ADMAF and Institut Francais sign letter of cooperation

The Institut Francais is a French cultural agency dedicated to building cultural collaborations between France and the UAE. Previous projects undertaken jointly by ADMAF and the Institut include the October 2012 performance at Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi entitled 'Debussy, Poet of the Avant-Garde,' which paired French pianist Hugues Leclère and the Emirati operatic soprani Sara Al Qaiwani on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the composer's birth.

Speaking about the important role of partnerships in the Abu Dhabi Festival, Her Excellency Mrs. Hoda I Al Khamis Kanoo, Founder and Artistic Director of Abu Dhabi Festival, explained: "Committed to strengthening Abu Dhabi's position as an international cultural destination Abu Dhabi Festival is truly a Festival of partnerships. Building strategic partnerships not only ensures that the Festival continues to welcome world-class talent, but furthers our mutual goals of reaching out to all the communities within the UAE and promoting regional talent abroad. Arts education is our core mandate, but it cannot be undertaken alone—it is a collective enterprise requiring shared resources, goals and ideals, and the Institut Francais will be a earnest partner going forward."

The signing brings the total number of ADMAF's international strategic partners to 16, which include La Chapelle Musicale Reine Elisabeth, Belgium; Fondazione Arena di Verona, Italy; Carnegie Hall, USA; BOZAR, Belgium; Institut du Monde Arabe, France; Royal Opera House, UK; Manchester International Festival, UK; Edinburgh International Festival, UK; The Metropolitan Opera, USA; Jazz at Lincoln Centre, USA; British Council, UK; Jordan Media Institiute; Baalbeck Festival, Lebanon; The Mariinsky, Russia; Partnerships between Abu Dhabi Festival organiser Abu Dhabi Music & Arts Foundation and organisations including the Royal Opera House (ROH), Manchester International Festival (MIF), Edinburgh Festival and Carnegie Hall amongst others, have featured strongly on the Festival programme in recent years.

Denis Douveneau, Director of Institut Francais (United Arab Emirates), said: "Our core priority is to strengthen the exchanges of culture and ideas between France and the UAE. The Abu Dhabi Festival promotes the best of international and regional arts every year, providing a diverse range of artistic experiences that stimulates Abu Dhabi audiences to continue to educate and challenge themselves in their appreciation of the arts. On its own, the Institut Français (UAE) has the ambition to build bridges between the two cultures and to broaden the spectrum of mutual understanding. With continued cooperation, we are confident that both artists and audiences in the UAE and France will benefit."

The Institut Francais also partnered with the Alliance Francaise to bring an HD recording of the Opera National de Paris production of Bizet's Carmen to this year's Abu Dhabi Festival, showing March 12 at the Vox Cinema Marina Mall.