Arab creativity shines with a mix of traditional and contemporary styles

Emirati Eman Al Raisi star in Dubai Music Metro

  • Pianist and electric guitarist Iman El Raisi her unique style made her one of the stars of the festival. From the source

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Emirati pianist and electric guitar player Eman Al Raisi has attracted the attention of large numbers of Dubai Metro users at the stations, where she performed pieces of music that dazzled the audience using the electric guitar, as her unique and innovative style of music made her one of the stars of the third edition of the Dubai Metro Music Festival, which kicked off on March 6.

"I was very pleased to have the opportunity to share my music with the public directly, through the live performances included in this festival, which I am proud to join," she said.

"Music is one of the most accessible arts for creativity, and it has a great ability to touch the hearts of people of diverse cultural backgrounds. The Dubai Metro Music Festival is a great platform for every musical creator, and the great diversity of the festival schedule this year with the participation of artists from around the world gives an important new dimension to the cultural scene, both in the UAE and in the region in general. I wish him more excellence in his future sessions."

This year, the festival brings together a unique group of innovative musicians from across the Arab world to perform at five metro stations in Dubai, and is part of the #وجهات_دبي campaign, and within the #موسم_دبي_الفني.

In one of the distinguished performances presented by Arab musicians during the third edition of the Dubai Metro Music Festival, Egyptian artist Mohamed Fawzi Bakkar delighted the audience with a unique show of marionette in a style that seamlessly blends music and hologram, to take Arab followers to the time of beautiful music through songs by the Arab singing lady um Kulthum, as this creative combination attracted the attention of Dubai Metro users, even non-Arabic speakers.

As for the Saudi musician Shadi Al-Harbi, he entertained the audience at the festival with his dazzling performance on the oud, where he mixed authentic oriental styles and maqams with modern musical styles, and presented a unique performance that was admired and encouraged by the audience who surrounded him to listen to his wonderful tunes.

Another Arab musician who impressed audiences at this year's festival was Lebanese musician Marcel Gharib, using his dulcimer, an ancient oriental instrument that closely resembles the qanun, but the style of playing is different as the player uses what looks like two small wooden bats to tapping the strings. Jordanian artist Radhi Skalli, who took Dubai Metro users to stations where he performed on a journey into the world of imagination with his distinctive harmonica playing, and young Canadian musician of Iraqi origin Lara Zeid, who amazed the festival audience with her creative playing of the qanun.

• Mohamed Fawzi Bakkar delighted the audience with a unique show of marionette puppets.

A true celebration of music

Amina Taher, Senior Marketing Executive at Brand Dubai, said: "The festival is a true celebration of music and cultural diversity, and provides a great opportunity for unique talents to showcase their creativity and share glimpses of the many cultures they express with an audience with multiple cultural backgrounds, through Dubai's rich and diverse global community. The festival was keen to ensure that Emirati and Arab talents have a share in this celebration, which aims to highlight the vibrant spirit of Dubai and creativity."