Abu Dhabi Festival reveals the program of its 22nd session

Abu Dhabi, December 17, WAM / Under the honorary patronage of His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, and honorary founding sponsor of the Abu Dhabi Festival, the Abu Dhabi Culture and Arts Group announced the program of the Abu Dhabi Festival 2025, in its twenty-second session, under the slogan “ Abu Dhabi: The world in a city.”

This session, which begins on February 7, 2025, presents a unique blend of artistic creativity and cultural diversity, in addition to celebrating the selection of Japan as a country of honour.

His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan said that the Abu Dhabi Festival year after year consolidates its leading position as a platform that conveys to the world the sublime message of the UAE calling for upholding the values ​​of peace, harmony and pluralism, and building bridges of cultural communication between different civilizations and peoples.

His Highness added: “As the festival celebrates Japan, the guest of honor for the current session, we emphasize the depth of bilateral relations between our two friendly countries, which extend for more than 50 years and are based on a long history of strategic cooperation at various levels.”

His Highness pointed out that the twenty-second session of the Abu Dhabi Festival comes as it continues its pioneering role in stimulating cultural dialogue with our international partners, and working to enhance awareness of the importance of creativity and innovation in the process of the renaissance of countries and the development of peoples.

His Highness said: “We look forward to a new, inspiring and innovative role, with which the Abu Dhabi Festival will continue its pioneering journey and its important role in enhancing the country’s position as a unique model of cultural and civilizational diversity.”

For his part, His Excellency Sheikh Salem bin Khalid Al Qasimi, Minister of Culture, appreciated the role of the Abu Dhabi Festival in stimulating the creative cultural movement in the Emirates, the region and the world, and congratulated those in charge of the festival for announcing the activities of its twenty-second session, which reflects his inspiration over more than two decades for generations of Emirati artists and creators, and his commitment. By empowering the cultural and creative industries sector in the country to stimulate cross-cultural dialogue and contribute to presenting an Emirati culture that inspires the world and highlighting national identity through cultural diplomacy initiatives organized by the festival within His program abroad seeks to bring people closer together with the values ​​of coexistence and openness, and to build bridges of cooperation between countries.

He added that within the framework of the strategic partnership linking the Ministry of Culture and the Abu Dhabi Group for Culture and Arts, cooperation is taking place to invest in Emirati talent, develop skills, and build the capabilities of our artists and creators in a way that reflects the prosperous and sustainable cultural scene in the country.

He stressed the joint endeavor to deepen cultural relations between the UAE and Japan, which the festival is hosting as the guest of honor for its 22nd session, which contributes to highlighting its ancient culture and diverse artistic heritage.

For his part, His Excellency Mohammed Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman of the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi, stressed the importance of the role of the Abu Dhabi Festival by presenting the greatest creators and the most prominent international arts groups on the stages of Abu Dhabi to inspire generations of young artists in the country.

He said that the festival, since its establishment in 2004, has contributed to the renaissance of cultural and creative industries and consolidating Abu Dhabi’s position as an incubator for creativity and a global destination for creative people.

He explained that the strategic partnership with the Abu Dhabi Group for Culture and Arts reflects the joint role in enriching Abu Dhabi’s cultural vision by empowering our cultural system with ancient events that celebrate global creativity in ballet, opera, orchestra, and classical music and host major international groups, stressing the importance of hosting Japan as the festival’s guest of honor, as a reflection of its strength. The depth of bilateral relations between the UAE and Japan for more than fifty years, and the diversity and richness of the culture of this friendly country.

The festival, which will be held under the patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Shamsa bint Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Nahyan, will shine with the participation of a distinguished group of famous orchestras and prominent international artists, including the Japanese taiko group, and a series of opera performances and solo concerts, in addition to international performances, visual arts exhibitions, and programs. Community and educational.

The festival will provide a rich cultural experience aimed at engaging and inspiring the public at the local, regional and international levels.

This year, it celebrates the fiftieth anniversary of diplomatic relations and close friendship between the UAE and Japan, the festival’s guest of honor, through exceptional performances and works that reflect cultural diversity and creative richness.

Her Excellency Hoda Ibrahim Al Khamis, founder of the Abu Dhabi Group for Culture and Arts, founder and artistic director of the Abu Dhabi Festival, said that the festival embodies Abu Dhabi’s position as a city that brings together diverse cultures, to meet, communicate, and exchange ideas, opportunities, and capabilities, in harmony and unity.

She added that the festival celebrates Japan as a guest of honor, as the first performance in the Arab world will be presented by the New Japan Philharmonic Orchestra, led by the legendary maestro Yutaka Sado.

She pointed out that the festival’s program abroad will cover more than one historical station this year, with the presentation of the opera “Belias and Mélisande,” one of the immortal works of the famous composer Debussy, directed by Lebanese Canadian Wajdi Mouawad, in cooperation with the Paris National Opera, in a cooperation that is the first of its kind between the ancient opera. And the Arab world, in addition to the art exhibition in cooperation with the famous Seoul Art Museum in Korea, and its global tour in China, Japan and Singapore.

For his part, His Excellency Ken Okaniwa, Ambassador of Japan to the UAE, congratulated the Abu Dhabi Group for Culture and Arts on organizing the Abu Dhabi Festival, which represents an exceptional milestone in the journey of this important cultural festival, pointing out that the festival this year has a special character with the selection of Japan as the guest of honour, expressing his happiness that Japan will be part of this event that embodies the values ​​of cultural exchange, openness and distinguished relations.

He added that the festival presents a group of musical performances in this session that celebrate the best that Japan has to offer, through the participation of the New Japan Philharmonic Orchestra, the Kudo Taiko Performing Arts Ensemble, and the artist Kuniko Kato, who is a creator of rhythms.

For his part, Humaid Al Shammari, Executive Vice President of the Group and Chief Executive Officer of Corporate Affairs and Human Resources at Mubadala Investment Company, welcomed the continuation of the partnership with the Abu Dhabi Festival, and seeing the great and effective impact it has in enhancing the cultural scene in Abu Dhabi.

The festival includes 12 main shows along with a group of accompanying activities, presenting international and Arab co-productions and exclusive commissions for the first time.

The event will be opened by the New Japan Philharmonic Orchestra on February 7 and 8, with the participation of the famous Japanese maestro Yutaka Sado, the distinguished tenor Jonathan Titelman, and the promising pianist Kyohei Sorita.

During the holy month of Ramadan, Sheikh Mahmoud Al-Tohamy revives the tradition of religious chanting as part of the Abu Dhabi Festival’s series of spiritual music evenings.

The festival continues with performances by the Japanese band “Kudo” specializing in the performing arts of taiko, followed by a performance by the talented pianist Yunchan Lim.

Other performances feature the participation of the distinguished percussionist Kuniko Kato, the wonderful piano duo “The Labek Sisters”, and an opera concert that brings together the star Javier Camarena and the soprano Jessica Pratt, accompanied by the National Symphony Orchestra of the Korean University of the Arts, led by the internationally known maestro Tawfiq Maatouq.

The brilliant violinist Augustin Hadlisch will present pieces by Bach and other works, while the “Ballet of the Stars” concert will include six international ballet dancers, and Kian Soltani, Yamen Saadi, Sarah Ferrandez, and Pablo Ferrandez will present a distinguished group performance in an international presence, the first to bring them together.

Trumpeter Riley Mulhirkar will also perform for the audience, in addition to a performance by the National Symphony Orchestra of the Korea University of the Arts, conducted by Maestro Chi Young Chung.

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