DUBAI: German film composer Hans Zimmer is set for Abu Dhabi, bringing The Next Level tour to the Etihad Arena on Nov. 13 as the marquee night of the 23rd Abu Dhabi Festival.
The Academy Award and Grammy winner’s show reworks Zimmer’s best-known film scores into a full arena spectacle of orchestral and electronic sound.
Known for scores including “The Lion King,” “Gladiator,” “Inception,” “Interstellar” and “Dune,” Zimmer has won two Oscars across a decades-long career.
The show will anchor an event that runs in the capital from Oct. 10 to Dec. 19 under the theme “The Wisdom of Culture,” which the festival frames as a celebration of the UAE as a platform for global dialogue.
The program brings together leading UAE cultural institutions, Emirati performers and international artists, spanning orchestral performances, jazz, ballet, dance and recitals at the capital’s landmark venues.
The season opens with the UAE National Orchestra, conducted by Francois Lopez-Ferrer, featuring the young pianist David Khrikuli as soloist.
Marking the UAE’s Year of the Family, the program extends its education and community work to schools and young people, and in November debuts the Children’s Biennale, billed as the Arab world’s first outdoor children’s art biennale. Children will co-create works with teaching artists using sustainable materials and displayed across Umm Al Emarat Park throughout the month.
The program also marks the year overseas in which the Abu Dhabi Festival Abroad drew more than 142,000 visitors across the US, Korea, Austria, Spain and Lebanon.
Now in its 23rd year, the festival has championed cultural exchange since its inception in 2004, and 2026 doubles as the 30th anniversary of its founding body, the Abu Dhabi Music & Arts Foundation, established in 1996.
