In 2021, Abu Dhabi was designated as “City of Music” by the UNESCO Creative City Network.

Abu Dhabi’s overarching Culture Sector Strategy includes continuing to build Abu Dhabi as a thriving cultural centre that engages residents and tourists by preserving and presenting the United Arab Emirates’ rich cultural heritage and bringing the best of museums expertise, visual and performing arts programmes to the region. In recent years, Abu Dhabi has been investing heavily in the Culture and Creative Industries.

These investments span the creation of cultural institutions and world-class infrastructures (e.g. Louvre Abu Dhabi, New York University Abu Dhabi, Bait Al Oud, Berklee Abu Dhabi) to programmes and initiatives of international relevance (e.g. Culture Summit Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi Art, Abu Dhabi Classics, Sounds of the UAE, Umsiyat, Mawhibaty Student Programme) that have supported the growth of creative and cultural businesses, professionals and practitioners based in the emirate and beyond.

The foundational pillars of Abu Dhabi UNESCO City of Music:

• To preserve and safeguard the UAE’s musical heritage through inscribing traditional performance practices to UNESCO’s Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity
• To develop talents and building capacity in music through institutions and programmes
• To engage the community in celebrating the world’s music within the emirate along with our cultural partners Abu Dhabi Music and Arts Foundation, New York University Abu Dhabi)

Abu Dhabi Music Programme

• Abu Dhabi Culture presents the Abu Dhabi Music Programme, which revives the incredibly rich dialogue around music, from cultures around the world.
• Through its programmes; Abu Dhabi Classics, Bait Al Oud Series, Sound of UAE and Umsiyat, DCT—Abu Dhabi presents some of the main artists in the field of Arabic and Western classical music with an aim to display how borderlines between the so-called 'Western', 'Arabic' and 'Local' classical music have become porous. At the same time, the Department is offering an extended programme dedicated to regional heritage music, thus proposing a unique musical panorama for all listeners.

Abu Dhabi Classics

• Abu Dhabi Classics presents a new season of dynamic, classical and traditional musical performances in the capital.
• Audiences can always expect a rich and diverse selection of performances, built on the works of leading composers - a highlight of the cultural calendar.

Bait Al Oud

• Bait Al Oud Abu Dhabi plays an essential role in documenting masterpieces of Arab musical heritage in addition to restoring the role of music as a fundamental element in the cultural life of UAE’s nationals and residents.
• Encouraging the dissemination of knowledge concerning the history, theory, practice and performance of Arabic music and instruments, the institution, which was founded by Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority (TCA Abu Dhabi) is dedicated to restoring music as an integral element of the cultural life of Abu Dhabi, fostering creativity and promoting artistic dialogue throughout the emirate and beyond the UAE.

Umsiyat

• The Umsiyat series of performances draws inspiration from the concept of universality, which was born in the Arab world and put into words for the first time in the 14th century by the great historian Ibn Khaldun.
• The programme concept emphasises and celebrates common threads and patterns surpassing boundaries of time and space, and translating the essence of the concept of universality. Each concert intends to transcend the definition of cross-cultural understanding to create a poetic dialogue reflecting the diversity of the emirate of Abu Dhabi and echoing the welcoming traditions of the Arab world.

Sounds of UAE

• Sounds of the UAE is a local, high profile musical performance series focused on the tradition, theory, practice and performance of Emirati poems and music. Its goal is to promote Emirati music, heritage, creativity, and innovation as well as increasing exposure for Emirati artists. Sounds of the UAE was conceived to develop and implement a performing arts programme to safeguard the musical traditions of the UAE and disseminate the intangible heritage of Emirati culture.

Cultural Foundation Performing Arts

• Cultural Foundation presents a world-class, contemporary, popular and home-grown performing arts programme, which includes music, dance and theatre, taking place in the heart of the city

Abu Dhabi Festival

• Abu Dhabi Festival acts as a time of celebration but also as a time of gathering and exchange for the different communities Abu Dhabi Music and Arts Foundation serves: the population of the of the UAE, the region and the world. Abu Dhabi Festival is the time and the place where the year’s work is shared, where new encounters are orchestrated and new ideas are forged, where long-trusted partners visit, new collaborations shape, and where artists and audiences connect

Berklee Abu Dhabi

• Berklee Abu Dhabi, the first Middle East outpost of Berklee College of Music, is the preeminent institute of contemporary music and the performing arts.
• Berklee Abu Dhabi offers world-class educational experiences through workshops, masterclasses, courses, ensembles and labs, all led by world- renowned artists and instructors. We also host live performances from students, alumni and global artists.

The Arts Center at NYUAD

• The Arts Center at NYU Abu Dhabi presents distinguished professional artists from around the world alongside student, faculty, and community productions.
• As a place that both presents and develops work, The Arts Center is a vibrant laboratory for performance that fosters a dynamic relationship between the arts, scholarship, and the community.