White Nights in Dubai Reveals World-Class Festival Acts

White Nights in Dubai is the first ever musical festival of its kind in the Middle East that will bring together a carefully curated collection of the brightest and biggest stars from the world of music from March 30th to April 8th 2017 at Dubai Opera. Opening the event onThursday, March 30th will be Welsh superstar Mezzo Soprano Katherine Jenkins and Britain's leading tenor Alfie Boe to co-headline in concert together for the first time; virtuoso violinist David Garrett with special guest pianist Khatia Buniatishvili on Saturday, April 1st; the 'Number 1 Opera Singer in the World', Jonas Kaufmann on Thursday, April 6th; superstar soprano Angela Gheorghiu on Friday,April 7th; and finally, jazz and pop sensation, Jamie Cullum on Saturday, April 8th. They will be backed by the White Nights Symphony Orchestra conducted by Maestro Gianluca Marciano.

White Nights in Dubai, supported by Dubai's Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM), is the first ever project of United Stage Middle East, a subsidiary of United Stage AB, Sweden's biggest booking agency. The company has been in the music business for over 30 years and expanded to London in 2015 and to the Middle East in 2016 with a view to expand their reach internationally.

"We are hoping that by bringing these world-class talents, we also attract guests both locally and internationally; and contribute to the overall growth of the vibrant and diverse arts and cultural environment of the Middle East region," says Brian Lane, CEO of United Stage International, who across his career has managed artists as diverse as Katherine Jenkins, a-Ha, It Bites, the A*Teens, Heather Small, YES, Vangelis, Asia, and Rick Wakeman that altogether have sold in excess of 120 million records.  

Ahlam Bolooki, Senior Manager, Events Marketing at Dubai Tourism said: "We are delighted with the announcement that White Nights in Dubai will be hosting some of the most globally recognised artists of the world of classical and jazz music in the emirate at DubaiOpera next year. Hosting Welsh superstar Katherine Jenkins and jazz and pop sensation, Jamie Cullum amongst other talents, plays a key role in strengthening Dubai's position as a regional arts and culture hub as well as solidifying our standing as a global events and festivals destination."

White Nights Festival begins on March 30th with Welsh superstar Mezzo Soprano Katherine Jenkins, the world's most prolific Classical Crossover singer, having released ten studio albums since being signed to Universal Classics at the tender age of 23. Jenkins' first album 'Premiere' earned her first of seven UK classical number one's as well as her first BRIT Award for Best Album. Co-headlining in concert on the night is Britain's leading tenor Alfie Boe who has triumphed on theatre stages and in concert halls on both sides of the Atlantic. He shared a Tony Award for his role in Baz Luhrmann's 2002 revival of 'La Boheme' on Broadway and scaled new heights of popularity as Valjean in the West End stage production of 'Les Miserables' in London and its 25th anniversary performance in 2010.

April 1st will feature David Garrett, the German violin maestro who carries an unparalleled career of over 20 years. Since 2007 and the release of his first crossover CD, "Virtuoso", the star has been redefining standards step by step in both the classical and crossover scene. His CDs were Bestsellers of the Year in Germany for three consecutive years (2010 with "Classic Romance"/ Mendelssohn Violin Concerto, 2011 and 2012 with "Legacy"/ Beethoven Violin Concerto). Joining David as his special guest star is Khatia Buniatishvili, the Georgian born pianist who has been performing on stage since she was six years old. In 2010, she received a Borletti-Buitoni Trust Award, has been nominated by Vienna's Musikverein and Konzerthaus as a Rising Star for the 2011/2012 season and received ECHO Price 2012 in Berlin.

The 'New King of Tenors', Jonas Kaufmann, takes the stage on April 6th. Since his sensational début at the Metropolitan Opera in New York in a performance of "La Traviata" in 2006, Kaufmann has numbered among the top stars in the operatic world. Insiders praise him as the most important German tenor since Fritz Wunderlich, and the UK newspaper The Daily Telegraph recently cited him as the "Number 1 Greatest Opera Star in the World."

On April 7th, superstar Anglea Gheorghiu is set to make her Dubai Opera debut. She has recently been named by the Telegraph as one of the top 10 opera stars of this age. All her CDs have received widespread critical acclaim and have been awarded many prizes such as Gramophone Awards, Diapason d'Or Awards, Choc du Monde de la Musique in France, Cecilia Prize in Belgium, Deutsche Schallplattenkritik-Preis in Germany, the Echo Award, the Italian Musica e dischi Foreign Lyric Production Award, and the USA Critics' Award, and "Female Artist of the Year" at the Classical Brit Awards in 2001 and 2010, to name a few.

Closing the series of spectacular shows will be Jamie Cullum on April 8th. With a Grammy, two Golden Globe, two GQ Man of the Year Awards, three Brits, three Sony Radio and numerous other nominations and awards under his belt, Jamie Cullum is a success story that has spread across the planet. He is the most successful UK jazz artist ever, having sold over 10 million albums worldwide. It's through jazz that Jamie first made his mark but it is his knowledge and love of all music that has helped propel him onto the world stage.

Each concert will be backed by the White Nights Symphony Orchestra conducted by Maestro Gianluca Marciano, an award winning pianist who first found fame as a child prodigy. He has conducted and performed internationally for several seasons, and standard repertoire at many theatres across the UK, Europe and the Levant. His recent work includes concerts with the George Enescu Philharmonic and the Lebanese Philharmonic Orchestra. He has a close relationship with the English Chamber Orchestra, and other notable orchestras which Marcianò has conducted including the Moscow City Russian Philharmonic, the BBC Concert Orchestra, the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, the English National Opera, the Oviedo Filarmonia, the Sarajevo Philarmonic Orchestra, the Orchestra di Padova e del Veneto, the State Youth Orchestra of Armenia, The World Orchestra, the Macau Orchestra and Beijing Symphony Orchestra.

Tickets on Sale from October 12th  

Tickets will be sold from Wednesday, October 12th at 12:00pm via http://www.ticketmaster.ae and http://www.dubaiopera.com at the following prices:

AED 550 for Bronze

AED 750 for Silver

AED 950 for Gold

AED 1,250 for Platinum

AED 2,500 for VIP

Box and VIP Box Seats are also on offer from Ticketmaster and Dubai Opera.