Timeframe: When Placido Domingo performed at the opening of Dubai Opera in 2016

Placido Domingo performed during the opening night of Dubai Opera on August 31, 2016. Getty Images

On August 31, 2016, Dubai marked the opening of the city’s most distinguished address for the performing arts.

Dubai Opera's inaugural performance came as a statement of what the venue would be offering for years to come. The performance traversed centuries and genres, spanning Verdi and Wagner to West Side Story.

Placido Domingo was the star of the show, accompanied by a 65-piece orchestra. Even at 75, the tenor managed to deliver a performance that underscored his place on the operatic pantheon.

Domingo made his entrance with Nemico della Patria, an aria that is part of Umberto Giordano’s 1896 opera Andrea Chénier. The Spanish singer then powered through Verdi operas La Traviata and Il Trovatore, with duets alongside Ana Maria Martinez, the Puerto Rican soprano who was a frequent collaborator.

The second segment of the show took its cue from several Broadway classics. While Verdi is very much in Domingo’s element – the singer has released recordings of practically every tenor aria written by the 19th century Italian composer – it was surprising for many to see him belt through hits such as Some Enchanted Evening, a tune from the 1949 musical South Pacific. Martinez, meanwhile, paid homage to Julie Andrews with a rendition of I Could Have Danced All Night from the musical My Fair Lady.

However, the star performance was Tonight from West Side Story, invigorated with a playful duet by Domingo and Martinez. The performance drew to a close with a performance of No Suede Ser, written by Spanish composer Pablo Sorozabal.

However, as impressive as Domingo’s operatic prowess is, his character offstage has been scrutinised in recent years as multiple sexual assault allegations were made against the singer. At least 20 women, including a former colleague, have accused Domingo of forcibly kissing and grabbing them. The incidents reportedly spanned three decades, going as far back as the 1980s.

Domingo resigned as general director of the Los Angeles Opera when the accusations against him began surfacing in 2019. In February 2020, he released a statement apologising to the women who accused him for the “pain” he caused them and accepted “full responsibility”.

Since its opening, Dubai Opera has grown into one of the region's most important cultural hubs. In June, the venue announced that a record 250,000 guests attended shows during its 2023-2024 season, the highest number of people in a season since it opened its doors in 2016.

More than 100 productions and 200 performances were held at the venue during the season, spanning opera, ballet, symphonic, musicals and concerts.

Highlights included the UAE premieres of Orchestra of Teatro alla Scala, musicAeterna Orchestra and Rome Opera Ballet. Internationally acclaimed shows The Phantom of the Opera and Matilda The Musical also had successful runs.