Preparations for the Malta Arts Festival – Summer 2006 which runs from today to 20 August are in their final stages. The festival is centred around the entrance of Valletta, precisely at the Old Opera House ruins and Freedom Square and both sites are being set up appropriately for the occasion to create a lively atmosphere for any one visiting Valletta.
Organised by the Malta Council for Culture and the Arts and in collaboration with the Ministry of Tourism and Culture, the festival will feature over 25 major cultural events including concerts, theatre, dance, recitals, music, exhibitions, versatile art and street entertainment.
Tourism and Culture Minister Francis Zammit Dimech will inaugurate the Malta Arts Festival with an open air sculpture exhibition entitled “Art in the Environment” at Freedom Square. Various Maltese sculptors are exhibiting their artistic works in different media, such as stone, marble, metal, glass, timber, and fibre-glass. The exhibition is curated by George Glanville.
Visitors to Valletta will be able to admire the live demonstration in the art of portraiture with clay by artist Marilyn Hodgson. She will be working on models in clay on every Friday, Saturday and Sunday throughout the festival at Freedom Square, Valletta.
In addition, to compliment this festival every Friday evening, the Valletta Alive Foundation is organising BOV Streets Alive! – street entertainment for all the family, which consists of a number of events aimed at enlivening the streets of Valletta. Activities include music, walking tours and children’s entertainment. The museums in Valletta will extend their opening hours and a good number of restaurants will remain open for after performance dinner.
Kris Fenech of Trabuxu and Edward Schembri are once again holding Strada 2006 between today and Sunday. Wine bars and cafes of South Street and upper Strait Street will be putting their tables out on the streets while live acoustic duets will be performing to enliven the late hours of the city.
“The Malta Arts Festival – Summer 2006 is constantly evolving and each year we bring new experiences to the audiences. We have selected a varied programme and there are good opportunities for first timers to choose from,” said CEO of the Malta Council for Culture and the Arts, Dr Paul Mifsud.
“Freedom Square and the Old Opera House have been transformed into an open air theatre and garden offering both the Maltese public and tourists a pleasant, relaxing and entertaining way of how to spend the summer evenings,” said artistic directors of the festival, Mario Frendo and Davinia Galea. “Furthermore, a bar offering refreshments will be open to the public during all events at the Old Opera House and Freedom Square.”
Tomorrow and on Sunday, the National Orchestra Goes Pop with Vodafone, under the musical direction of Sigmund Mifsud, will keep its audience amused with lively popular tunes. Guest artists include Chiara, Ivan Grech, lead vocalist of Wintermoods, singers Pia Zammit and Tara. The National Orchestra will premiere an original piece specifically written for this occasion by Alexander Vella Gregory.