After a year of training, young Emirati musicians prepare for a landmark debut at Vienna’s iconic concert hall.
Dubai: A year ago, the 20 Emirati students enrolled in the first edition of Dubai Culture’s new music programme were still learning the fundamentals of playing the violin, cello and piano. This month, several of them will take to the stage at Vienna’s Musikverein — one of the world’s most renowned concert halls — as part of the first UAE-based orchestra to perform there.
The journey from a Dubai classroom to the Golden Hall marks the success of the Emirati Music Education Programme, launched by the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority in partnership with the National Youth Orchestra Dubai (NYO Dubai). The programme has now completed its first edition, opening a new chapter in music education for young Emirati musicians.
A year ago, the 20 Emirati students who formed the first cohort of Dubai Culture’s new music programme were still building their confidence on the violin, cello and piano.
Over the course of a full academic year, supported through the Dubai Cultural Grant, the students completed around 1,850 hours of training collectively — an average of about 92 hours each. Their programme combined orchestral performance, ensemble rehearsals, individual instrumental lessons and music theory classes.
The training was delivered by five internationally recognised musicians and educators, who guided students across disciplines including violin, cello, woodwinds, piano and voice.
“Watching these young Emirati talents transform through rigorous training has been profoundly moving,” said Amira Fouad, Executive Director and Artistic Director of NYO Dubai. She described the programme as “the ultimate expression” of the orchestra’s founding belief that the UAE is home to world-class musical talent.
For Fouad, this milestone is not an ending, but “the birth of a lasting legacy.”
The Emirati Music Education Programme marks a significant step in nurturing the next generation of Emirati musicians and supporting the growth of the UAE’s music sector as a key pillar of the country’s cultural and creative industries.
Shaima Rashed Al Suwaidi, CEO of the Arts, Design and Literature Sector at Dubai Culture, described the programme as a vital pathway for nurturing the next generation of Emirati musicians. She said it forms part of a broader effort to develop a music sector capable of making its mark on the global stage.
That ambition will face its first major test this July, when several programme graduates join NYO Dubai for a Vienna tour featuring performances at three of the city’s most renowned venues: the Musikverein’s Golden Hall, the Wiener Konzerthaus and the ORF RadioKulturhaus. No UAE-based orchestra has previously performed at these venues.
The tour will also feature the world premiere of Threads of Light, a new composition by Emirati composer Ihab Darwish, providing a fitting conclusion to the students’ first year of musical development.
