Leading musicians tune up for Al Ain cultural festival

The Iraqi oud player Omar Beshir and the Syrian musician Ibrahim Keivo will be among the artists performing at a cultural festival in Al Ain on Thursday. Bashir, 40, has been playing the oud since he was five and is helping popularise the instrument in the Western world. His records have sold well in Europe as well as the Middle East. Keivo is a music graduate and is based in Hakasa, Syria, where he teaches his skills.

The event is being organised by Al Ain's centre for Music in the World of Islam, an organisation dedicated to preserving Islamic and Arab music. It was founded by the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage (Adach) in October. The centre is also organising a series of workshops and music lectures at the UAE University, Jahili Fort and Abu Dhabi Theatre as part of the programme. It is also in the process of documenting a comprehensive music archive and publications of music heritage prints and books, as well as organising art exhibitions, seminars and workshops.

The centre is the first of its kind in the Arab world, according to Adach, and is also hoping to put on a film and music event in the future. @Email:[e-mail]