Abu Dhabi Festival, held under the patronage of Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and founding honorary patron of the festival, participated as an artistic and cultural partner in presenting the annual Summer Night Concert, conducted by Maestro Lorenzo Viotti and featuring acclaimed international baritone Sir Bryn Terfel.
The concert, held in the historic gardens of Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna, drew an audience of more than 60,000 people, in addition to millions of viewers via live broadcast around the world.
The participation comes within the festival's abroad programme and its commitment to fulfilling its mission of advancing cultural diplomacy and reinforcing intercultural dialogue.
The Summer Night Concert, presented by the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, is one of the largest classical music events in the world and ranks second among the most-watched annual classical music events globally, after the Vienna Philharmonic New Year's Concert.
As part of its efforts to promote cultural diplomacy and build bridges of dialogue between peoples, the Abu Dhabi Music and Arts Foundation, in partnership with the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates in Vienna, organised a panel discussion under the leading cultural diplomacy initiative "Arts in Embassies".
The panel discussion, titled "Classical Music as a Tool of Cultural Diplomacy", explored how artistic cooperation and international cultural partnerships contribute to building bridges of collaboration, fostering cultural exchange, and bringing people closer together on an international level.
The session was held in Vienna — one of the world's most prominent historic capitals of classical music — and featured Michael Bladerer, Executive Director of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra; Yamen Saadi, first violinist of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra; and Maestro Tawfiq Maatouk. The session was moderated by Emirati film director and filmmaker Nour Kano.
The participants shared highlights from their artistic careers and their experiences in preserving musical traditions and employing them as instruments of cultural encounter between the Arab world and Europe.
The session addressed a number of themes, including cultural exchange, the celebration of cultural diversity in the global classical music heritage, and the role of cultural institutions in fostering dialogue within the contemporary global landscape.
It also highlighted the role that artists and musicians continue to play as cultural ambassadors, using music as a language that transcends geographical and cultural boundaries to advance cultural diplomacy efforts. The Festival Abroad programme continues to strengthen the Emirati and Arab presence on the global cultural stage and to underscore the role of the arts in bringing peoples together and promoting dialogue around the world.