UAE National Orchestra: A Festival Evening with Orchestra 2026

The UAE National Orchestra presents A Festival Evening with Orchestra at Dubai Opera on Wednesday 9 December 2026, a seasonal Winter Concert in partnership with Dubai Opera that mixes orchestral favourites, Christmas classics and Arabic songs. The orchestra and its choir are joined by Dubai Singers and The Stage House Choir under guest conductor Nayer Nagui, in a programme of about 1 hour 40 minutes including a 20-minute interval.

The performers

This is a large-scale night: a full orchestra plus three choirs on the Dubai Opera stage. The UAE National Orchestra and its Choir lead the evening, with guest conductor Nayer Nagui, who has also written several of the arrangements. Chorus master Howard Wong prepares all three choirs, Samuel Nebyu is concertmaster, and two soloists carry the vocal numbers: soprano Dina Iskander and baritone Elhamy Amin.

The programme, from Sleigh Ride to Feliz Navidad

Unusually for a festive concert in Dubai, the full running order has been published, so you know exactly what you are getting.

First half

• Leroy Anderson’s Sleigh Ride for orchestra
• A Holiday Pops medley of festive songs with both soloists and choir
• Happy Xmas (War Is Over) and Silent Night with Dina Iskander and choir
• The Christmas Song and Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! with Elhamy Amin
• White Christmas and When a Child Is Born, both arranged by Nayer Nagui
• Thalj Thalj by the Rahbani Brothers, sung by the Arabic choir with the full choir
• Jingle Bell Rock to close the half

Second half

• Tchaikovsky’s Waltz of the Flowers from The Nutcracker
• Der weisse Schnee, Gloria, What Child Is This and O Holy Night
• Ya Mariam by Ziad Rahbani and Laylat Eid, the Arabic version of Jingle Bells with words by the Rahbani Brothers
• Feliz Navidad and We Wish You a Merry Christmas to finish

The Arabic songs are what make this concert different from a standard carol evening. Thalj Thalj, Ya Mariam and Laylat Eid sit alongside the Western repertoire, so the night genuinely moves between languages and traditions, which is the stated aim of the programme: a shared musical experience across cultures and generations.

The arrangements are a big part of the evening’s character. Steven Simon arranged or orchestrated much of the Arabic and choral material, including Thalj Thalj, Ya Mariam, Laylat Eid and Gloria, while Nayer Nagui arranged White Christmas, When a Child Is Born, What Child Is This and O Holy Night himself. Fedor Vrtacnik’s versions of Happy Xmas and Feliz Navidad and Mohamed Sami’s closing We Wish You a Merry Christmas complete the set, so the concert moves between quiet solo moments and the full weight of an orchestra with three choirs.

Dubai Opera rules for the night

The concert starts at 8pm. The building opens two hours before and the auditorium 30 minutes before. Latecomers may be held until a suitable break, and late arrival is not refunded. The dress code rules out overly casual or provocative clothing such as shorts and flip-flops. Phones must be silenced, recording is not allowed, and no food or drink can be taken into the auditorium, including during the interval.

Who it suits

The programme is aimed at audiences of all ages, and Dubai Opera’s age rule is more relaxed here than for many shows: children aged 3 and over can enter the Main Auditorium with a ticket, children under 3 cannot, and under-18s must be with an adult. With familiar tunes, a running time under two hours and a mix of English and Arabic songs, it suits families, mixed groups of friends and anyone who wants a festive outing that reflects the UAE’s mix of cultures.

For more see our concerts in Dubai guide, our Dubai Opera guide, things to do in Dubai and the December events calendar.