The Malta Arts Festival – Summer 2007 is in its second year and will run from the 25 July until 19 August. This year’s two main open-air venues are the Opera House ruins and the Grand Master’s Palace Courtyard.

The Opera House ruins will this year see large productions such as Etnikafe, Spiteri Lucas and Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night’s Dream produced by MADC.

The Palace Courtyard will offer the more intimate space for chamber concerts, flamenco dancing (Puerto Flamenco) and jazz nights. Chamber recitals include big names such as violinist Carmine Lauri and pianist John Alley, and Decca artists Enrico Dindo (cello) and Pietro de Maria (piano).

Up and coming Maltese performers will feature in two piano recitals, while a group made up of Canadian, UK, German, Spanish and Maltese musicians will present an international wind ensemble. A brass and percussion ensemble made up of musicians from the National Orchestra will perform themes from favourite movies.

Jazz lovers will surely not be disappointed to hear the sounds of Domenic Galea, Sandro Zerafa and Oliver Degabriele, together with other performers active on the European circuit. The National Orchestra will feature in its ever popular Orchestra goes Pop concert at the Mediterranean Conference Centre. Guitar recitals with Paris-based Simon Schembri and well-known Carlos Bonell will be presented at the Auberge d’Italie.

One of the highlights of the Malta Arts Festival – Summer 2007 is the participation of Odin Teatret. Odin Teatret will stage two performances, apart from conducting workshops and demonstrations. The public has the opportunity to attend a lecture by celebrated Italian author and theatre director Eugenio Barba. Supa, (Summer University of Performing Arts) once again has its own high profile programme.

The opening days of the festival will see Valletta with morning street performances by a troupe of Brazilian clowns as well as performances by a combo band from the American Sixth Fleet. A special clown performance will be held in the Opera House ruins.

As part of the 400th anniversary Caravaggio programme, a contemporary art exhibition will feature five local artists in five venues inspired by Caravaggio’s life and works during his sojourn in Malta. Vince Briffa, Giuseppi Schembri Bonaci, Caesar Attard, Anton Calleja and Gabriel Caruana all offer different forms of art and the spaces chosen highlight the beauty of indoor and outdoor Valletta spaces.

Silk Road Suite, an initiative of Ruben Zahra, will be made up of Maltese and French music played by Italian musicians at Auberge de Castille.

Artists in different genres from Egypt offer Egyptian music, poetry and film. Kinemastic invited Blu Ericailcane and Lorenzo Fonda, young and cutting edge Italian artists, to hold a workshop in mural painting.

The festival is enhanced with the Friday night programme of BOV Streets Alive and the popular Strada nights. This year Strada will take place on the first weekend and the following Saturdays of the festival.

The Malta Arts Festival – Summer 2007 is sponsored by the Ministry for Tourism and Culture, the Malta Council for Culture and the Arts, the Good Causes Fund, HSBC Bank Malta plc, Bank of Valletta plc, and the Valletta local council. Admission prices are extremely affordable. Xfm Radio is the official radio station of the festival.

Tickets will be on sale either online from maltaticket.com, or from Agenda Bookshops, Exotique outlets, News Kiosk in Sliema.

Further information can be obtained from the Malta Council for Culture and the Arts on tel. 2124 5168 or one can log on to www.maltaculture.com