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Dr Ronald Perlwitz fuses tradition and innovation to shape Abu Dhabi’s rise as a global music capital.
By Suna Moya — QCEG MAG LIVING ARTS DESK
Paris, November 2025
From the lecture halls of the Sorbonne to the stages of Abu Dhabi, Dr Ronald Perlwitz has built his life around one enduring conviction: music is dialogue. Today, as Head of the Music Programme at the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi, he is the maestro orchestrating the emirate’s transformation into a UNESCO City of Music.
His journey is as bold as his vision. Since arriving in the UAE, Dr Perlwitz has launched landmark initiatives such as Abu Dhabi Classics, Umsiyat, and the revival of Arabic musical heritage through Bait Al Oud. Under his direction, Beethoven meets the oud; global symphonies share the stage with Emirati voices; and young musicians are mentored by world masters.
For Dr Perlwitz, the goal is clear: preserve heritage, embrace diversity, and ignite something new — a distinctive Emirati sound able to stand proudly on the world stage. Passionate and forward-looking, he is not merely curating concerts but shaping cultural identity. In his hands, music becomes Abu Dhabi’s heartbeat: rooted in tradition, alive with ambition, and resonating with the promise of tomorrow.
— SUNA MOYA
DR RONALD PERLWITZ: COMPOSING ABU DHABI'S CULTURAL SYMPHONY
Dr Ronald Perlwitz fuses tradition and innovation to shape Abu Dhabi’s rise as a global music capital.
QCEG : You moved from the Sorbonne in Paris to Abu Dhabi. What inspired you to take on this cultural mission?
Dr Ronald Perlwitz : When I left Paris, I wasn’t leaving a city — I was joining a vision. Abu Dhabi offered something rare: the possibility to build bridges between heritage and innovation, to accompany a society both deeply rooted and forward-looking. The idea of helping shape a cultural identity in dialogue with the world was an irresistible calling.
QCEG : How has Abu Dhabi challenged or reshaped your own understanding of music?
Dr Ronald Perlwitz : Here, music is not only art — it is memory, identity, and hospitality. In Abu Dhabi, I came to understand more deeply that music is not about universalisation but about resonance. It challenged me to listen differently — to hear silence, tradition, and the unspoken nuances of culture.
QCEG : Do you see yourself as a cultural architect, a curator, or a composer of identities?
Dr Ronald Perlwitz : Perhaps a little of each, but above all, a listener. To architect, to curate, to compose — all these acts begin with listening, with humility before the voices of others. My role is not to impose but to harmonise — to create spaces where identities can converse and flourish.
QCEG : Abu Dhabi is now a UNESCO City of Music. What does this recognition mean for the emirate’s future?
Dr Ronald Perlwitz : It is a seal, but also a responsibility. It means Abu Dhabi has entered the global dialogue not only as a host of great music but as a contributor to the world’s cultural map. It commits us to nurturing local talent and presenting the emirate as a beacon of intercultural exchange.
QCEG : You’ve often spoken about creating dialogue between cultures. What does that mean on the Abu Dhabi stage?
Dr Ronald Perlwitz : It means that every performance becomes a meeting point. When a Beethoven symphony resonates in the same city as a traditional oud recital, when Emirati rhythms converse with European orchestras — that is dialogue. It is not about blending but about coexistence, about letting contrasts create beauty.
QCEG : How do you balance bringing the world’s greatest orchestras with nurturing a distinctly Emirati sound?
Dr Ronald Perlwitz : Balance comes through intention. We invite leading orchestras not to overshadow but to inspire — to raise standards and aspirations. At the same time, we nurture the Emirati sound as a voice that must grow on its own terms. One is the mirror; the other is the heartbeat.
QCEG : Bait Al Oud has become a symbol of heritage. How do you see its role in the future?
Dr Ronald Perlwitz : Bait Al Oud is more than an institution — it is a school of memory. Its role is to protect and teach, but also to evolve. Tradition is not a museum piece; it is a living practice. The oud, the qanun, the voice — they must speak to new generations in their own language.
QCEG : You’ve expressed hope for a new Emirati musical form. What could define that sound?
Dr Ronald Perlwitz : It will be defined by its authenticity, not imitation. Perhaps it will draw on Nabati poetry, desert rhythms, and the spirit of pearl-diving songs — yet it will speak in contemporary harmonies. It will be both Emirati and universal: rooted, but open to the world.
QCEG : What excites you most about the younger generation of musicians in Abu Dhabi?
Dr Ronald Perlwitz : Their curiosity. They are not afraid to cross boundaries — they can move from oud to electric guitar, from traditional chants to jazz. This freedom to explore, combined with a strong sense of cultural pride, gives me hope that the next great chapter is already being written.
QCEG : In an age dominated by digital streaming, why is live performance still irreplaceable?
Dr Ronald Perlwitz : Because live performance is presence. A recording can give you sound, but not breath — not the silence before the note, nor the communion between audience and performer. Music is not only what you hear; it is what you feel in the shared moment of creation.
QCEG : If you could describe Abu Dhabi’s music scene as a symphony, what stage are we in?
Dr Ronald Perlwitz : We are in the allegro con brio — the first movement, full of energy, discovery, and bold themes. The motifs are emerging, the orchestra is tuning itself together, and the symphony is only beginning to reveal its shape.
QCEG : Looking ahead, what is your dream for the future of Abu Dhabi’s music scene and the next generation of musicians?
Dr Ronald Perlwitz : My dream is for Abu Dhabi to become not only a stage but a source — a place where the world comes to listen, not merely to perform. A city where Emirati musicians contribute a new voice to global music, and where young people find in music not only a profession but a way of being — a means of connecting and shaping the soul of their society.
