International maestros, world premiere performances and globally renowned works will mark a major classical arts event in Abu Dhabi set to open this weekend.

The seventh edition of Abu Dhabi Festival, organised by the Abu Dhabi Music and Arts Foundation (Admaf), will take place from March 20 to April 7, and will feature 35 events across all seven emirates.

Events at Abu Dhabi Festival 2010 will include performances in traditional, classical and jazz music, drama, fine arts, and ballet.

An education programme will involve schools, universities and the general public as they gain insights from leading musicians and artists, while a visual arts exhibition – Middle East Modern Masters – will see a joint collection by two masters of Middle Eastern art – Parviz Tanavoli and Adam Henein.

“The festival will be a global symphony of cultures,” said Hoda al Khamis Kanoo, founder of Admaf.

“It will fuse world-class performances from the masters of the arts world with a depth of community spirit. Abu Dhabi is determined to take the lead in cultural understanding and this year we reflect this by pushing boundaries of artistic excellence and creative innovation.”

Among the highlights will be a performance by The National Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra, piano recitals by two young virtuosos, Nobuyuki Tsujii and Yundi Li, the first full opera presented at the festival – La Boheme performed by the Puccini Festival Orchestra, A Night at the Ballet with dancers from the Bolshoi, Mariinsky and American Ballet Theatres, among others.

Maxim Beloserkovsky, principal dancer American Ballet Theatre, said: “On March 30, my wife, Irina, and I, will share the stage with eight of our dearest friends and esteemed colleagues from the world-famous Bolshoi Theatre and Mariinsky Theatre companies as we present a special programme featuring the jewels of classical ballet.”

“As artistic director of Night at the Ballet performance I look forward to being in Abu Dhabi.”

Flash Entertainment is bringing the world famous operatic pop quartet, Il Divo, to the Abu Dhabi Festival this year for an outdoor concert.

Sebastien Izambard, member of Il Divo, said: “Getting to know other cultures and countries is one of the things we enjoy most about being in Il Divo. So we are particularly looking forward to coming back to the Middle East and to perform in Abu Dhabi for the first time as part of the fantastic Abu Dhabi Festival 2010. As well as some of our most famous hits, you can expect some surprises in our performance.”

Nine-time Grammy Award winner and an outstanding jazz musician of his generation, Wynton Marsalis, will be making his Middle East debut at the Festival.

“The core requirements for jazz are creativity, communication and community, and it seems to me that these values are expressed wholeheartedly by the Abu Dhabi Festival,” he said. – TradeArabia News Service