A rare two-and-a-half-hour musical collaboration between two Grammy Award winning artists will take place at the Dubai Jazz Festival next year when British singer-songwriter Sting and trumpeter Chris Botti take to the stage together.

The Thursday February 25 performance will swing from jazz to pop and rock, as the duo perform arrangements of everything from Sting’s Desert Rose and Shape Of My Heart, to classical compositions like Concierto de Aranjuez (which was written in 1939).

The two have been on stage together before, here’s a rendition of My Funny Valentine they performed (while serenading Trudie Styler) 10 years ago:

Their Emirates Airline Dubai Jazz Festival performance will begin at 10pm, with Chris Botti and his band taking to the stage for an hour-long instrumental display. At around 11pm, Sting will join them to perform about 10 of his greatest hits, but with a jazzy twist.

Chris Botti is the best-selling instrumental jazz artist in the US today, his 2003 album When I Fall In Love received wide critical acclaim, and his latest album, Impressions, won the Grammy for Best Pop Instrumental Album in 2013. He has recorded and performed with some of music’s truest legends, including Tony Bennett, Yo-Yo Ma, Joni Mitchell, Paul Simon, Andrea Bocelli, Steven Tyler and even Frank Sinatra (well, we’re impressed).

Here’s a showcase of some of his more classical stuff, a rendition of Emmanuel performed alongside violinist Lucia Micarelli:


Meanwhile, Sting’s career has been going strong ever since he became the frontman for The Police in 1977 and then went solo in 1985. With 16 Grammys under his belt, he was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2002.

Botti and Sting are joining the already-announced Toto and Santana at the February 2016 festival.

Tickets are on sale now and cost from Dhs395 for regular standing to Dhs795 for golden circle, Dhs995 for fan pit and Dhs1,450 for VIP. For more information, visit www.dubaijazzfest.com.