that internationally diverse cultural events are taking place in Abu Dhabi. They give us the opportunity to have a more intellectual weekend outing, away from the standard shisha cafes," she said.
Echoing her sentiments is former Radio Spice RJ Errol Goveas, who used to host Distant Drums – The World Music Show on the Fujairah Radio Network.
"It's a cliché to say music transcends all barriers, but the growing popularity of World Music proves this.
I listen to different genres, and even if I don't understand the words, I feel the song and the melody talking to me," he said.
Goveas believes such events educate people and expose them to international artistes. An ardent world music follower himself, Goveas recalls listening to Didi by Khaeld when he was growing up.
"I didn't understand a word he said but I danced to every beat and I sang every syllable of the song.
If you are a football fan, I am sure you have heard of Wes and his song Alame, which became an anthem.
"That's the power of music, transcending barriers of language."
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