The Malta Council for Culture and the Arts (MCCA) is holding the first edition of the Euromed Festival for Composers in December, incorporating a competition for Maltese and foreign composers and an orchestral concert for the finalist works.

The festival involves heavy collaboration with the National Orchestra, which consistently works for the promotion of Maltese compositions abroad, and the Manoel Theatre, two prime institutions which are the principal sponsors of the first competition for composers in Malta.

The aim is to develop the festival into an international platform to further enhance Malta’s image as a cultural and artistic destination, and this has drawn the financial support also of the Tourism and Culture Ministry.

The competition is open to composers born after 30 November 1967 in European and Mediterranean countries that are partners of the Barcelona Declaration. The submitted works should be original and have not been publicly performed, recorded, published or awarded. The deadline for submissions of orchestral works is 28 August 2007.

The jury will consist of internationally acclaimed figures who specialise in music composition. The finalist works will be performed by the National Orchestra on 15 December, at the Manoel Theatre in Valletta. The three winners will receive monetary prizes, and the first prize winning work will also be performed by the National Orchestra in a separate public concert.

“With the Arts Council’s synergy and the support of our cultural collaborators and sponsors in Malta, we are providing a unique opportunity to increase the interest in musical compositions and expand Maltese talents in European and Mediterranean countries,” said Mary Ann Cauchi, MCCA arts executive and coordinator of the

festival.