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Abu Dhabi: The capital's Music and Arts Festival kicked off with a children's day on Friday featuring musical performances by children from various institutes.
The main festival starts next Saturday and runs until April 2 at the Emirates Palace Hotel.
The children's day, held at the Cultural Foundation, started with performances by children from the Elite Music Institute, Al Khub-airat, Abu Dhabi Indian School, the Beethoven Institute of Music and the Centre of Education. Students of private piano teachers Marielle Rivet and Katarina Peers also took part.
This year, the festival organisers have joined forces with IMG Artists to bring world-famous performances by artists such as Anna Netrebko of the Bolshoi Ballet and Orchestra, and Hiba Al Kawas to Abu Dhabi.
There will be 12 musical shows, some solo and some collaborative, with both Western and Eastern influences. Art symposiums will also be held on the sidelines. Hoda Kanoo, founder of the Music and Arts Foundation which organises the festival, said: "Children's Day has always been an integral component of the festival. Giving children a chance to enhance their talents is what this day is all about. We give them opportunities that they would not have had otherwise."
The festival is under the patronage of General Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces.
The festival was founded by the Abu Dhabi Music and Arts Foundation in 2002 and is held annually in association with the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority, and the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage.
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