Successful 5th Dubai International Peace Music Festival holds closing ceremony concert

The concert featured special performances by three young soloists - violin prodigy Elli Choi, pianist Iyad Sughayer and classically trained vocalist Zeina Barhoum - as well as the Emirates Youth Symphony Orchestra. The festival line-up reflects the power of children and classical music to promote peace around the world.

Saeed Al Nabouda, Chief Projects Officer of the Dubai Culture & Arts Authority (Dubai Culture), said:

"It is said that music in general, and classical music in particular, is the true global language, capable of breaking down barriers and boundaries. This festival showed unequivocally that this is true, as children from more than 25 nationalities came together to dazzle the audience with their skill and passion."

An important aspect of the festival was exposing young UAE musicians to such accomplished international performers as Elli Choi, a seven-year-old virtuoso of US-Korean background; 15-year-old Palestinian Iyad Sughayer, and 24-year-old Jordanian Zeina Barhoum.

More broadly, the Dubai Culture & Arts Authority brought the festival to classical music lovers in the UAE as part of its mission to facilitate and inspire cultural activity in Dubai and its vision to position the city as a vibrant, Arabian, global city that helps shape culture and arts in the region and the world.

"The festival demonstrated most powerfully how important music is in bringing people of different cultures together and how the optimism of youth is a natural companion to peace," Al Nabouda said.

"It also reflects the active role of the Dubai Culture & Arts Authority in supporting and celebrating young talents and encouraging young people from all nationalities to participate in, and appreciate, the arts. They are the future of the culture community in the UAE and of a planned world-class orchestra, with a strong base of Emirati musicians," Al Nabouda added.

Riad Kudsi, Founder, Director and Conductor of the Emirates Youth Symphony Orchestra, praised the continued success of the festival, which he said had grown "from strength to strength."

"Dubai is the natural location of choice for the festival and for the orchestra. This city is so welcoming of different cultures; it embraces the hundreds of nationalities that live and work here. This is a source of inspiration for both the festival and our orchestra and serves as a beacon of hope and possibility for people and regions around the world," Kudsi said.

The festival also served the wider community in another way - proceeds from the festival will be donated to the UAE Red Crescent's Children in Need activities.

Support of the 5th Dubai International Peace Music Festival is just one of the many cultural activities that the Dubai Culture & Arts Authority (Dubai Culture) strives to endorse.

As well, it has launched a number of influential cultural initiatives, including: Muhammad the Messenger Museum, the first project of its kind in the world to highlight the life of Prophet Muhammad (Peace and Blessings Be Upon Him); the Khor Dubai project that seeks to create a world-class cultural infrastructure at the heart of Dubai; a living museum stretching across the shores of the Dubai Creek; the Gulf Film Festival, an annual non-profit cultural event that aims to celebrate the best in Gulf cinema; and The Dubai Festival for Youth Theatre, an annual initiative that seeks to celebrate and foster the art of theatre in the UAE.