NYUAD Music Program

Last week the NYU Abu Dhabi Music Program hosted a Composers Masterclass with the Katarina String Quartet at the Arts Center 🎻✨

During the session, the quartet workshopped and performed original compositions by student composers Kate Ezubova and Daniel Lai, offering feedback and insight into the collaborative process between composer and performer. It was a unique opportunity to hear new music brought from score to live performance and to experience how a piece evolves through rehearsal and interpretation.

We extend our sincere thanks to the Katarina String Quartet for sharing their artistry and expertise, and to our composers and community members who joined us for this special evening. We also gratefully acknowledge Jennifer Laursen and the American University of Sharjah for collaborating with us to make this event possible! 🎶💜

✨ This week at the NYUAD Music Program we got to dive into “Curating the World?” with Rolf Killius 🎶

He challenged traditional museum practices by centering intangible cultural heritage and the voices of source communities, weaving storytelling, musical traditions, decolonial approaches, and audiovisual media from projects across South Asia, East Africa, the Gulf, Europe, and the US 🌍. A powerful reminder that museums (and music!) are alive through people and relationships, not just objects.

Thank you, Rolf Killius, for sharing your insights and inspiring this meaningful conversation in our campus💜🎵

The band reviving Kuwaiti pearl-diving music through jazz | The National In this episode of Culture Bites, Enas Refaei is joined by UAE-based musician Ghazi Al Mulaifi to talk about the traditions of Kuwaiti pearl-diving music that inspired his band, Boom.Diwan. Ghazi tells Enas about his own family history of pearl diving and the intrigue it sparked in him. The rich cul...

Institute talk on Monday by Pianist, Mathematician and Researcher Laura Farré Rozada

Simplifying Complexity: Proposing a New Method for Enhancing Musical Memory

Some piano music resists memory, even for accomplished performers. For more than a century, post-tonal works have challenged musicians without offering clear strategies for learning and recall. This lecture-recital introduces Conceptual Simplification, a new approach developed through recent doctoral research that rethinks how complex music can be understood and memorised. Drawing on ideas from mathematics and computer science, the method offers fresh perspectives on musical structure and memory. Live piano performances accompany the talk, bringing these ideas vividly to life.

Speaker

Laura Farré Rozada, Pianist, Mathematician and Researcher. Associate Professor at the Polytechnic University of Catalonia Visiting Professor at the Catalonia College of Music

Simplifying Complexity: Proposing a New Method for Enhancing Musical Memory Simplifying Complexity: Proposing a New Method for Enhancing Musical Memory  Talk when January 12, 2026 6‐7:30pm where NYUAD Institute Building, Lecture Hall who NYU Abu Dhabi Institute Open to the Public

Start off the new semester with a panel on traditional war dances, moderated by our Program Head Andrew Eisenberg

Register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/performance-in-dialogue-harbiyya-and-haka-etihad-museum-tickets-1977385768062?aff=speaker

Associate Arts Professor of Practice of Music Technology, Matteo Marciano, received an award from NYU Technology Opportunities and Ventures (TOV) and the NYU Abu Dhabi Office of Research Translation and Entrepreneurship (RTE).

This recognition, conferred upon first-time innovators and patent creators at NYUAD, acknowledges Marciano's contributions to advancing the music-technology ecosystem on campus, particularly through the development, research, and innovative practices associated with Gazelien Records.

Gazelien Records is set to become NYU Abu Dhabi’s premier creative incubator, advancing innovation in music technology, sound production, and multimedia arts. This new initiative will bridge academic learning with professional industry practice, nurture emerging talent, and contribute directly to the UAE’s growing creative economy. It positions NYUAD as a global leader in creative education and a catalyst for regional cultural development.

The award also highlights Marciano's broader regional engagement, including efforts to foster interdisciplinary collaborations, mentor emerging talent, and expand the field of music production and audio innovation through research-driven and industry-aligned initiatives.

One Last Thing: Ghazi Al Mulaifi on motorcycles, Miles Davis and not taking life too seriously | The National

https://www.aramcoworld.com/articles/2025/so25/songs-of-the-pearl-divers-drawn-back-to-the-surface

Arabian Gulf Pearl Divers’ Songs Inspire Fusion Music Fusion-music ensemble Boom.Diwan honors the historical Arabian Gulf way of life with a blend of traditional rhythms and vocals with jazz improvisation.