- The UAE National Orchestra launches its first family-focused concert series, introducing an interactive live orchestral experience designed for children and families.
- The programme focuses on Camille Saint-Saëns’The Carnival of the Animals, where each musical piece brings an animal to life through distinct sounds and instruments.
- The concert marks the launch of Once Upon a Tune, a new concert series designed to build early connections with orchestral music and live performance.
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, 12 May 2026: The UAE National Orchestra will launch its first family concert series next week with Once Upon a Tune – The Carnival of the Animals, an interactive live performance designed to introduce children and families to the joy of orchestral music. For many children, this will be their first experience of live orchestral music.
Taking place on Thursday 14 May 2026 at the Cultural Foundation in Abu Dhabi, the concert is designed for audiences of all ages. The programme introduces younger listeners to orchestral music through a combination of storytelling, interactive games, and on-screen animation that brings the characters to life.
The concert invites audiences to take part in the performance itself. Led by a narrator, the experience unfolds as a participatory journey where children respond in real time through dancing, clapping, and simple call-and-response activities. These moments help children understand how music is made and how it makes them feel in a way that is fun, natural, engaging and memorable.
Once Upon a Tune – The Carnival of the Animals marks the first concert in the UAE National Orchestra’s new concert series, Once Upon a Tune, a new initiative focused on introducing younger audiences to orchestral music through storytelling and interactive experiences. The series forms part of the Orchestra’s wider mission to make music more accessible, nurture young audiences, and build a deeper connection between families and live performance in the UAE.
A Musical Introduction for Young Audiences
The programme opens with a guided introduction to the fundamentals of music, helping children understand how music is created through notes, rhythm, and sound. This is followed by an interactive “guessing game” focused on music and emotion, where the orchestra performs short excerpts and invites the audience to identify the feeling they hear. Children respond by expressing these emotions through movement, whether by dancing, clapping, or acting them out, demonstrating how music can convey feelings such as joy, anger, sadness, or calm.
At the centre of the concert is French composer Camille Saint-Saëns’ famous work The Carnival of the Animals, a collection of fourteen musical movements, each representing a different animal. From the strength of the lion to the lightness of the swan and the playfulness of the kangaroo, the music introduces distinct characters, brought to life through orchestral colour and on-screen motion graphics. A narrator guides audiences through the story, connecting each piece and helping interpret the characters and scenes as they unfold.
Sheikha Alia bint Khalid Al Qassimi, Managing Director of the UAE National Orchestra, said “Introducing music at a young age plays an important role in shaping how future generations connect with culture. For many children, this is where that connection begins, where their curiosity grows and their imagination comes to life. This concert has been designed to give children that experience, helping them connect with music in their own way. It is part of our wider effort to nurture curiosity and build familiarity with music from an early stage, encouraging young audiences not only to experience it, but to see it as something they can continue to explore and pursue in the future.”
Monica George, Artistic Planning Coordinator at the UAE National Orchestra, said: “The Carnival of the Animals offers a strong foundation for younger audiences, as each musical piece carries a clear character and story. We introduced interactive elements that allow audiences to engage directly with the music, while preserving the humour, imagination, and personality that make the work so distinctive.”
The concert will take place on 14 May 2026 at 6:30 PM at the Cultural Foundation in Abu Dhabi. Tickets are available through the UAE National Orchestra website.
