Dubai enacts law creating Orchestra Foundation

Dubai has formalised its cultural infrastructure through legislation, issuing a Law establishing the Dubai Orchestra Foundation. Her Highness Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairperson of Dubai Culture and Arts Authority (Dubai Culture), says the step reflects the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.

Speaking as head of the authority charged with overseeing the emirate’s cultural sector, Sheikha Latifa framed the new law as an expression of the Ruler of Dubai’s belief in the power of culture and the arts to enrich lives and shape the future. The legal establishment of the Foundation, she indicated, gives institutional form to that vision and anchors it within Dubai’s broader cultural policy framework.

The Foundation’s mandate, as described by the Chairperson, centres on strengthening Dubai’s position as a global centre for culture and the arts. It is expected to draw on the richness of Emirati musical heritage while fostering creativity, cultural dialogue and exchange with the world. In this reading, the new body is not simply a performing institution but an instrument of cultural policy, tasked with translating a strategic direction into programmes, opportunities and partnerships.

“Music has the power to bring people together, tell the stories of communities and build connections across cultures and generations,” Sheikha Latifa said. “The Dubai Orchestra Foundation marks a new chapter in Dubai’s cultural journey, creating opportunities for musicians to develop their talents and produce works that reflect our Emirati identity and the emirate’s cultural diversity. Through the Foundation, we aim to share our musical heritage with the world, draw on international experiences and offer audiences inspiring artistic experiences that deepen their appreciation of music and its role in our lives.”

What changed is the mechanism. Rather than relying on ad hoc initiatives, the emirate has chosen to establish the Orchestra Foundation through a formal Law, a mechanism that gives the body a defined legal standing.

Sheikha Latifa also set out the economic dimension of the mandate. The Foundation, she said, will contribute to the development of Dubai’s cultural and creative industries by expanding professional opportunities in music and the performing arts, attracting investment in artistic production and enabling talent to pursue sustainable careers. These efforts, she added, will further strengthen the music sector’s contribution to Dubai’s creative economy while enriching the emirate’s cultural landscape.

Taken together, the Chairperson’s statements present the Foundation as a policy instrument with three interlocking objectives: cultural, in preserving and projecting Emirati musical heritage; institutional, in creating a legally established body to carry that mission forward; and economic, in building sustainable career pathways and drawing investment into artistic production. The emphasis on professional opportunities and sustainable careers suggests the Foundation is expected to operate as a lasting pillar of the creative economy rather than a ceremonial addition.

For an emirate that has positioned culture and the arts as central to its global identity, establishing the Foundation through legislation signals a deliberate consolidation of that agenda, with the stated aim of connecting local musical heritage to international exchange and audiences worldwide. How the new body’s mandate translates into programmes and partnerships will be the measure of the law in practice.