Antonine University awards its Golden Feather to ADMAF Founder

Antonine University in Lebanon awarded its highest accolade, the Golden Feather, to H.E. Huda Alkhamis-Kanoo, Founder of Abu Dhabi Music & Arts Foundation (ADMAF) and Artistic Director of Abu Dhabi Festival. 

Her Excellency received the award in recognition of her exceptional contribution to culture and musical education in the region and for an impact that continues to shape society in enduring ways. 

Fr. Michel Saghbiny, Rector of Antonine University, described H.E. Huda Alkhamis-Kanoo as an exceptional pioneer who transformed her vision into global impact and positioned the Abu Dhabi Festival and ADMAF as international beacons. Fr. Saghbiny spoke of how this recognition served as a message to youth that true success lies in creating meaningful impact on others’ lives. 

The award was presented at a ceremony in January in Beirut attended by senior Lebanese and international dignitaries, including Deputy Speaker of Parliament H.E. Elias Bou Saab and UAE Ambassador to Lebanon H.E. Fahad Salem Saeed AlKaabi.  

Her Excellency Huda Alkhamis-Kanoo said: “I receive the Golden Feather Award with deep gratitude and utmost humility, filled with a profound sense of the duty and responsibility it carries, and with sincere appreciation.” 

H.E. continued: “I return to Lebanon after decades, standing at Antonine University and witnessing its renaissance, repaying part of its kindness. It is a homeland that embraced my childhood and my dreams, and from its beloved capital, Beirut, my story began. I recall all that Beirut gave me: my first music concert, my passion for our mother tongue and Arabic literature, my early education under the Jesuits, and the home in which I was raised on the values of tolerance and the belief that living together is far more than a mere idea – it is a lived experience and an ongoing pursuit of dialogue, understanding, openness and peace.” 

H.E. concluded: “In Beirut, I came to understand that culture and identity must be nurtured, not erased, and that every difference carries a story worthy of being told and celebrated. It was with this conviction that I founded Abu Dhabi Music & Arts Foundation and Abu Dhabi Festival. To receive this honour from Antonine University, which houses one of the most distinguished music departments in the region, means a great deal to me. It is an academic institution with which I share the belief that music is the language of the soul, the essence of existence and an eternal melody of immortality.” 

Date: 20260115 

Location: Antonine University, Beirut