Feel The Symphony Within
The UAE National Orchestra’s (UAENO) inaugural season celebrates a musical dialogue between East and West, tradition and innovation, and the familiar and the newly discovered.
Across every performance, UAENO brings diverse musical worlds into dialogue. As the Orchestra tours all seven Emirates, it will present symphonic reinterpretations of Emirati music, offering a distinctive sound.
Classical works will be voiced through an Arabic lens, offering familiar pieces a resonance that feels both unexpected and deeply rooted. On stage, Arabic and Western instruments merge to reimagine global repertoire through a modern, multicultural perspective.
Each concert unfolds as a unique experience, shaped by the music, the moment, and the shared energy between performers and audiences.
From The Beginning, Faces of Love, Vivaldi: A Journey East, Russian Classics, Echoes of Time, and Once Upon a Tune, every program becomes a cultural bridge, opening new possibilities for sound and storytelling.
Be part of the journey, where sound becomes emotion, and you are invited to feel the symphony within.
THE BEGINNING
There will never be another night like this. The Beginning marks a historic moment as the UAE National Orchestra takes the stage for the first time in its inaugural season. Seventy musicians and thirty choral voices unite in a concert celebrating pride, heritage and unity. The programme features “The Beginning” an Emirati Symphony, a world premiere composed by Nadim Tarabay, blending traditional motifs with symphonic form. More than a concert, it is a declaration of creative confidence. A moment of history, shaped in sound.
FACES OF LOVE
Love has always inspired the greatest music. In this poetic concert, the UAE National Orchestra traces love’s journey through melody, from its first spark to its deepest mystery. The programme unfolds in three movements: Emerging Love, Passionate Love, and Eternal Love, each revealing a distinct emotion. At the heart of this journey, the ney traces a path of breath and memory, its soulful voice carrying longing and intimacy. What begins in tenderness grows into power and transcendence.
VIVALDI: A JOURNEY EAST
Imagine if Antonio Vivaldi had travelled east. Vivaldi: A Journey East invites audiences to consider what might have unfolded had the Venetian master encountered the instruments, modes and sounds of the Arab world. A musical dialogue emerges, as harpsichord converses with qanun and violin answers the oud, finding shared language. The concert celebrates imagination, connection and curiosity, reimagining music anew, carrying Vivaldi’s genius along the Silk Road, where harmony becomes exploration and discovery becomes sound.
RUSSIAN CLASSICS
Some of the most deeply felt music was born in the hearts of three extraordinary composers: Shostakovich, Stravinsky and Tchaikovsky. Their music speaks not of place, but of emotion, imagination and human resilience. Russian Classics celebrates their artistry and individuality. The programme opens with Shostakovich’s Overture on Russian and Kirghiz Folk Themes, followed by Stravinsky’s playful Pulcinella Suite, and concludes with Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5, a triumphant expression of hope, universal spirit, and endurance.
ECHOES OF TIME: IBN ARABI
Across centuries, the words of Ibn Arabi have resonated through cultures and generations, speaking of love, unity and the search for meaning. Echoes of Time transforms these timeless ideas into sound, where music becomes reflection and connection. Orchestra, Arabic & Western instruments and voice meet in a seamless dialogue inspired by Sufi melodies and the art of deep listening. Moving between stillness and awakening, the concert invites audiences to experience time as emotion, where silence and melody carry meaning.
ONCE UPON A TUNE
Every great story begins with once upon a time. Every great piece of music begins with a single note. Once Upon a Tune invites children to discover how music tells stories and sparks imagination. Led by the conductor and the musicians of the UAE National Orchestra, the stage becomes a playground of sound, where strings whisper, brass roar and percussion rumbles. Blending laughter with learning, this joyful concert welcomes listeners of all ages into a world of creativity, curiosity and wonder.