Assalamualaikum / May peace be upon you.
Next Maher took us to the House of Musical Arts: Oman and The World exhibition. It is a world class interactive music museum within the greater Opera House complex.
This bridge, the Opera Galleria bridge, takes visitors to the entrance of the museum.
The Opera Galleria bridge in Muscat is a pedestrian overpass that elegantly links the Royal Opera House with the Opera Galleria shopping and cultural complex, making it easier for visitors to move between performances, exhibitions, and leisure spaces.
It was designed to allow visitors to seamlessly combine cultural experiences at the House of Musical Arts with shopping, dining, and art exhibitions at the Galleria.
The walkway blends modern architectural lines with Omani cultural motifs, offering both functionality and aesthetic appeal.
The Opera Galleria bridge is more than infrastructure—it symbolizes Muscat’s vision of integrating heritage with modernity. By linking spaces of performance, shopping, and learning, it encourages visitors to experience the city’s cultural richness in a fluid, accessible way. This bridge is a perfect metaphor: a literal and figurative passage between worlds of art, commerce, and community.
🔵House of Musical Arts, opened in 2019, is connected via the bridge and hosts exhibitions, seminars, and a musical library.
📘"Oman and the World" at the Royal Opera House Muscat is a permanent exhibition that explores the sounds and music of Oman and beyond.
📘The exhibition features an immersive journey from natural sounds to human musical endeavors, incorporating interactive technology and captivating content.
📘Visitors can experience a variety of musical performances, including works by composers like Holst and Tchaikovsky, and even step inside an orchestra to hear music like "Turandot" and "Nessun Dorma!"
📘The exhibition is designed to educate and entertain, making it a world-class visitor attraction in the heart of Muscat's cultural district.
“Oman and the World” is a permanent exhibition at the Royal Opera House Muscat that explores the sounds and music of Oman alongside global traditions, highlighting how nature, culture, and artistry intertwine.
🌍 Key Features of Oman and the World
📘Musical journey: The exhibition traces the evolution of sound, from nature’s resonances (wind, water, birdsong) to refined musical instruments and compositions.
📘Omani heritage: It showcases traditional Omani instruments, rhythms, and performance styles, emphasizing their role in the country’s identity.
📘Global connections: Alongside Omani music, visitors encounter instruments and traditions from across the world, highlighting cultural exchange and shared creativity.
📘Interactive displays: The exhibition uses multimedia installations to immerse visitors in soundscapes, making it both educational and experiential.
📘Location: Housed within the House of Musical Arts, it complements concerts and seminars by offering historical and cultural context.
📘Educational role: Designed as part of ROHM’s outreach, it helps visitors—locals, students, and tourists—understand music as a universal language.
This exhibition is more than a display—it’s a cultural bridge. Just as the Opera Galleria bridge physically connects spaces, Oman and the World symbolically connects Oman’s heritage with global artistry. It reinforces Muscat’s role as a hub where tradition and modernity, local and international, meet in harmony.
Walking through Oman and the World feels like moving across continents without leaving Muscat. The exhibition’s design encourages reflection on how music transcends borders, while still rooting visitors in Oman’s proud traditions.
Two legends featured in the exhibitions are Mohammed Abdul Wahab and Umm Kulthum.
🎼 Mohammed Abdul Wahab
📘Composer and innovator: Known as “The Musician of Generations”, Abdul Wahab was a prolific Egyptian composer, singer, and actor.
📘Fusion of styles: He introduced Western instruments and orchestration into Arabic music, blending tradition with modernity.
📘Legacy: His compositions became classics across the Arab world, influencing generations of musicians and reshaping the soundscape of Middle Eastern music.
📘Exhibition highlight: He is presented as a pioneer who bridged cultures through sound, embodying the exhibition’s theme of connecting Oman with the world.
🎤 Umm Kulthum
📘The “Star of the East”: Umm Kulthum was Egypt’s most iconic singer, revered for her powerful voice and emotional depth.
📘Cultural phenomenon: Her monthly live radio concerts in Cairo captivated millions across the Arab world, turning her into a unifying cultural force.
📘Artistic mastery: Known for her improvisational skill, she could extend songs for hours, weaving audience emotion into performance.
📘Exhibition highlight: She is celebrated as a legend whose artistry transcended borders, symbolizing music’s power to unite people.
🔵Next, we watched several short clips involving the processes of staging an opera at Royal Opera House Muscat.
📘These images together form a narrative about the complex, collaborative process of staging an opera at the Royal Opera House Muscat, showing how music, design, and performance transform from notes on a page into living theatre.
Dramatic storytelling through music: One display emphasizes that opera is about weaving narrative and emotion through sound. The visuals show contrasting productions—grand classical sets with golden tones and vibrant modern stagings under stylized arches—illustrating opera’s range from tradition to innovation.
Leap from score to performance: Another screen highlights the journey from written notes to embodied characters. Scenes include intimate moments (a performer with a basket and fruit) and large-scale spectacles (ships under starry skies, regal ceremonies), showing how imagination becomes tangible theatre.
Hundreds of contributors: A third display underscores opera as a massive collaborative effort. The image of tiered performers in ornate costumes conveys the scale—singers, musicians, designers, technicians, and directors all working in harmony to produce one unified performance.
Behind-the-scenes artistry: The caption reminds viewers that opera is not just about the stars on stage but the invisible network of craftspeople, from set builders to lighting engineers, who make the magic possible.
Carmen by Georges Bizet: One screen focuses on ROHM’s staging of Carmen, with period costumes, lanterns, and stone-like backdrops. This highlights how the Muscat opera house brings iconic European works into its repertoire, while adapting them with its own staging and atmosphere.
Gianni Quaranta’s direction: Another display references the Oscar-winning designer Gianni Quaranta, showing how international expertise shapes productions at ROHM. The scene of a town square with soldiers and civilians around a fountain illustrates the detailed realism of his staging.
Next, the Music Library.
The Music Library at the House of Musical Arts in Muscat is Oman’s premier center for music research, specializing in opera and Omani musical heritage. It offers extensive resources, recordings, and immersive experiences that connect local traditions with global music culture.
🎼 Mission and Role
📘Preserve ROHM’s legacy: The library safeguards the work of the Royal Opera House Muscat (ROHM) since its inauguration in 2011.
📘Foster music research: It provides scholars, students, and enthusiasts with access to rare materials and modern resources.
📘Celebrate Omani culture: Special emphasis is placed on documenting and promoting Oman’s musical traditions alongside opera and global music.
📚 Facilities and Collections
🔹Book room with study space: A quiet environment for research and reflection.
🔹Extensive music books and scores: Covering opera, classical, and Omani music.
🔹Electronic resources: Databases on music, architecture, and the arts.
🔹ROHM recordings archive: Complete access to performances since 2011.
🔹Naxos Music & Video Libraries: Millions of recordings and hundreds of videos available digitally.
🔹Music studio: For practice, study, and creative exploration.
🔹Intensive listening area: Dedicated to ROHM performances.
🔹Instrument exhibition: Showcasing pieces from the Royal Court’s collection.
🌍 Exhibition of Musical Arts
Opened in 2022, the Exhibition of Musical Arts complements the library with an interactive journey titled “Oman and the World: A Musical Journey.”
📘Six thematic sections: Nature, Science, Instruments, Community, Connections, and Performance.
📘Immersive audio-visual experience: Visitors explore how music developed globally, always framed through Oman’s traditions.
📘Educational enrichment: Designed to inspire students, researchers, and the general public.
The Music Library is not just a repository—it’s a living cultural hub where Oman’s musical identity meets the world stage. It’s a place for study, listening, and discovery, but also for experiencing how music binds communities across time and geography.
What struck me most was how the Opera House extends beyond its walls. The landscaped gardens, the art galleries, the cultural market—all of these create a living hub where locals and travelers mingle, sharing meals, conversations, and discoveries. It is here that Sultan Qaboos’s vision comes alive: a nation rooted in its traditions yet open to the world, weaving cultural diplomacy into everyday encounters.
As I was leaving the complex, I felt enriched—not only by the architecture’s beauty but by the sense of belonging it fosters. The Royal Opera House Muscat is more than a landmark; it is a testament to how culture can be both preserved and shared, how stone and song together can deepen our understanding of humanity.
To be continued.
Till the next coming entry, inshaAllah. Meanwhile do take care.
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