KNUA Symphony Orchestra to perform at Abu Dhabi Festival

The Korea National University of Arts Symphony Orchestra has been invited to perform at the 2025 Abu Dhabi Festival, one of the Middle East’s most prominent performing arts events, according to the country's top art school, also known as K-Arts, Wednesday.

The orchestra, composed of students from the university’s School of Music will participate in two concerts: a standalone performance Friday and a collaborative gala Sunday, featuring conductor Toufic Maatouk, tenor Javier Camarena and soprano Jessica Pratt.

Under the baton of honorary professor and conductor Chung Chi-yong, Friday’s concert will open with four orchestral excerpts from “Princess Bari,” a large-scale ballet score by Korean composer Lee Geon-yong. Based on a Korean folktale, the piece will introduce the sounds of traditional Korean instruments to audiences in the Middle East.

The program continues with Brahms’ Double Concerto in A minor, performed by violinist Wee Jae-won, the silver medalist at the 2021 George Enescu International Competition, and cellist Park Sang-hyeok, who won third prize at the 2023 Tchaikovsky Competition. The performance concludes with Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4.

In preparation for this week's concerts in Abu Dhabi of the United Arab Emirates, the KNUA Symphony Orchestra held a preview concert in March and presented the same program Monday at the Lotte Concert Hall in Seoul.

Founded in 1993, the KNUA Symphony Orchestra has performed at major venues in Korea and abroad. In 2023, the orchestra was the featured guest ensemble at the Beethoven Easter Festival in Poland.

“This is the first time a Korean university orchestra has been invited to the Abu Dhabi Festival and it is a great honor,” said Lee Kang-ho, dean of the K-Arts School of Music. “We expect it to be a meaningful opportunity to showcase the excellence of Korea’s young classical musicians.”

The Abu Dhabi Festival, established in 2004 by the Abu Dhabi Music & Arts Foundation, is one of the Middle East's most prestigious cultural events. Held annually in the UAE capital, the festival showcases a diverse array of performances, exhibitions and educational programs.