Under the patronage of Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Tolerance, the Abu Dhabi Music and Arts Foundation, ADMAF, today announced a diverse headline programme as part of the Abu Dhabi Festival 2019, ADF19.

With more than 100 events, 18 productions, two co-productions and two commissions across 25 venues, the festival returns for its 16th year with an illustrious mix of artists and genres across opera, ballet, orchestra, jazz and flamenco. The ADF19 will also celebrate the Republic of Korea as its "Country of Honour".

This year the festival’s central theme is the "Culture of Determination", as it joins forces with the Special Olympics World Games Abu Dhabi that are also taking place in the UAE capital in March 2019. During a press conference, a Letter of Cooperation, LoC, was signed by Huda I. Alkhamis-Kanoo for the Abu Dhabi Festival, and the Special Olympics World Games Abu Dhabi, represented by Peter Wheeler, CEO of the Games.

More than 500 international artists from 17 different countries and masterpieces by 18 different composers will feature at the ADF19. The festival will also host an exhibition entitled Distant Prospects, presenting the history of European landscape painting from world-renowned Liechtenstein. Parallel to the exhibition, an engaging educational programme will inspire visitors with panel discussions, guided tours and creative workshops.

The ADF19 will also recognise outstanding achievements in the music industry through the Abu Dhabi Festival Awards. This year’s recipients will include mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato, in recognition of her lifelong contribution to music; Aurélie Dupont, for her outstanding devotion to the art of ballet; Barenboim – Said Akademie, for its commitment to building bridges through arts and culture; and the late Ousha bint Khalifa Al Sweidi in honour of her exceptional contributions to Emirati poetry.

Speaking at the press launch held at Emirates Palace, Huda I. Alkhamis-Kanoo, Founder of ADMAF and Artistic Director of Abu Dhabi Festival, said, "Today, the festival enters its 16th year and we are all proud of its status as one of the leading, most prominent culture and arts festivals in the region and the world beyond. And we are marking history at this point in time, coinciding with the country’s continued celebrations of the Year of Zayed, in which the Festival has played an important role, with greater meaning, making contributions that have further celebrated the legacy and values of our Founding Father, the late Sheikh Zayed. We have always been and will continue to be, inspired by his vision of the future, and his determination that made the impossible possible and the unreal real."

"We celebrate, Korea being the Country of Honour for the 2019 Abu Dhabi Festival, a country of immense heritage, steady in its modernisation and benefiting from its creative sources, its rich culture and the beauty of its arts."

"Today, Abu Dhabi Festival 2019 celebrates the determined people – the champions of the Special Olympics World Games, those carrying the flame of determination and rising to seemingly insurmountable challenges, achieving victory through their will."

"Abu Dhabi Festival, as one of the biggest annual cultural events in the UAE, certainly has been contributing enormously to the region’s intercultural competence, so I am very happy that Korea could be a part of this wonderful celebration next year," said Kang-ho Park, Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to the UAE.

Peter Wheeler said, "The World Games next year will focus not only on sport – we are planning a Cultural Olympiad for March 2019 celebrating the important role that people of determination play in all aspects of society. This year’s ADMAF event will be a powerful voice for celebrating differences and promoting inclusion, and we are delighted that musicians with intellectual disabilities will be able to showcase their extraordinary talents to audiences here in the UAE."

Marking the culmination of ADMAF’s year-round commitment to arts education and community enrichment, ADF19 will return with a series of Youth Platforms, empowering young, aspiring talent in the arts and culture fields through the ADF Visual Arts Education Programme; Young Filmmakers’ Circle; Riwaq Al Fikr; Riwaq Al Adab wal Kitab; The Gulf Capital – Abu Dhabi Festival Visual Arts Award; The Gulf Capital – ADMAF Creativity Award; The Christo & Jeanne-Claude Award, Tandem Al Emarat, UAE Theatre Circle, Young Media Leaders, Total Design Commission, ADMAF Design Fund, The Artists’ Studio and Ministry of Science.

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