The 18th edition of the Abu Dhabi Festival, which celebrates artistic and creative excellence, and promotes music and the arts, has announced the launch of the first-of-its-kind Global Oud Forum (GOF) 2021 across its digital channels.
The launch was supported by lead Lead Partner Mubadala Investment Company (Mubadala) and held in collaboration with oud master Naseer Shamma.
Consisting of seven TV-format episodes, the virtual event, being held under the theme ‘The Future Starts Now’, will feature 27 oud musicians from 14 countries performing compositions written specifically for the oud.
Held between March 25 and June 15, GOF2021 will share insights from academics and experts in the fields of music and the arts into the history and development of the ancient oud and how the instrument is being integrated into today's digital music industry. The forum will also show interviews with six well-known oud makers from across the Arab world, while visiting their workshops for a glimpse of the secrets of their craft.
Huda I. Alkhamis-Kanoo, Founder of the Abu Dhabi Music & Arts Foundation and Artistic Director of Abu Dhabi Festival, said: “Musicians around the world have been inspired by authentic Arabic oud music, a fundamental part of our cultural heritage that has had significant impact on Western music.
“Our strategic partnership with oud master Naseer Shamma to produce the Global Oud Forum reflects ADF’s mission to raise awareness about the critical role of music and the arts in building bridges between cultures and building a civilisation that is capable of overcoming challenges. Through the Global Oud Forum, we help preserve the traditional Arabic music that is rooted in our history and is part of our legacy.”
Naseer Shamma said: “I am proud to be working again with Abu Dhabi Festival. In this edition, the festival is reinventing itself to communicate its vision in the arts and music industry despite the impact of Covid-19, which has affected us all.
“The Global Oud Forum combines a wide array of creative individuals to present their visions, ideas, music and innovations in the world of the Oud, a unique attempt to bring together musicians, Oud makers, researchers and critics, all in one place,” he added.
The virtual edition of GOF consists of a unique series of seven TV-format episodes designed to shed light on the works of oud makers, on innovations in the musical instrument industry, on the history and present of the oud in the Gulf region and the ways it is becoming recognised globally, and on the modern musical instrument industry, in which digital technology has transformed oud music and all the arts.
The GOF2021 concludes with an episode featuring three performances by Naseer Shamma, who will also speak on the challenges presented by the global pandemic and on the value of the research presented in the Forum and what brought these particular participants to this edition of the Forum. – TradeArabia News Service
Abu Dhabi Festival launches Global Oud Forum
Huda I. Alkhamis-Kanoo
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