Emirati students to hold Zayed tribute concert in France
dubai — A group of Emirati students will hold a musical concert in France to celebrate the Year of Zayed. The Art of Zayed piano, voice, and chamber music concert will combine Western classical compositions with contemporary Arabic music to commemorate a century since the birth of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan and uphold the UAE-France cultural dialogue.
The six students taking up a master’s degree in performing arts management at Sorbonne University in Abu Dhabi, five of which are Emirati, aim to highlight the impact of Sheikh Zayed’s legacy on the growing pool of talents in the UAE.
The concert, slated for October 12 at the Sorbonne University in Paris, will see Western classical compositions of prominent French composers like Claude Debussy and Gabriel Faure played by Emirati and French students.
Fatima Al Hashemi, an Emirati pianist and the concert’s performer, said the group wanted to show the world how the UAE embraces its talents, combining the East and West through their performances.
“We don’t only have performers but also composers who bring to life the Western classical music alongside their own traditional music,” said Al Hashemi, the head of the music section at the Ministry of Culture and Knowledge Development.
Al Hashemi, who will lead the Western part of the concert alongside French musicians, stressed on the role of music in bridging civilisations.
“We want to highlight talents among us and the similar young talents who are working on themselves in different professions,” she said.
While Al Hashemi is the concert’s performer and artistic programme organiser, the rest of the students manage the event’s sponsorships and marketing as part of their master’s programme.
They teamed up with Emirati pianist and composer Hamad Al Taee who will lead the contemporary Arabic music segment of the concert.
Students in the programme have been organising this event since October 2017 with the guidance of professors who fly in to Abu Dhabi to mentor them.
The concert will also celebrate the 100th anniversary of Debussy’s death, the 200th anniversary of French composer Charles Gounod’s birth, and the 180th anniversary of Georges Bizet’s birth.
The students of the programme will be traveling to Paris for a 10-day trip of academic classes at Sorbonne University in Paris. In addition to the Art of Zayed musical concert, they will present their master’s thesis in front of a jury of defense.
Providing financial support and promoting the Art of Zayed, the UAE Embassy in Paris is the concert’s main sponsor, along with the Sorbonne University both in Abu Dhabi and Paris.
We don’t only have performers but also composers who bring to life the Western classical music alongside their own traditional music.” Fatima Al Hashemi, Emirati pianist and concert performer