The all-women Firdaus Orchestra will be making its stellar debut performance at Expo 2020 Dubai with a tribute to space explorers.
Closing out Expo's Space Week, the ensemble, led by AR Rahman, will delight listeners on October 23 with a space-themed repertoire comprising western classical music and an original composition by Mr Rahman.
The concert will begin at 7pm on Saturday at Expo's Jubilee Park, and will be led by conductor Yasmina Sabbah. The evening will give visitors a taste of musical talent from across the Arab region.
Lasting one hour, the orchestra's inaugural performance will include Also Sprach Zarathustra, the theme from 2001: A Space Odyssey, as well as music from Star Wars and E.T. – Adventures on Earth.
It will also feature Karl Jenkins’ Palladio, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 and a grand finale performance by AR Rahman, who will present an exclusive new composition, Humanitas-Proorismós-Al Amal – an ode by the composer to explorers of space.
‘Al amal’ is the Arabic word for ‘hope’, which is also the name of the first Arab mission to Mars.
“To know the unknown is the quest of life, and by exploring space we explore ourselves," said Mr Rahman.
Music fans hoping for a seat in the park are encouraged to arrive early as capacity is limited.
Expo 2020 Dubai's Space Week began on October 17 and has hosted astronauts, experts and leaders in the field, highlighting the latest technology in space research and travel.
Tickets for the world's fair are available at expo2020.com.
Planets light up at Expo 2020 Dubai: in pictures
Prop idols
Girls full-contact rugby may be in its infancy in the Middle East, but there are already a number of role models for players to look up to.
Sophie Shams (Dubai Exiles mini, England sevens international)
An Emirati student who is blazing a trail in rugby. She first learnt the game at Dubai Exiles and captained her JESS Primary school team. After going to study geophysics at university in the UK, she scored a sensational try in a cup final at Twickenham. She has played for England sevens, and is now contracted to top Premiership club Saracens.
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Seren Gough-Walters (Sharjah Wanderers mini, Wales rugby league international)
Few players anywhere will have taken a more circuitous route to playing rugby on Sky Sports. Gough-Walters was born in Al Wasl Hospital in Dubai, raised in Sharjah, did not take up rugby seriously till she was 15, has a master’s in global governance and ethics, and once worked as an immigration officer at the British Embassy in Abu Dhabi. In the summer of 2021 she played for Wales against England in rugby league, in a match that was broadcast live on TV.
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Erin King (Dubai Hurricanes mini, Ireland sevens international)
Aged five, Australia-born King went to Dubai Hurricanes training at The Sevens with her brothers. She immediately struck up a deep affection for rugby. She returned to the city at the end of last year to play at the Dubai Rugby Sevens in the colours of Ireland in the Women’s World Series tournament on Pitch 1.
The biog
Occupation: Key marker and auto electrician
Hometown: Ghazala, Syria
Date of arrival in Abu Dhabi: May 15, 1978
Family: 11 siblings, a wife, three sons and one daughter
Favourite place in UAE: Abu Dhabi
Favourite hobby: I like to do a mix of things, like listening to poetry for example.
Favourite Syrian artist: Sabah Fakhri, a tenor from Aleppo
Favourite food: fresh fish
Simran
Director Hansal Mehta
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Soham Shah, Esha Tiwari Pandey
Three stars
Profile of MoneyFellows
Founder: Ahmed Wadi
Launched: 2016
Employees: 76
Financing stage: Series A ($4 million)
Investors: Partech, Sawari Ventures, 500 Startups, Dubai Angel Investors, Phoenician Fund
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