“A Day in the Life” allows you to step into the shoes of a UAE resident to experience a typical 24 hours in their work and home life.
Few people can make a living out of being bossy, but for Monica Woodman, it’s been instrumental to her success.
As the conductor of Dubai’s all-female Firdaus Orchestra, Ms Woodman, 35, originally from Cuba, leads a 54-strong band of musicians in interpreting the work of famous composers.
The multilingual, multinational ensemble mentored by A R Rahman, India’s Oscar-winning composer, made its debut during Expo 2020 Dubai and has been steadily building a fan base in the region.
So far in her role, Ms Woodman has worked alongside some of the world's biggest celebrities, including Beyonce and Christina Aguilera, in her aim to make classical music accessible to everyone.
Here, The National goes behind the scenes with Ms Woodman as she shares her daily routine and speaks on the highlights of her career so far.
7.30am: Practice makes pitch perfect
Music has dominated Ms Woodman’s life since childhood and, after an early morning gym and meditation session, she goes through the orchestra’s scores and prepares for the day ahead.
“I started playing piano when I was seven years old and when I was 14. I saw someone in my school conducting a choir,” she says.
“I have always been a little bit bossy and I like to tell people what to do, so that resonated a lot with my personality. It just clicked that this was what I wanted.”
After switching her studies to choral conducting, Ms Woodman went on to achieve a master’s degree in symphonic orchestra conducting and flourished under the mentorship of esteemed composer Guido Lopez-Gavilan.
“There are very few platforms and orchestras that give a chance to young conductors,” she says.
“The stereotypical image is a German male with grey hair, so I had to prove myself three times more than any other person.
“Today I go through scores and make them unique to me. My experiences allow me to share what I believe is a true interpretation of a piece, which is very rewarding.”
1pm: Piano and life lessons
When she isn’t practising with the Firdaus Orchestra, Ms Woodman teaches piano and vocal technique to budding musicians in the Emirates.
As well as teaching, she uses her experiences as a young woman to show how music can shatter stereotypes.
“We are changing the narrative around women in the Middle East,” says Ms Woodman.
“It’s only about the quality of music, we have a bigger and more profound message underneath that’s very close to my heart as a female conductor.
“It's a male-dominated industry. So having all these women from Latin America, the GCC [Gulf Co-operation Council] and Europe all coming together for one purpose shows that art can change humanity.”
2pm: Queen B and Disney Magic
At least four hours of every day is dedicated to practising in the Expo City studio, gearing up for performances with musical royalty.
“We played with Beyonce in January at the opening of Atlantis The Royal, which was unreal,” says Ms Woodman.
“It shows the power of music, the power of women and the power of Firdaus because we are a very young orchestra and we’re accomplishing amazing things.
“We performed at the Coca-Cola Arena with the Disney princess concert. To bring 54 ladies together in one musical moment like that is incredible.”
Ms Woodman credits Expo 2020 and its legacy with bringing together so many talented musicians from around the world, with 26 nationalities represented in the Firdaus Orchestra.
“We will never be able to pay back what Expo does for us,” she says. “We owe so much to Her Excellency Reem Ebrahim Al Hashimy who made this dream possible.
“Expo is now our home. This is the place we come every day to make music and create magic and show the world that you can be a professional musician in Dubai as a female, no matter what part of the world you are from.”
6pm: Turning classical music on its head
Most of Ms Woodman’s evenings are spent recording with the orchestra and, when pressure is high, she likes to view the world from another perspective.
“I'm very Cuban, so I do sometimes crazy things,” she says. “When I'm conducting for long hours, I like to decompress my lumbar spine with a headstand, regardless of who is in the studio.
"Last week, Grammy award winning flutist, Wouter Kellerman, was recording with us and I did my headstand during rehearsal, which got him very excited.
“For me, it’s just part of the creativity of being an artist.”
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
A new relationship with the old country
Treaty of Friendship between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates
The United kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates; Considering that the United Arab Emirates has assumed full responsibility as a sovereign and independent State; Determined that the long-standing and traditional relations of close friendship and cooperation between their peoples shall continue; Desiring to give expression to this intention in the form of a Treaty Friendship; Have agreed as follows:
ARTICLE 1 The relations between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates shall be governed by a spirit of close friendship. In recognition of this, the Contracting Parties, conscious of their common interest in the peace and stability of the region, shall: (a) consult together on matters of mutual concern in time of need; (b) settle all their disputes by peaceful means in conformity with the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations.
ARTICLE 2 The Contracting Parties shall encourage education, scientific and cultural cooperation between the two States in accordance with arrangements to be agreed. Such arrangements shall cover among other things: (a) the promotion of mutual understanding of their respective cultures, civilisations and languages, the promotion of contacts among professional bodies, universities and cultural institutions; (c) the encouragement of technical, scientific and cultural exchanges.
ARTICLE 3 The Contracting Parties shall maintain the close relationship already existing between them in the field of trade and commerce. Representatives of the Contracting Parties shall meet from time to time to consider means by which such relations can be further developed and strengthened, including the possibility of concluding treaties or agreements on matters of mutual concern.
ARTICLE 4 This Treaty shall enter into force on today’s date and shall remain in force for a period of ten years. Unless twelve months before the expiry of the said period of ten years either Contracting Party shall have given notice to the other of its intention to terminate the Treaty, this Treaty shall remain in force thereafter until the expiry of twelve months from the date on which notice of such intention is given.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF the undersigned have signed this Treaty.
DONE in duplicate at Dubai the second day of December 1971AD, corresponding to the fifteenth day of Shawwal 1391H, in the English and Arabic languages, both texts being equally authoritative.
Signed
Geoffrey Arthur Sheikh Zayed
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
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ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Defined benefit and defined contribution schemes explained
Defined Benefit Plan (DB)
A defined benefit plan is where the benefit is defined by a formula, typically length of service to and salary at date of leaving.
Defined Contribution Plan (DC)
A defined contribution plan is where the benefit depends on the amount of money put into the plan for an employee, and how much investment return is earned on those contributions.
Stree
Producer: Maddock Films, Jio Movies
Director: Amar Kaushik
Cast: Rajkummar Rao, Shraddha Kapoor, Pankaj Tripathi, Aparshakti Khurana, Abhishek Banerjee
Rating: 3.5
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Types of fraud
Phishing: Fraudsters send an unsolicited email that appears to be from a financial institution or online retailer. The hoax email requests that you provide sensitive information, often by clicking on to a link leading to a fake website.
Smishing: The SMS equivalent of phishing. Fraudsters falsify the telephone number through “text spoofing,” so that it appears to be a genuine text from the bank.
Vishing: The telephone equivalent of phishing and smishing. Fraudsters may pose as bank staff, police or government officials. They may persuade the consumer to transfer money or divulge personal information.
SIM swap: Fraudsters duplicate the SIM of your mobile number without your knowledge or authorisation, allowing them to conduct financial transactions with your bank.
Identity theft: Someone illegally obtains your confidential information, through various ways, such as theft of your wallet, bank and utility bill statements, computer intrusion and social networks.
Prize scams: Fraudsters claiming to be authorised representatives from well-known organisations (such as Etisalat, du, Dubai Shopping Festival, Expo2020, Lulu Hypermarket etc) contact victims to tell them they have won a cash prize and request them to share confidential banking details to transfer the prize money.
* Nada El Sawy
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Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
Electric scooters: some rules to remember
- Riders must be 14-years-old or over
- Wear a protective helmet
- Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
- Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
- Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
- Do not drive outside designated lanes
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Learn more about Qasr Al Hosn
In 2013, The National's History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi's fabled fort:
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
The specs: 2018 Chevrolet Trailblazer
Price, base / as tested Dh99,000 / Dh132,000
Engine 3.6L V6
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Power 275hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque 350Nm @ 3,700rpm
Fuel economy combined 12.2L / 100km
