UAE National Orchestra opens new season with three Emirati premieres
The orchestra will present its new programme in Abu Dhabi and Dubai this month
The UAE National Orchestra is opening its second season with three new Emirati compositions, giving audiences the opportunity to hear the works performed publicly for the first time.
Titled To This Land, We Belong, the opening concert takes audiences through a musical interpretation of the UAE, touching on its founding story, landscapes, traditions, memories and ideas of identity and belonging.
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Three new Emirati compositions
The programme features new works by Emirati composers Khalid Nassir, Ali Kano and Fayez Al Saeed, with each composer approaching the country’s story from a different perspective.
Khalid Nassir will open the programme with The Founder’s Journey, a six-part composition inspired by the journey and philosophy of the UAE’s Founding Father, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan.
The work moves through different stages, including departure, discovery and return, reflecting on the experiences and ideas connected to the UAE’s beginnings.
Traditional sounds meet the orchestra
The second work, Homeland Melodies, is a concerto by Ali Kano inspired by the landscapes and musical traditions of the Emirates.
The composition brings oriental instruments together with the orchestra, placing traditional sounds within a contemporary orchestral setting.
The programme concludes with Lightning, Thunder & Longing, a suite for orchestra and choir by Fayez Al Saeed.
The piece also features poetry by Emirati poet Arif Al Khajah, moving between memories and the present while exploring themes of identity and belonging.
The performers
The UAE National Orchestra and Choir will perform the three new works under the direction of conductor Ahmed Farag.
The programme offers audiences the chance to hear all three compositions as live world premieres as they are introduced to the orchestra’s repertoire.
The concert will run for 90 minutes, including an interval.
The concert comes to Abu Dhabi first
The first performance will take place in Abu Dhabi, giving audiences in the capital the opportunity to hear the three works live for the first time.
Where: The Arts Center at NYU Abu Dhabi, Saadiyat Island
When: September 18, 2026
Then, it heads to Dubai
The UAE National Orchestra will present the same programme in Dubai two days later.
Where: Dubai Opera, Downtown Dubai
When: September 20, 2026
How to book tickets
Tickets are priced between Dh100 and Dh200.
Tickets for both performances can be booked through the UAE National Orchestra website.
