Awstralja

1-2 December at Manoel Theatre, Valletta

The mysterious death of a young man is the catalyst of Joseph Vella Bondin’s original Maltese play about love, lust and guilt, set against a background of Maltese emigration in the late 1960s. Produced by Bronk Productions.

Teddy Bear and the

Music Violin

13, 15, 16, 21, 22 December at St James Cavalier, Valletta

Ned is a teddy bear who plays the violin. He loves music and he loves playing. He lives in a forest which is ruled by the Queen of the elements, who is having some problems of her own with nature! What with a forest filled with naughty spirits, who enjoy playing havoc with the elements, Ned is looking for the magical violin which will transform the forest to its former beauty and enchantment. The magical instrument is a very rare blue violin, which can be seen and played only by those who are kind to nature.

Ned will be accompanied on this quest by his friends Benny the Cat – who plays the clarinet, Zappy the Hedgehog – who plays the accordion, Flamia the bird – who plays the flute, Chunky the Monkey – who plays percussion, and Miles the Elephant – who plays the trumpet. Ruling above the forest is the Queen with her magical singing voice.

This is an interactive performance, where the children are introduced not only to the actual instruments, but will be participating in the musical numbers together with the musicians.

Those who have already attended the previous concerts by the Teddy Bear will not be disappointed by this new story, especially designed for the coming Christmas Season. Colourful costumes, fantastic music, magical voices singing away and the enchanted forest … the ingredients for a magical experience for all the family.

Ho Ho Ho – In Search of the Missing Reindeer

Between the 26 December and 13 January at St James Cavalier, Valletta

This Christmas’ Curtain Raiser promises lots of witty interaction, adventure, singing, action, a beautiful story, and a colourful set and costumes.

This year story revolves around a Christmas mystery. Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer is kidnapped by Jack Frost! Santa Claus together with the elves, Snow Queen, Snow Man, Ginger Bread Man and a super hero who is not so super and not so heroic, set out on an adventurous journey full of fun and terrific tunes. The Music is by Abigail Brown, with book and lyrics by Patrick Vella. Book now on 2122 3200 or email on [email protected]. For more information log on to www.curtainraiser.org.

Pirates of the Mediterranean – Christmas Pantomime

26-39 December, 2-13 January at Manoel Theatre, Valletta

This Christmas, MADC comes bearing loot of pirate gold for the whole family. Under the direction of Nanette Brimmer, this great swashbuckling and fast-paced play is a feast of music, fun and adventure, seasoned with laughs galore.

4 December at Manoel

Theatre, Valletta

Orchestral Concert by Orkestra Nazzjonali

One of a series of concerts marking the 10th anniversary of Orkestra Nazzjonali features soloists Natasha Chircop and Marco Rivoltini, performing Mendelssohn’s Concert for two pianos, and the all-time favourite Carnival of Animals by Camille Saint-Saens.

Kinnie Teatru Unplugged X

7-9 December at Manoel Theatre, Valletta

Teatru Unplugged is in its 10th edition. This unplugged concert has proven to be a favourite and a sell-out due to its mix of diverse musical acts.

This year’s Kinnie Teatru Unplugged X continues to stick to its winning formula and live up to its reputation with an interesting line-up of local and foreign artists, including New York based pianists Paul Shaw and Anne Paolini Shaw presenting a fantastic classical repertoire. Solo pianist and singer Carrie will also, for the first time, perform at Teatru Unplugged. A local band is being put together especially for this year’s edition by Renzo Spiteri, featuring a number of leading musicians, together with four established local singers – Ivan Filletti, Kristina Casolani, Sue Bottone and Gianni.

Claire Agius will present the show!

Christmas Concert by the St Paul Choral Society

12 December 2007 at De La Salle College, Cottonera

A Christmas concert in aid of the Community Inclusion Programme at the Eden Foundation – a most deserving NGO that works in partnership with people with intellectual disabilities is being held at De La Salle. The first part of the concert focuses mainly on English Christmas music, sung in the traditional Anglican style for which the SPCS is particularly renowned. This part of the programme includes concert pieces by Elgar and Benjamin Britten, as well as the Star Carol, a 20th century carol by John Rutter. The second part of the choral program focuses on international carols (German, Czech, Polish), Maltese Christmas music and two excerpts from Handel’s Messiah. Entrance is Lm2.50. Donations will be much appreciated.

Euromed Festival for Composers

15 December at Manoel Theatre, Valletta

The finalists of the first Euromed Festival for Composers will be performing their original compositions.

Meet the Composer series – Christmas with the Consort

23 December at St Catherine of Italy Church, Valletta

Following last year’s success, this exciting series returns to St Catherine of Italy Church, hosted by the St James Consort.

The St James Consort is one of the most recent ventures undertaken by the St James Cavalier Centre for Creativity. Made up of 13 energetic and enthusiastic musicians and a mix of established and new talent, the Consort gave its first concert in October 2006. Although only a year old, the consort have some of the most popular and well loved Baroque masterpieces in their repertoire, such as Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons, Bach’s Oboe and Violin concerto and Double violin concerto, Handel’s organ concerto Op4 No 6 and Telemann’s Suite for flute and strings. Forthcoming engagements will see the consort performing Bach’s complete Brandenburg Concertos.

In just 12 months, the St James Consort have established a level of excellence and a novel way of presenting classical music in an informal setting. This has enabled them to target new audiences. The concert series Meet the Composer includes an informal presentation by Sarah Spiteri – founder member of the Consort – about the composers life in general and interesting facts related specifically to the works performed.

Inspirations and Reflections

Until 7 December at Gallery G, No. 4, Sir Ugo Mifsud Street, Lija

Winston Hassall will be having an exhibition of his paintings in various mediums such as oils, watercolours and acrylics. After working with oils for most of his life, he changed his medium and has been using watercolours since 1995. More recently he took up acrylics using the dry brush and palette knife technique. His works are contemporary and semi-abstract. For the last 18 months, he has been part of a group of local artists painting at different locations in Malta and Gozo. This is Hassall’s second solo exhibition.

Gallery G is open to the public between 9 and 5pm on weekdays and 9.30 and 12:30pm on Saturdays.

Two Harbours

Until 6 January at St James Cavalier, Valletta

An exhibition of paintings by James Vella Clark. Joy, passion, solitude and fear are as much the subject of this artist’s paintings, as are the narrow streets, the traditional village skylines, rooftops and houses – so that what the scene looks like is inseparable from what it evokes.

James’ landscapes are fast gaining an abstract dimension and yet, the sky still plays an important role in capturing and conveying a whole spectrum of contrasting emotions and states of mind.

Moments in Time

1-31 December at Gallery G, No. 4, Sir Ugo Mifsud Street, Lija

During the month of December, Gallery G will be holding an exhibition of paintings by John Martin Borg. Working in watercolour is an elusive business as the medium is very hard to control, especially when treated in the wet in wet approach.

This is a technique that consists of throwing two or more colours concurrently on a paper that has been previously flooded with lots of water, and allowing the colours to merge softly into each other to create the gentle sfumato characteristic to watercolour. His exhibition will provide a good opportunity to observe this technique.

The exhibition is made up of a collection of landscapes, which allow the viewer to glimpse the various moods of our countryside under different weather conditions. Also included is a selection of recently painted maritime watercolours, together with a number of religious works executed in various techniques.

A section of the exhibition will be dedicated to a small retrospective selection of abstract works dating back to the artist’s early days experimenting with abstract art.

Reportage Photography by Gilbert Calleja

6 December-13 January at St James Cavalier, Valletta

This exhibition includes a selection of Calleja’s best images from reportage work which he has been doing locally and abroad for these past seven years. The exhibition brings together a cross section of mainly unpublished photo-essays exploring a number of diverse themes. By focusing on only a handful of subjects the photographer seeks to bring to the fore the story of the people (and other animals) portrayed. His images have a strong humane character, with a focus on the individuals often captured in very intimate settings.

Exhibition by Fr Marius Zerafa and other artists

15 December-30 January at Gallery G, No. 4, Sir Ugo Mifsud Street, Lija

Gallery G will be hosting an exhibition of paintings and sculptures by Fr Marius J. Zerafa himself, together with a number of paintings by contemporary artists including Debbie Caruana Dingli, Madeleine Gera, Anna Grima, Isabelle Borg, Alfred Briffa, John Martin Borg, Lawrence Buttigieg, Marisa Attard, Gabriel Caruana, Josette Caruana, Monica Spiteri, Catherine Cavallo and Ray Pitre.

Visiting this exhibition over the Christmas Season is a must.

For Manoel Theatre booking, visit www.teatrumanoel.com.mt, email bookings @teatrumanoel.com.mt or call on 2124-6389.

For the St James Cavalier booking office, call 2122-3216 or visit www.sjcav.org.

This information is correct at the time of printing

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