Musical Bridges: Russia and the United Arab Emirates

Overview

To mark 55 years of diplomatic relations between the United Arab Emirates and the Russian Federation, Abu Dhabi Festival Abroad, in collaboration with the Embassy of the UAE in Moscow, presents Musical Bridges: Russia and the United Arab Emirates, a gala concert at the Great Hall of the Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory on 10 November 2026.

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Bringing together leading Emirati artists and one of Russia’s most celebrated young ensembles, the concert unfolds in two parts. The first, Musical Encounters, features the Academy of Russian Music under the baton of Ivan Nikiforchin, performing Desert Knight and Ya Bahr by Emirati composer Ihab Darwish. Emirati soprano Fatima Al Hashimi performs celebrated arias by Cilea, Dvořák and Bizet. Fellow Emirati musicians Tariq Almenhali, on oud, and Jumaa Al Jneibi, on percussion, also join the programme.
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The programme then turns to Russian Symphonic Masterpieces, celebrating Russia’s rich musical heritage through the first movement of Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1, dances from The Nutcracker – including the Arabian Dance, a symbolic meeting point between the two cultures – Borodin’s Polovtsian Dances and music from Swan Lake.

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Presented as part of Abu Dhabi Festival Abroad, the concert advances ADMAF’s longstanding commitment to showcasing Emirati creativity on the international stage and fostering cultural dialogue through music.

Programme

Part I – Musical Encounters

Ihab Darwish
Desert Knight
For orchestra

Ihab Darwish
Ya Bahr

Francesco Cilea (1866–1950)
“Io son l’umile ancella” from Adriana Lecouvreur
Fatima Al Hashimi, soprano

Antonín Dvořák (1841–1904)
“Song to the Moon” (Měsíčku na nebi hlubokém) from Rusalka
Fatima Al Hashimi, soprano

Georges Bizet (1838–1875)
“Je dis que rien ne m’épouvante” (Micaëla’s Aria) from Carmen
Fatima Al Hashimi, soprano

Additional operatic selections

Interval

Part II – Russian Symphonic Masterpieces

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840–1893)
Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat minor, Op. 23
I. Allegro non troppo e molto maestoso – Allegro con spirito
Piano solo

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
The Nutcracker, Op. 71
Arabian Dance (Coffee)
Russian Dance (Trepak)

Alexander Borodin (1833–1887)
Polovtsian Dances from Prince Igor
Orchestral selection

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Swan Lake, Op. 20
Selected orchestral excerpt

Artists

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Ihab Darwish

Ihab Darwish is an Emirati composer and Universal Music artist whose symphonic and cinematic works draw inspiration from Emirati folk traditions. In 2022, he became the first Emirati voting member of the Recording Academy (GRAMMY Awards). His debut album, Waves of My Life (2018), features Desert Knight and coincided with the premiere of his first complete orchestral work at Abu Dhabi Festival. That same year, he became the first Guest Composer of Poland’s Beethoven Academy Orchestra. His second album, Hekayat: Symphonic Tales (2020), includes Ya Bahr and was presented by Abu Dhabi Festival in 2021 as a virtual concert featuring 128 artists across 21 cities, including tenor José Cura and Kodō. Darwish also collaborated with John Debney and David Shire on Symphony of Three: Peace. Love. Tolerance, an Abu Dhabi Festival commission inspired by the Abrahamic Family House.

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Fatima Al Hashimi

Fatima Al Hashimi is a leading Emirati opera singer and cultural ambassador. She has performed in more than 20 languages across Europe, Asia, Australia, the Americas and the Gulf, with appearances at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, Enescu Hall in Bucharest and Kensington Palace in London, the latter as part of ADMAF’s Abu Dhabi Festival Abroad programme. An artist-in-residence at the American University of Sharjah and a founding member of the Emirati Musicians Association, she also has a background in performing arts management. Her return to Moscow builds on her established connection with the city, following her earlier appearance at the Bolshoi Theatre.

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Tariq Al Menhal

Tariq Al Menhal is an Emirati oud player and singer whose performances bring traditional Emirati music into contemporary settings. A graduate of Bait Al Oud in Abu Dhabi, he has performed at Expo 2020 Dubai and appeared with an international orchestra at Dubai Opera in a programme celebrating the poetry of Ousha Al Suwaidi.

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Jumaa Al Jneibi

Jumaa Al Jneibi is an Emirati musician whose practice is rooted in the UAE’s maritime heritage. He learned traditional pearl-diving songs from his father and grandfather and performed at the 2022 Smithsonian Folklife Festival in Washington, D.C., sharing these musical traditions with international audiences.

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Ivan Nikiforchin

Moscow-born Ivan Nikiforchin is a leading Russian conductor of his generation. He graduated from the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory in 2020, studying under Valery Polyansky and Yury Abdokov, and attending masterclasses with Yuri Temirkanov and Vasily Petrenko. He made his Bolshoi Theatre debut in 2021 with Mozart’s Don Giovanni and has taught at the Conservatory since 2022. He also conducts the State Academic Symphony Capella of Russia.

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The Academy of Russian Music

Founded by conductor Ivan Nikiforchin, the Academy of Russian Music brings together an orchestra and chamber choir of talented young musicians from some of Russia’s leading music institutions, including the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory and the Gnessin Russian Academy of Music. Many of its members are laureates of international competitions, while critics have described the ensemble as “one of the brightest and most popular youth musical companies in Russia”.