Abu Dhabi Festival unveils expansive 2026 programme

Abu Dhabi Festival has announced its full 2026 programme, bringing leading orchestras, opera singers, ballet companies, jazz musicians and contemporary artists to the capital for a season running from October 10 to December 19.

The festival’s 23rd edition will be presented under the theme “The Wisdom of Culture”, with performances staged at Etihad Arena, Louvre Abu Dhabi, Emirates Palace Mandarin Oriental, the Cultural Foundation, Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi and The Arts Center at NYU Abu Dhabi.

The UAE National Orchestra will open the programme at Etihad Arena on October 10 under conductor François López-Ferrer, winner of the 2024 Sir Georg Solti Conducting Award. Georgian pianist David Khrikuli will join the orchestra for Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No 2.

The opening concert will also feature Franz von Suppé’s overture to Light Cavalry and Antonín Dvořák’s Symphony No 8. The programme places the newly established national ensemble at the centre of one of Abu Dhabi’s biggest annual cultural events.

Opera soprano Sondra Radvanovsky will perform at the Red Theater at NYU Abu Dhabi on October 17, accompanied by pianist Vincenzo Scalera. Her recital will combine Italian opera and art songs with Russian and German repertoire.

The programme includes music by Bellini, Verdi and Puccini, alongside songs by Rachmaninoff and Richard Strauss. Radvanovsky will also perform the Letter Scene from Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin.

Film composer Hans Zimmer will bring his “The Next Level” production to Etihad Arena on November 13. The concert will present reworked versions of music from films including The Lion King, Gladiator, Inception, Interstellar and Dune.

The production combines orchestral and electronic elements with large-scale lighting and visual effects. Zimmer’s appearance is expected to be among the festival’s biggest commercial draws, reflecting the growing crossover between symphonic performance, cinema and arena entertainment.

American Ballet Theatre will appear at Emirates Palace Mandarin Oriental on November 21. Its programme will move between classical and contemporary ballet, demonstrating the company’s range through works associated with Frederick Ashton, Jiří Kylián, Brady Farrar and Marius Petipa.

The evening will feature Ashton’s Birthday Offering, Kylián’s Nuages and Farrar’s Trio Élégiaque. It will close with Paquita, staged by Natalia Makarova after Petipa and set to music by Ludwig Minkus.

Algarabía will make its Arab world premiere on November 26 following its sold-out world premiere in Pamplona in March. The multidisciplinary production combines Spanish flamenco with Arabic music, poetry and contemporary theatrical elements.

The work was co-produced by the Abu Dhabi Music & Arts Foundation, Museo Universidad de Navarra and Khawla Art & Culture. Its score includes music by Manuel Masaedo, Ihab Darwish and Manuel de Falla, creating a dialogue between Arab and Spanish artistic traditions.

A gala marking the 125th anniversary of Giuseppe Verdi’s death will be held at Emirates Palace Mandarin Oriental on November 29. The Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra will perform under conductor David Crescenzi, with soprano Maria Agresta and tenor Giorgio Berrugi.

The programme will draw from operas including Nabucco, I vespri siciliani, Otello and La traviata, combining overtures, arias and duets. The event will examine Verdi’s continuing influence on opera and orchestral music rather than presenting a single staged production.

Violinist Lisa Batiashvili and pianist Giorgi Gigashvili will perform at the Cultural Foundation on December 10. Their recital will include works by Beethoven, Bartók, César Franck and Georgian composer Josef Bardanashvili.

South Korean pianist Minsoo Sohn will perform Book One of Johann Sebastian Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier at Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi’s Zayed Theatre on December 11. The work contains 24 preludes and fugues covering every major and minor key.

The festival will close at Louvre Abu Dhabi on December 19 with Tunisian oud player and vocalist Dhafer Youssef and his quintet. Youssef’s music blends jazz improvisation with Arab and North African traditions, European classical influences, Turkish music and elements drawn from South Asia.

The closing concert will include material from Shiraz, continuing Youssef’s exploration of the oud within contemporary jazz settings. The outdoor Auditorium Plaza at Louvre Abu Dhabi will provide the setting for the final performance.