Amina Khalil is a brilliant actress in the world of art

With the slogan “The Will of Hope,” the 21st session of the “Abu Dhabi Festival” is preparing to launch. Its program celebrates ballet performances, classical music, jazz, opera, and traditional Arab evenings, and allocates a portion of the proceeds from the sale of its tickets to Bleeding Palestine, as part of the “Compassion for Gaza” campaign, in cooperation with the “Emirates Red Crescent.”

China is the guest of honor at a festival that annually strives for uniqueness. In difficult times, by launching the slogan “The Will to Hope,” he seeks to embrace the aching soul, with the ability of art to promote positivity and human brotherhood.

Before the launch next January, the founder of the Abu Dhabi Group for Culture and Arts, founder and artistic director of the Abu Dhabi Festival, Hoda Ibrahim Al-Khamis, is busy paying attention to the details. She says: “The festival opens its third decade by announcing the program for its 2024 session, under the slogan (The Will of Hope), carrying the message of empowering culture and arts to consolidate the values ​​of enlightenment and peace, with an indomitable will.”

The festival’s commitment is renewed to present world masterpieces, including exclusively commissioned and co-produced works, on Abu Dhabi theatres, and for the first time in the Arab world, with the Chinese Ballet Troupe as part of the innovative “Chinese New Year” show, the wonderful ballet “The Nutcracker”, one of Tchaikovsky’s most famous works. .

Because Palestine’s wound is very deep, she adds: “We allocate a portion of the ticket revenues to support the people of Gaza, contribute to alleviating their suffering, and alleviating the severity of the humanitarian crisis they face.”

“Chinese New Year”: National Ballet

Within the offers program; The appointment is at the Emirates Palace on January 26 and 27 next, with a performance of “The Nutcracker” by Tchaikovsky, presented by the Chinese Ballet Troupe, which, since its founding in 1959, has presented a list of great artists who have shined in restoring ancient Russian ballet works. The festival describes the show: It begins with a stunning spectacle on the temple grounds in Beijing, where people prepare to celebrate the New Year with masks and paper lanterns. The journey continues to the imaginary lands of the Crane Kingdom and the Porcelain Kingdom, where birds, beasts and little tigers gather to perform the dances of graceful propellers, swirling carousels, and sparkling gold bars, until a captivating ending with firecrackers and fireworks.

An evening of Puccini operas, a century after the absence of Giacomo Puccini

On January 31, the same palace celebrates the centenary of the death of the world-renowned opera composer Giacomo Puccini, by presenting the Puccini Festival Orchestra in Torre del Lago, led by British maestro Jean Latham Koenig, and with the participation of sopranos Federica Guida and Monica Conessa, and tenor Vincenzo Costanzo, with the orchestra, which is considered one of the most prominent in the world. It previously brought together leading opera artists from Italy, Japan and China, and toured Europe, Asia and the United States, presenting special events, including the Puccini Marathon in Japan with the opera “The Lady Butterfly” in Tokyo, Kobe and Nagasaki, and the “Turandot” opera in Beijing.

Pablo Ferrandez and Kamazi Washington

As part of the program, the Blue Hall at the New York University Abu Dhabi Arts Center will host, on February 1, the first Arab performance by Pablo Ferrandez, dubbed “the new genius of the cello,” presenting a moving spectacle for classical music lovers.

Returning to the Emirates Palace, saxophonist Kamazi Washington will appear on February 3, as part of a show that redefines the boundaries of jazz music through a sophisticated and improvisational approach, drawn from diverse musical influences, inviting the audience to an unforgettable musical experience.

Artistic residency and concert with Lea Tzu

On February 9, 17-year-old violinist Leah Tzu, commissioned by the festival, will work with 30 young musicians in the Emirates, during a week-long creative residency, culminating in a concert of hers, accompanied by talented musicians and students.

Pretty Yendi, Francesco DiMuro, and Yamen Saadi

Also, the festival will present at the Red Theater at the New York University Abu Dhabi Arts Center on February 11, a musical performance that includes excerpts from the works of Donizetti, Verdi, Bellini, and Gounod, performed by soprano Pretty Yendi and tenor Francesco DiMuro, accompanied by the famous pianist Vincenzo Scalera.

As for Yamen Saadi, he will present, accompanied by pianist Julienne Quentin, a performance that combines performance skill, lyricism, and musical expressions, on the same stage on February 13.

Lucas, Arthur Goosen, and Lawrence Brownlee

On February 19, a performance by the piano duo of the brothers Lucas and Arthur Goosen will bring together works by Mozart, Schumann, Wiedmann, Debussy and Rachmaninoff, creating the opportunity to spend a special evening. On the 25th, the festival will present the first Arab performance by international opera star Lawrence Brownlee, accompanied by pianist Fabio Centani.

Kirill Gerstein and Sheikh Mahmoud El-Tohamy

In turn, pianist Kirill Gerstein will present the works of Chopin, Fauré, Poulenc, Liszt, Schumann, and Godowsky on the Red Theater stage at the Arts Center at New York University Abu Dhabi, on February 27, while the sheikh of singers in Egypt, Mahmoud El-Tohamy, will present the work “The Carpenter’s Daughters,” which It highlights the role of female vocalists in the history of Islam, as a group of 30 female vocalists perform famous poems from the singing heritage of Egypt, Sudan, Tunisia, and the Maghreb. The evening includes the work “The Lover’s Moan,” which embodies chanting originality.

National Symphony Orchestra of China

To the Emirates Palace again, where it concludes with the China Symphony Orchestra, which was established in 1996 and presented masterpieces of Western classics and Chinese music, as part of its local performances throughout the country, and international performances in Japan, Malaysia and Spain.