A new music institution in Abu Dhabi will offer free tuition and instruments to children aged six to nine when it opens in January.
Youth Orchestra Abu Dhabi will be based in a building designed by the late Frank Gehry in the Mina Zayed district, with a 600-seat concert hall and 18 rehearsal and practice rooms.
Established by the Department of Culture and Tourism Abu Dhabi, the institution is accepting applications for its first cohort of 100 pupils before its January 2027 opening.
“Youth Orchestra Abu Dhabi is about creating opportunities for young people to discover and develop their potential through music,” says Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, chairman of DCT Abu Dhabi.
“Beyond musical skills, it helps build confidence, creativity, discipline and collaboration. It reflects our belief that investing in young people today is essential to building a vibrant and sustainable cultural future for Abu Dhabi.”
Pupils will attend group lessons four times a week after school and on two Saturdays each month, led by teaching artists. Each child will be provided with a musical instrument at no cost, with training covering both western classical and Arabic musical traditions.
The programme is intended to support pupils over the longer term, allowing them to develop their skills and progress through ensemble playing. Additional ensembles for advanced pupils are planned during its first year.
Its approach draws on Youth Orchestra Los Angeles, founded by Venezuelan conductor Gustavo Dudamel and inspired by El Sistema, the music education movement that began in Venezuela.
Through the Los Angeles programme, the LA Philharmonic and its community partners provide free instruments and intensive music training to young people from underserved communities. There is an architectural connection, too: Gehry designed its Beckmen Yola Centre in Inglewoeod, which opened in 2021.
The Abu Dhabi institution will be among the architect’s final completed works, according to the department. Alongside its teaching programme, the venue will host public performances, master classes and community events.
It joins several Gehry projects in Abu Dhabi, including Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, which opens on December 11, and the forthcoming Dar Al Funoon performing arts centre.
Announced in June and scheduled to open near Saadiyat Cultural District in 2030, Dar Al Funoon will accommodate opera, ballet, theatre and orchestral concerts, with plans for international touring partnerships, co-productions and artistic residencies.
Youth Orchestra Abu Dhabi adds a programme of regular music education for children to that expansion, with its first pupils set to begin learning in January.
