To This Land, We Belong - UAE National Orchestra

The UAE National Orchestra returns to The Arts Center with its second season, titled Symphony On… And The Journey Continues. Season Two begins with three new Emirati compositions, heard in public for the first time.

To This Land, We Belong invites audiences into a musical journey through the UAE: from its founding story and landscapes to the traditions, memories and ideas that continue to shape the country today.

Each composer approaches that story differently. Together, they create an opening concert rooted in Emirati heritage, alive to the present and open to what comes next.

The Music
Khalid Nassir opens the programme with The Founder’s Journey, a six-part work inspired by the journey and philosophy of the UAE’s Founding Father. Moving through moments of passion, departure, discovery and return, the music reflects on the experiences and ideas that shaped the nation’s beginnings.

Ali Kano turns to the landscapes and musical traditions of the Emirates, through Homeland Melodies, his concerto, bringing oriental instruments into conversation with the Orchestra. An Emirati sound heard afresh within a contemporary orchestral setting.

The final work, by composer Fayez Al Saeed, brings Orchestra, Choir and poetry together. Featuring Emirati poet Arif Al Khajah’s Lightning, Thunder & Longing, the piece moves between memory and the present, tracing how identity and belonging are carried forward through time.

Because the sound of belonging is never finished. It is something we inherit, something we make our own, and something we leave for the future. It is our sound, and it is always on.

The Performers
Conducted by Ahmed Farag, the UAE National Orchestra and Choir come together for the first performances of these three new Emirati works and the opening of Season Two.

With the full force of the Orchestra and Choir on stage, this is a chance to experience three Emirati world premieres at the moment they enter the repertoire: live, powerful and shared with the audience for the first time.

Programme

• The Founder's Journey Overture by Khalid Nassir

• Homeland Melodies Concerto Grosso for Oriental Instruments by Ali Kano

• Lightning, Thunder & Longing by Fayez Al Saeed and Orchestral Suite for Choir and Orchestra

• Conducted by Ahmed Farag

UAE National Orchestra

The UAE National Orchestra (UAENO) is the official national orchestra of the United Arab Emirates, giving musical expression to the country's identity, heritage and ambition. It is led by Chairperson Her Excellency Noura bint Mohammed Al Kaabi, Minister of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, alongside Managing Director Sheikha Alia bint Khalid Al Qassimi.

Rooted in heritage and tradition, and open to the world, the Orchestra brings Arabic and Western instruments into one ensemble of 70 musicians, supported by a choir of 30 singers. Its programmes bring established repertoire into conversation with new work, while giving composers and musicians space to shape an orchestral voice that proudly reflects the UAE.

At its heart is the shared experience of live music, inviting audiences of all ages and backgrounds to hear familiar works afresh, discover unexpected sounds and feel the energy of live performance. Its inaugural season brought together original compositions, reimagined classics, and world-renowned artists.

Season Two, Symphony On, carries that sentiment forward. Through new commissions, partnerships, training and mentorship programmes, UAENO is bringing Emirati stories and new sounds to the stage while developing the next generation of artists; so the music plays on for generations.