MANIFOLD FESTIVAL COMES TO NYUAD

The Manifold Festival of Musical Diversity begins at NYU Abu Dhabi today, bringing four nights of concerts to the university’s Blue Hall as part of NYUAD’s music programme – here’s your guide.

Tonight

Sunday brings a collaboration between composer Carlos Guedes (NYUAD) and video artist Laetitia Morais (Portugal), with saxophonist Emil Sein (NYUAD – below), flautist Cristina Ioan (NYUAD – below left), and qanun player Mahsin Basalama from Zanzibar. The concert will feature several works in which live performance, live video, and live electronic music interact, drawing influences from minimalism, dance music, classical contemporary music, and noise, creating a rich and lush audiovisual environment. The performance will also feature the world premiere of Three Insomnias – Music for a Dark Room by this creative collective.

Tomorrow

Acclaimed oud player Sherine Tohamy, the first female graduate of the Bait Al Oud School at the Cairo Opera House, and now a teacher at the Abu Dhabi branch of the school, teams up with her regular collaborators, the Al Sharq Ensemble, to present a selection of her compositions, in addition to a collection of traditional Arab and international musical pieces, alongside some of the finest musicians from Egypt and the wider Arab world. Tohamy has released two albums and performed in many concerts all over the world as a soloist or with international bands.

Tuesday

This evening takes on a more Western flavour and will feature soprano Clare Lesser and pianist David Lesser, joined by guest cellist Laura Chapple for a recital of regional premieres. The concert will include André Previn’s haunting Vocalise and his Four Songs.

The trio will also perform music from the experimental musical-theatre piece

Weißschatten written for Clare and David Lesser, and Jürg Wyttenbach’s surreal take on the madrigal repertoire.

Wednesday

The festival draws to a close with

The Gathering, involving Sein mixing music, dance, film, and interactive technology in a concert developed in collaboration with acclaimed performer/choreographer/installation artist Kiori Kawai. The Gathering will also feature live dancers as each element of the performance promises to explore its boundaries, bending, blurring, dissolving and merging into other elements.

All the concerts take place in NYUAD’s Blue Hall and are free of charge but tickets must be reserved online in advance. Check www.nyuadartscenter.org for more details.