Piano Recital Series: 3 Concert Package in Abu Dhabi

This is a three-evening classical series at the Cultural Foundation in Abu Dhabi, presented as part of Abu Dhabi Festival 2026. The concerts run on consecutive nights, and one package covers all three. The idea behind the series is to show how many roles the piano can play: it accompanies a singer, shares the stage with a violin, and finally stands entirely alone.

The first evening pairs the French tenor Benjamin Bernheim with the Canadian pianist Carrie-Ann Matheson for operatic arias and well-loved songs. On the second night the violinist Lisa Batiashvili is joined by the Georgian pianist Giorgi Gigashvili for a programme of works by Beethoven, Prokofiev, Bardanashvili and Franck. The series closes with the Korean-American pianist Minsoo Sohn, who plays Book One of Bach's The Well-Tempered Clavier, a cornerstone of the keyboard repertoire. Each ticket holder also receives a complimentary programme at every one of the three performances.

The Cultural Foundation is one of the long-standing cultural landmarks of Abu Dhabi, a building devoted to art, literature and performance in the centre of the city. It sits in the downtown area, not far from the Corniche waterfront, and has long been associated with the capital's festivals, exhibitions and concerts. If you live in Dubai, expect a drive of roughly an hour and a half to reach it, which makes an evening or a few nights here a proper outing.

The format is that of a classical recital: you sit and listen, with a different pairing of musicians and a different mood each night. It suits listeners who enjoy opera and song, chamber music or solo piano, and anyone who would like to hear all three in a single run. Buying the three-concert package is the way to attend the whole series, and it is offered at a saving of 33 percent compared with buying the individual tickets separately.