The opening of the Dubai Opera on Wednesday will be music to the ears of many people. The programme for the next few months is eclectic: there is traditional opera, of course, with concerts by Placido Domingo and Jose Carreras, and a production of Bizet's The Pearl Fishers. And, in common with opera venues around the world, there will be a good helping of musical theatre, notably Les Misérables and West Side Story, ballet, children's shows and world music.
It will take some time for the venue managers and promoters to find out exactly what it is that UAE audiences want. Will it be more West End and Broadway hits, or will there be room for local and regional talent to bloom? Or a bit of everything?
Dubai now has the space to allow wonderful things to happen. Rather than just fill a void, let’s hope it takes audiences and artists into exciting new directions. The Opera, is after all, a building made of hard materials. The challenge is to fill it with experiences that will make our hearts and minds sing.
