This past Friday Dubai was treated to a rare cultural event - live classical music performed by talented musicians. The evening, called City Serenade II, was the brainchild of Philip Meyer, a German composer/pianist and Dubai resident who has adopted the seemingly insurmountable task of trying to establish a permanent philharmonic orchestra in town who's typical idea of high culture rarely extends beyond a trip to the mall to pick up the latest Luis Vuitton handbag. The objective was to provide audiences with a non-pretentious introduction to western art music. To this end, Meyer selected a range of both 'classical' and modern pieces, and aside from a sappy ballad from 'West Side Story' that almost drove me to madness, works by Grieg, Beethoven, and even Canada's own David Foster proved to be excellent vehicles to showcase the fantastic talent of the vocalists, string ensemble, and Philip's own piano skills. With a capacity crowd and many more turned away at the door, we can be sure there will be a City Serenade III - and hopefully a chance for the Dubai Philharmonic to become a reality.