RIYADH: Music maestro Omar Khairat said he was honored to be at the second Winter at Tantora festival in Saudi Arabia’s AlUla Valley, where he performed a piece he composed specifically for the festival. Khairat, along with legendary singer Aziza Jalal, made history as the first two artists to perform at the new Maraya concert hall in AlUla, which was unveiled as part of the Winter at Tantora festival. Khairat said that the inspiration for his piece came during his visit to the first festival. “I took a helicopter ride with Culture Minister Prince Badr bin Abdullah for a tour of AlUla. I saw everything and I was asked how I felt about it and if there was inspiration from this place for a new composition. I said yes, of course, it would be a new piece, and I started working on it,” he added. “It is an honor to feel that you are wanted, any artist will feel honored for that. I love you all because I know you love my music,” Khairat said. Khairat said the Maraya hall is much better than the one that was built for last year’s festival, and he believed it was a really professional venue that complements the acoustics for the orchestra. “The place is forever. The Maraya hall is beautiful,” he added. Maraya means reflection or mirror in Arabic, and the hall is built close to Hegra — Saudi Arabia’s first UNESCO world heritage site.