Abu Dhabi Festival 2025 to Open with New Japan Philharmonic Orchestra and Star Performers

Abu Dhabi, The Gulf Observer: The 22nd edition of the Abu Dhabi Festival will commence on February 7 with the Arab world premiere of the New Japan Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by the renowned Yutaka Sado and featuring celebrated tenor Jonathan Tetelman.

Organized by the Abu Dhabi Music & Arts Foundation (ADMAF), this year’s festival, themed “Abu Dhabi – A World of Harmony,” celebrates over 50 years of friendship between the UAE and its country of honor, Japan.

The inaugural concert at the Emirates Palace will spotlight Tetelman’s renditions of Puccini’s Manon Lescaut, Le Villi, and Turandot. Pianist Kyohei Sorita, a 2021 Chopin Competition silver medalist, will perform Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No. 2, with the orchestra presenting Dvořák’s Symphony No. 9 (From the New World).

The festival continues on February 8 with a second performance featuring Sorita playing Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1. The orchestra will also present Yasushi Akutagawa’s Triptyque for Strings and Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5.

The Abu Dhabi Festival 2025 promises an extraordinary season, reaffirming its legacy as a global hub for cultural and artistic excellence.