Pianist and composer Omar Harfouch will return to Dubai Opera on 18 September 2026 for a concert built around his Concerto for Peace — an original seventeen-minute work for piano and philharmonic orchestra that he composed and co-orchestrated with his childhood friend Houtaf Khoury.
He will be joined by the Ensemble Sequentiae Orchestra, twenty-three musicians under the direction of conductor Mathieu Bonnin, whose collaboration with Harfouch has carried the Concerto for Peace across Europe and his wider call for universal peace. The programme places the concerto alongside other works from Harfouch's repertoire, including Tripoli, Save One Life You Save Humanity and Fantaisie Orientale.
The evening will also feature the world premiere of Dubaï Mi Amor, a new piece performed with Chico & The Gypsies — the ensemble named UNESCO Special Envoy for Peace — bridging classical and popular traditions in a shared celebration of unity.
The programme reflects the conviction that has guided Harfouch's work for years. Born in Tripoli, Lebanon, he turned to the piano during his country's civil war, taking shelter behind the instrument during bombardments. "Music was my only refuge," he has said, "and today I consider that it has saved my life." The Concerto for Peace is his answer to a divided world: seventeen minutes during which, in his words, he tries to place the audience in a bubble of peace.
The evening at Dubai Opera will open with a red-carpet reception from 6:00 PM, with the concert beginning at 7:30 PM. Tickets are available through Dubai Opera at dubaiopera.com.
“Seventeen minutes during which I try to place the spectators in a bubble of peace.”
