Giving music fans a more intimate experience, Dubai Opera’s on-going season of Music in the Studio continues until June, bringing a collective of independent artists to perform at the venue’s state-of-the-art studio
Curated by internationally renowned pianist Amira Fouad, Music in the Studio, now in its second year, aims to take concert-goers away from the theatre to create a more atmospheric and cosy experience between the musicians and their audiences.
Dubai Opera’s chief executive Jasper Hope says, the series, which began in January, has been bringing “some very talented internationally-renowned musicians” to the emirate. So far, the line-up this season included The Ayoub Sisters, Jaume Torrent, Anna Fedorova and the London Mozart Players Quintet.
Hope says that keeping the variety of shows, their formats and the performing artists diverse is vital to the philosophy of what Dubai Opera has always aimed to offer and taking shows into the studio is part of that.
Dubai Opera’s stage regularly hosts a wide array of world-class talent with opera, ballet and classical music concerts at the core. The venue also stages musical theatre, fashion shows, jazz nights, comedy acts, family shows and a full range of live entertainment. “Dubai Opera was always intended to be a multi-purpose venue, offering the best from a wide variety of genres,” he says.
“We vary our programme frequently so as to appeal to as many different interests as possible. It doesn’t mean we don’t have opera, ballet and classical music as a key part of our programme each year – we do – it’s just that we can think broader than that.”
On May 1, Sony Music’s Australian saxophonist Amy Dickson will perform with Music in the Studio’s curator and concert pianist Amira Fouad. A rising star in the music world, Dickson made history by becoming the first saxophonist to win a Classic Brit Award and the first-ever Australian to win the Mastercard Breakthrough Artist of the Year award. Sure to take the Dubai Opera stage by storm this month, Dickson will perform classical works by Debussy, Ravel, Saint-Saëns, Milhaud and Piazzolla, arranged for saxophone and piano.
The spotlight then turns to Welsh harpist Catrin Finch, once royal harpist to the Prince of Wales, who will host a studio session on June 12. She has performed extensively throughout the world as a soloist, made special appearances with the world’s top orchestras and has recorded for major international companies. Her Dubai Opera debut will include music by Bach, Debussy and Fauré as well as Welsh folk tunes.
Since its launch in 2016, Dubai Opera has offered more than 200 shows including Georges Bizet’s Carmen, Ghost – The Musical, Swan Lake by the Houston Ballet and The Sleeping Beauty by the National Ballet of Ukraine and hosted in excess of 2,000 artists including the king of opera, Plácido Domingo, himself.