Updated 9 November 2026
If you’re booking one classical evening in Dubai this season, choose by what you want to hear. Encore brings young musicians and choirs together with film themes and concert music. Baroque & Beyond puts live soloists inside a room of moving projections. The UAE National Orchestra’s Winter Concert combines a professional orchestra, vocal soloists and three choirs, with Arabic songs in the published programme. Yuja Wang gives a solo piano recital and keeps the programme a surprise.
| Evening | Performance | Listed admission | Choose it for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 22 Nov 2026, 7 pm | Encore at Dubai Opera | From AED 200 | Youth ensembles, film themes and choirs |
| Sat 28 Nov 2026, 8 pm | Baroque & Beyond at TODA | From AED 180 | Baroque soloists and 360-degree projections |
| Wed 9 Dec 2026, 8 pm | Winter Concert at Dubai Opera | From AED 200 | Published festive repertoire, vocal soloists and three choirs |
| Fri 29 Jan 2027, 8 pm | Yuja Wang at Dubai Opera | From AED 300 | Solo piano and a surprise programme |
Check the ages before comparing seats. Winter Concert starts at age three, Encore at four and Yuja Wang at six. These three Dubai Opera events require an accompanying adult for under-18s. The TODA seller marks every Baroque ticket tier 13+. The table gives listed starting rates per ticket. The sections below explain what each price buys and when to arrive.
22 November · Encore for film themes, young players and choir
Choose Encore if you want a 7 pm Sunday start and several kinds of ensemble in the same concert. Dubai Opera bills a Sinfonietta, Concert Band, Percussion Ensemble, Senior String Camerata, choirs and the National Youth Orchestra. Listen for what changes when a smaller string ensemble gives way to a band or when voices join the instrumental sound. The published repertoire moves between music by Mozart and Bizet, film music associated with John Williams and Hans Zimmer, and songs from Aladdin and Toy Story. That gives younger listeners several familiar points in the programme. Dubai Opera’s Encore programme and booking · National Youth Orchestra’s concert announcement
Dubai Opera admits children from age four, with a ticket for each child and an adult accompanying under-18s. Its timing tab gives about two hours and 20 minutes including an interval. With a 7 pm start, the building opens at 5 pm, the auditorium at 6:30 pm, and the estimated finish is 9:20 pm. The earlier start can help a family fit in dinner or get home sooner. There is still a full concert on either side of the interval. Consider a position from which everyone can see across the stage. The changes between the percussion, strings and choirs are part of the evening, so a clear overall view can matter more than being close to one section. Encore tickets and house information
The Encore seat map showed price filters of AED 200, AED 240, AED 290 and AED 340. Two seats at those endpoints would total AED 400 to AED 680 before any fees. Check which seats you can actually select and how the rows line up. If you need four places together, even an AED 40 difference per seat adds AED 160 to the subtotal. The venue lists tickets as non-refundable, so put all the seats for the family into one order after checking the time and ages. Encore booking map and entry terms
The concert gives first-time listeners several chances to hear the difference between a band, strings and a choir without having to know the whole programme. Start with Bizet’s Habanera or a film theme they already know, then listen for the percussion ensemble. Dubai Opera also bills This Is Me as the close of the junior and senior choirs’ set. For someone who would rather hear an evening built around the blend of professional orchestra and choral voices, go to the December Winter Concert. Encore programme · Winter Concert programme
28 November · Baroque soloists and projections at TODA
Choose Baroque & Beyond if you want a smaller live ensemble and a room where the visual production is part of the concert. The 28 November listing names the UAE Philharmonic Orchestra Soloists and describes projections moving around the Theatre of Digital Art as the group plays. Where Encore moves between several youth ensembles, this concert stays with Baroque music. Choose it for the interplay between the musicians and the setting. The seller names eight soloists and lists works by Vivaldi, Bach, Biber, Purcell and Rameau. Choose this date if you want to hear the interplay of two violins in the advertised Vivaldi and Bach concertos. More works are due to be announced. Check with TODA if a particular player assignment or the finish time matters to you. TODA’s November calendar · Exact Baroque & Beyond ticket listing
The ticket selector showed Balcony at AED 180, Regular at AED 200, Silver at AED 250, Gold at AED 400 and Diamond at AED 450, all 13+. Two Balcony tickets come to AED 360 at the displayed rate. Two Silver tickets come to AED 500, and the seller describes Silver as mid-theatre seating. That AED 140 difference for a pair is worth weighing if the view of the live players matters as much to you as the projections. Check the total and whether the category meets your seating or access needs before paying. ToDA’s event-specific post shows musicians against blue projection artwork and says each piece will have paired visuals. Use the exact seller listing for the soloist billing and ticket terms. Baroque ticket selector · ToDA’s official Baroque & Beyond post
The seller gives 7:30 pm doors and an 8 pm start at Souk Madinat Jumeirah. It suggests continuing by taxi from Mall of the Emirates if you take the Metro. Allow time to reach the theatre inside the souk. Check directly with TODA if you need to know the finish time or how the moving projections will affect your party. The Dubai Opera arrival and seating information below applies to the other three dates. TODA location and ticket information
9 December · Winter Concert with orchestra, soloists and three choirs
Pick the UAE National Orchestra’s Winter Concert if you want to know the shape of the evening before you book. Dubai Opera publishes an opening with Sleigh Ride, then moves through songs including Silent Night and Thalj Thalj. After the interval, Waltz of the Flowers leads into a second half that includes Ya Mariam and Laylat Eid before the closing festive songs. The published sequence gives you something to listen for in each half. Dubai Opera’s Winter Concert repertoire
Guest conductor Nayer Nagui leads the orchestra and its choir, joined by Dubai Singers and The Stage House Choir. Soprano Dina Iskander and baritone Elhamy Amin are the featured soloists. Compared with Encore, the point here is the way a professional orchestra and combined choirs shift between familiar festive songs and Arabic repertoire. The orchestra’s Instagram carousel is from its earlier Romantic Masters concert. The Winter Concert’s own listing establishes the cast and repertoire for December. UAE National Orchestra concert page · Orchestra’s earlier concert carousel
Select Dubai Opera on 9 December in the orchestra’s listing. It also lists 12 December in Abu Dhabi. For Dubai, auditorium doors open at 7:30 pm and the concert starts at 8 pm. Dubai Opera’s timings tab gives about two hours and 15 minutes including a 20-minute interval, which puts the finish at about 10:15 pm. The house admits children from age three, with a ticket and an adult accompanying under-18s. This is the only one of the four listings that admits a three-year-old, so weigh that access against the later finish. Orchestra date selector · Dubai Opera timing and age rules
The Winter Concert map showed AED 200, AED 300, AED 425 and AED 550 price filters. At those endpoints, two seats would cost AED 400 to AED 1,100 before any fees. The AED 200 starting point matches Encore, but the maps offer different options once you start looking for places together. Compare both maps if you mainly want a festive night and your dates are flexible. If it’s the Arabic songs that brought you to the listing, the programme places Thalj Thalj in the first half and Ya Mariam and Laylat Eid in the second. Winter Concert seat map and programme
29 January · Yuja Wang and one piano
Yuja Wang’s 29 January recital is the most concentrated choice. Dubai Opera bills it as a solo recital and says no programme will be announced in advance. Choose it if you want to hear how one pianist shapes the evening through touch, timing and shifts in dynamics. If you normally book around a composer or a particular piece, the deliberate surprise changes the decision. Go for Wang’s playing and leave the repertoire open. Yuja Wang recital and tickets
The venue lists 8 pm and admission from AED 300, putting two tickets at AED 600 if the starting tier is available. A seat facing the stage can suit someone listening for the overall sound, while a clear angle to the keyboard helps someone who wants to watch how Wang gets that sound. If seeing the keyboard is part of the appeal, use the live seat map and ask the box office about the expected piano position. A view of the pianist’s hands and a central view of the stage are different priorities. Ask the venue about companion seating or step-free access before paying if either affects the group. Dubai Opera recital booking · Dubai Opera accessibility
Platinumlist lists a minimum age of six and an adult with anyone under 18. For the 8 pm recital, building access starts at 6 pm and the auditorium opens at 7:30 pm. The event notice says latecomers may miss admission once the playing begins, and offers no refund for missing entry. A duration was unavailable on the checked seller listing, so give yourself flexibility after the show. Recital ticket terms and door times
Wang’s Last Night of the Proms carousel shows her beside a grand piano with the BBC Symphony Orchestra behind her. That was a concert with orchestra. In Dubai, one pianist will carry the recital. If you’ve only heard her in concerto recordings, listen for the way a single pair of hands can keep a bass line moving while the melody stretches above it. The Dubai programme remains a surprise. Yuja Wang’s Proms carousel · Dubai Opera recital format
Arriving at Dubai Opera
Encore, the Winter Concert and Yuja Wang use the Main Auditorium. Check the exact performance on your confirmation when you plan your arrival. Encore opens the auditorium at 6:30 pm. The two later concerts publish 7:30 pm auditorium doors. Give yourself enough time to get from the drop-off to your row. Dubai Opera says it has designated wheelchair and carer spaces and lifts to all levels, with accessible restrooms on the Stalls level. It also lists accessible parking in Basement 2. Contact the venue about available companion positions before you choose seats for the rest of the group. Dubai Opera access and parking · Yuja Wang ticket terms · Winter Concert details
For wheelchair seating, request a wheelchair and companion position for the exact performance through boxoffice@dubaiopera.com. Ask where your party can sit if several companions are coming, since designated positions depend on the configuration. The venue lists its taxi meeting point at Dubai Opera Plaza and directs self-parking guests to Entrance C on Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Boulevard. Keep the theatre ticket accessible on your phone and give the group a meeting point before the auditorium opens. Dubai Opera box office FAQs · Dubai Opera parking and pickup
For a sense of how the auditorium frames an orchestra, Dubai Opera’s earlier Romantic Masters carousel shows a solo violinist and conductor in front of the strings. The Winter Concert brings choirs into the picture as well. If you want to follow both the conductor and the entrances from the choir, check how much of the stage a row lets you see. For Encore, a similar wide view can help you take in the different ensembles as they come on. Dubai Opera’s earlier orchestral carousel
How to narrow the four dates down to one
For a group choosing mainly by repertoire, the Winter Concert gives you the clearest picture of what you will hear and when. Encore gives you a different kind of familiarity. It has more variety in who comes onstage and a Sunday start an hour earlier. For a child who meets both age rules, that earlier curtain can matter more than the similar starting ticket price. Compare the actual seats and the estimated journey home before you pick.
The two less predictable programmes ask for different commitments. TODA gives you a period of music and a projection-led setting, with a lower starting price and a higher age threshold. Yuja Wang gives you one named performer and a whole evening of solo piano, with the work list left open. If the group is split between people who watch the stage and people who mainly want to listen, decide whose reason for going you want the seat to serve before moving up a tier.
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