Abu Dhabi opens a free music school for its new youth orchestra in January

Abu Dhabi is setting up a home of its own for young musicians. The Department of Culture and Tourism Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) announced on 26 October that the Youth Orchestra Abu Dhabi will open as a dedicated institution in January 2027, offering music education free of charge.

The first group will be 100 children aged six to nine. They will be trained in both Western classical music and Arabic musical traditions, and the department says more ensembles for advanced students will be added during the first year, so that children who start young have somewhere to progress to.

The orchestra will be based in the Mina Zayed district, known as MiZa, in a building with a 600-seat concert hall and 18 rehearsal and practice rooms built to a professional standard for playing together. It was designed by the late architect Frank Gehry, who also designed Dar al Funoon Abu Dhabi, a performing arts institution announced recently, and the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi now rising in the Saadiyat Cultural District.

"The Youth Orchestra Abu Dhabi is an important investment in our future," said Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman of DCT Abu Dhabi, adding that music builds discipline, collaboration, creativity and confidence beyond technical skill. The department describes the institution as a long-term pathway for young people across the emirate, and Abu Dhabi already holds the title of a UNESCO Creative City of Music.

For parents, the key facts are the age range and the cost: children aged six to nine, with no fees announced. DCT Abu Dhabi says enrolment for the first cohort begins in October 2026, and coverage of the launch says children will be asked to audition. The department has not yet published an application deadline or said whether places are limited to Abu Dhabi residents, so families in Dubai who are interested should follow DCT Abu Dhabi's official channels for the enrolment form and the audition dates before term begins in January.