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00:00My name is Alina Khalifeh and I'm very thrilled to announce and introduce the first episode of the show.
00:05Stay tuned because I have a very special guest that I'm going to be interviewing.
00:10Mr. Paolo Petruccelli, the head of Dubai Opera.
00:13Everything started because of the love, the big love that I have for music.
00:17So this is one of the greatest successes.
00:19Dubai Opera, I think, is one of the organizations that is leading this cultural process
00:23and this cultural development in the region.
00:25We are about to present one of the most iconic operas by Tchaikovsky,
00:30Choose a different type of feel.
00:31What would you say?
00:32Dubai Opera is a very unique venue and I'm sure that when you will be there,
00:37you will definitely feel great emotions.
00:40Please welcome with me today on the show, Mr. Paolo Petruccelli, the head of Dubai Opera,
01:04who believes the culture, arts and education are a major force of growth and development.
01:09He has been recognized as the top 30 leaders in the Middle East under 40
01:14and nominated amongst the top 100 personalities in Dubai.
01:18How are you doing today, Mr. Paolo?
01:20Very good. Thank you for having me.
01:22Of course, it's our pleasure.
01:23Mr. Paolo, I would like to ask you, so can you share with us your initial journey,
01:28how you got into the arts world and what inspired you to reach to the position that you are today?
01:33Well, everything started because of the love, the big love that I have for music.
01:38I started playing the violin when I was very young and it has been such an amazing journey
01:44that allowed me to meet so many great people coming from all around the world.
01:50And this is what is happening with music.
01:53When you play, you really go into a different dimension,
01:57which is a dimension where everyone wants to celebrate beauty and harmony.
02:02Of course, how young were you when you started playing the violin?
02:06I was six years old.
02:07Six years old.
02:08So I was quite young.
02:10Okay, amazing.
02:12And, you know, learning how to play an instrument means also to learn how to live with other people.
02:18I strongly believe in this.
02:20You know, it helped me a lot really to develop my personality
02:24and also to share emotions with other people, you know,
02:28because when you play music, it's all about sharing and receiving.
02:32And especially, it's about listening.
02:34Listening to yourself, but also listening to the others.
02:37That's why, you know, we use really music to build also communities and bring people together.
02:42And this is what we do at Dubai Opera.
02:44So I have to say it's a privilege, you know,
02:47to have this opportunity to contribute to the development of the arts here in Dubai
02:51by leading this exceptional organization that is Dubai Opera.
02:55Amazing.
02:56And as the head of Dubai Opera,
02:58what do you believe were some of the key challenges you might have faced initially
03:03that led to the success of Dubai Opera now?
03:06Well, Dubai, you know, is such a vibrant city.
03:09We know it's one of the most cosmopolitan cities.
03:12So to develop a cultural project in this city,
03:15it means really to understand where the city is going
03:19and understand what this community that brings together more than 200 nationalities want.
03:26So it's really very, very exciting work,
03:30but also challenging work
03:32because you need to always be updated about the trends,
03:35but you need also to develop a global vision for the arts.
03:39So we are not just a local national cultural institution.
03:43We are really a global cultural institution.
03:45And I think this is quite unique.
03:47Of course it is.
03:48And when you consider your time at Dubai Opera,
03:52what legacy do you hope to leave for the future generations one day?
03:56Well, Dubai Opera, you know, is a project of IMAR.
03:59So one of the organizations that really is making and developing this country
04:05and making this country and the city really global and projected into the future.
04:09So I'm privileged, as I said, you know, to contribute to this mission.
04:14And I think that the legacy that we all want to leave for Dubai Opera
04:19is to be not just a stage where you have, you know, performances,
04:23but we want to be something more.
04:25We want to really be a cultural hub
04:27that brings this exceptional community together.
04:29We experience this every week, you know.
04:31Our audience is made by thousands of people coming from all over the world.
04:36They stay peacefully together.
04:37They enjoy music and art together.
04:40And they discover together new artistic languages.
04:43And again, this is beautiful.
04:44And I think that this is the perfect example
04:47of how this city is bringing together so many different nationalities in peace.
04:50100%.
04:51And I do believe also that Dubai Opera is a hub not only for tourists,
04:55but also for the local community that are living in Dubai.
04:58So this is one of the greatest success of Dubai Opera itself.
05:03So how do you believe that the work with Dubai Opera
05:06has contributed on a bigger level towards the GCC region?
05:10What's your intake on this?
05:12Well, you know, I genuinely believe that the impact of Dubai Opera is really visible.
05:18You know, not only as I said,
05:19because of the impact that we have here in Dubai
05:22in bringing together thousands of people.
05:24Last year, we had registered over than 250,000 spectators
05:28who attended our performances at Dubai Opera.
05:31But I think that we are playing a much wider, you know, role
05:35here in the country and in the region.
05:38For sure, we can say that we are one of the leading
05:40cultural organizations in the Gulf region.
05:44And I think that because of that,
05:46we are strongly contributing to this exceptional cultural renaissance
05:50that is happening right now in the region, you know.
05:53And it's so exciting to see so many different cultural projects
05:56that are just developing everywhere.
05:58And Dubai Opera, I think, is one of the organizations
06:01that is leading this cultural process
06:04and this cultural development in the region.
06:06100%, totally agree with you.
06:08If you could tell us more about what are the current plays
06:10that are going on in Dubai Opera?
06:13What's something that's exciting, exciting events that are coming
06:16so that we can also share with our audience today?
06:19Well, one of the very special, let's say, characteristics of Dubai Opera
06:23is that we have a very diversified programming
06:26that goes from opera, ballet, symphonic, musical, Arabic music,
06:30of course, pop, rock, jazz, you name it.
06:32We cover the entire spectrum of the performing arts.
06:35So every week, expect something different,
06:37something exceptional on the stage of Dubai Opera.
06:41Right now, we just presented a beautiful, iconic ballet, La Bayadere.
06:46We are about to present one of the most iconic operas
06:49by Tchaikovsky, Evgeny Unyagin.
06:51In two days, we have Mozart's Requiem.
06:54At the end of the month, we have Max Richter,
06:56who is one of the most important contemporary music composers.
06:59So again, we celebrate all different kinds of genres
07:03and artistic languages because we speak to everyone.
07:06Amazing, love that.
07:08And what personally inspires you to challenge your everyday work?
07:13What's one inspiration that you have
07:15that keeps you going every single day?
07:17Maybe like an inspiring message that you would like to share
07:19with young business leaders in today's world?
07:22I think it's the belief that arts can really change people
07:26and can change society, you know?
07:28And it's true.
07:30I strongly believe in this and we experience this.
07:32Also, my team at Dubai Opera experience this every day.
07:37How art is changing ourselves individually
07:41because you are exposed, you know, to beauty,
07:44you are exposed to emotions,
07:45and these change the way you look at the world.
07:48And imagine this process extended on a collective,
07:51you know, way, on a collective level.
07:54When you have thousands of people being exposed to art,
07:58they change in a way, you know?
08:01And when they go back to the society,
08:02hopefully they are more respectful,
08:05they understand more the diversities,
08:08and they are just more ready to interact with people.
08:11Because, you know, if you think an opera house,
08:14a theatre is a place of peace.
08:16You are standing with people that you don't know,
08:19hundreds, thousands of people around you that you don't know,
08:22but you accept to stay in a room together
08:25for two, three hours, very close,
08:27to share a smile, to share an emotion.
08:29And again, this is something,
08:31it's a process that really change ourselves
08:34individually and collectively.
08:36So my message is we need to believe more
08:38in the power of the arts,
08:39in the transformative power of the arts,
08:42and we need to put art at the centre of our, you know, society.
08:46And this is what is happening here also in this country.
08:49Art is becoming more and more,
08:51and culture, a pillar of the evolution of this country.
08:55I love this message.
08:56It's very inspiring,
08:57especially that art itself also builds this connection
09:01amongst people of different nationalities,
09:03different age groups.
09:04We all love art,
09:05and you guys are celebrating art
09:07in its different types of forms.
09:09What is one message that you would give
09:11to the young generation
09:14that want to also start a business in art itself,
09:17whether it was in music,
09:18whether it was in theatre?
09:20We do believe that sometimes in our Arab world,
09:22it might be a little bit of a challenge,
09:24and we would say, for example,
09:26choose a different type of field.
09:28What would you say?
09:29Well, first of all,
09:30I strongly believe that this is the place to be right now
09:34if you want to start a career in arts and culture.
09:36Dubai, the UAE, the Gulf region
09:39is really a place that is bringing together talents
09:42from the arts sector,
09:43but also from the management,
09:45cultural management sector.
09:46So I will strongly advise and encourage
09:50the new generation to look at this region right now.
09:53So many things are happening.
09:55Innovative also processes are happening.
09:58And I think that sometimes society believes
10:01that art and culture is just entertainment.
10:05So it's something that is important,
10:07but it's important just to find the moment of relax
10:13and just forget about the very serious thing.
10:18True, but I also believe actually
10:20that arts and culture can contribute so much to society,
10:25to the very important things, let's say.
10:27Why?
10:28Well, if you think, especially in business,
10:31how much innovation is important
10:33and innovation is driven by creative people.
10:37Well, in the arts, it's full of creative people.
10:40So the energy that you have in the artistic sector
10:44is so important and can actually be used
10:46to drive progress and development
10:49in so many other fields.
10:50So I will encourage, you know, the new generation
10:54to inspire, inspire people,
10:57inspire society through their talent,
11:00if they are artists,
11:01but even if they don't find their way,
11:04you know, to inspire through the arts,
11:06just bring this energy, this creative energy
11:09in all sectors of society,
11:11because we need this positive energy,
11:14this creative energy.
11:15Amazing.
11:16Thank you so much, Mr. Paolo.
11:18It was such a privilege for us to have you a guest
11:20on our morning show today.
11:22Is there any last message
11:23that you would like to share with our audience?
11:25Well, come at Dubai Opera
11:27to experience some of the most spectacular shows
11:31and to really have a different kind of experience
11:34in an opera house.
11:35Dubai Opera is a very unique venue
11:38and I'm sure that when you will be there,
11:40you will definitely feel great emotions.
11:42100%. I'll be the first one there.
11:45Thank you so much, Mr. Paolo.
11:47And that brings us to the end of our episode today.
11:50Thank you for joining all of you guys
11:52as we explored the amazing events
11:54that are happening in Dubai
11:55and with our special, very special guest today,
11:58the head of Dubai Opera, Mr. Paolo Patrucelli.
12:01Stay tuned with us for our next episode
12:03and don't forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel
12:05and also follow us
12:07on all of our Gulf News social platforms.
12:09This was Alina Khalifeh
12:10and this is a wrap for today's first show.