With the Westside Short Film Festival spreading over three nights and MADC’s Shakespeare production shifting its venue for the first time since World War Two, this July will be a vigorous one, brimming with all sorts of festivals and music offerings and the launch of the Malta Arts Festival – Summer 2007.
Theatre
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
24-29 July at the Opera House ruins, Valletta
The MADC will this year be staging Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, which portrays the adventures of four young Athenian lovers and a group of amateur actors in a moonlit forest, and their interactions with the fairies who inhabit it. MADC is shifting venue for its annual Shakespeare production, which will be one of the main cultural events of the Malta Arts Festival organised by the Malta Council for the Arts.
Music
om 6 July at Bridge Bar, Valletta
For all those wishing to start off the weekend on a chilled note, the open-air jazz nights return this summer, every Friday at Bridge Bar on Victoria Gate in Valletta. People can sit down on the steps outside the bar, enjoy a drink and listen to live music.
Joseph Calleja 10th Anniversary Concert
7 July in the main square of Mdina
Joseph Calleja performs in a concert marking the 10th anniversary from the start of his career. Calleja will be accompanied by his wife, soprano Tatiana Lisnic and the Youth Orchestra of the Americas. Tickets can be purchased from maltaticket.com and Exotique branches.
Marco Masini
7 July at Qawra Point Green Village
Marco Masini performs live in this concert which also features The Big Band Brothers, Olivia Lewis, J Anvil and leading Batista Leisure Group artists. Entrance is free of charge. This will be part of a weekend of events called Climate Change Malta, creating awareness about global warming and climate change. For more info visit www.
climatechangemalta.info.
Intimate Letters
12 July at the Inquisitor’s Palace, Girgenti, Siggiewi
George Fredrick Handel was one of the greatest European composers during the Baroque period. Letters written about him by acquaintances, work colleagues and friends portray an image of an intelligent, well brought-up and well educated man, with a witty sense of humour, ample social graces and a very discreet love life. These letters coupled with two of his most popular works, Water Music and Music for the Royal Fireworks promise an exciting evening set in the beautiful grounds of the Inquisitor’s Palace. Tickets from St James Cavalier; tel.: 2122-3216.
Malta Blues & Wine Festival
16-18 July at the Valletta Waterfront
The festival kicks off with the opening of the International Wine Festival where one will be able to taste and buy local and international wines. In the main arena, the three main artists together with local bands will play on each of the three nights. 16 July will headline John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers, 17 July Smokie and on the last night, Led Zeppelin’s Robert Plant. Tickets available from all Exotique and Agenda outlets. For more information, visit www.bluesfestivalmalta.com.
Isle of MTV Malta Special
26 July on the Floriana Granaries
Isle of MTV Malta Special is being publicised on MTV as summer’s hottest European music festival, with the Floriana Granaries as a backdrop. MTV cameras will capture all the action to be broadcast in an hour-long special. G7 Events and the Tourism Ministry teamed up with MTV Networks International to host one of the coolest outdoor live music events, which will be free of charge to the public and will feature performances by Enrique Iglesias, R&B singer Akon and pop-rock band Maroon 5. Malta’s Ira Losco will complete the line-up, together with other local artists and DJs.
Puerto Flamenco
27, 28 July at the Palace Courtyard, Valletta
The flamenco troupe present Seville’s finest eight artists in their new spectacle Dos Pies, Dos Manos, Una Vida, as part of the Malta Arts Festival. Francesca “Cikka” Grima and Andrej Vujicic proudly present two award-winning male dancers Antonio Castro and Jesus Herrera, prodigy guitarist Eduardo Trassierra, the phenomenal Jose “El Tremendo”, Tamara Lopez and Joselito Acedo. Tickets cost Lm5. For more information, visit www.maltaculture.com.
National Orchestra Goes Pop with Vodafone
28-29 July at the Mediterranean Conference Centre, Valletta
As part of the Malta – Summer Arts Festival 2007, the National Orchestra presents the fourth edition of National Orchestra Goes Pop with Vodafone. The event was conceived to attract audiences that normally stay away from classical concerts. The National Orchestra teams up with local pop singers to offer a show that will entertain everyone.
Cosmos Wind Ensemble
30 July at the Palace Courtyard
A group made up of Canadian, UK, German, Spanish and Maltese musicians collaborate to present an international wind ensemble. This is one of the events forming part of the Malta Arts Festival – Summer 2007.
Cinema
Sotto le Stelle
3, 10, 17, 24 July at Atriju Vassalli, University of Malta
As part of Evenings on Campus, there will be film nights every Tuesday at 8.30pm. For the full programme, visit http://events.um.edu.mt/eveningsoncampus.
Westside Short Film Festival
6-8 July at Gnien il-Gardjola, Valletta
Organised by NGO Kinemastik, this third edition of the festival includes the works of eight British artists, four of whom will be attending the event with the support of the British Council. This year’s festival will see special emphasis on Nordic cinema in collaboration with Danish film festival Cosmic Zoom. The organisers of the Danish festival will be present to introduce Nordic underground cinema and the rare works from one of Denmark’s most prolific and successful animators Lejf Marcussen. A workshop on Saturday will provide a unique opportunity for the local audience and filmmakers to meet with the British artists and the Danish festival organiser. Neal Fox will be holding an exhibition at The Pub in Valletta which will be open during the festival. Tickets cost Lm4 (one night) Lm7 (two nights), Lm10 (three nights) and can be obtained from St James Cavalier; tel.: 2122-3200. For the full programme, visit www.kinemastik.org or www.
kinemastikfest.org.
National Cinema Day
7 July in local cinemas
Cinemas in Malta will show films from 9.30am until late night at a reduced price of admission of Lm1.30 per person. The Citadel cinema in Gozo will have afternoon and evening performances only.
Visual Arts
Nature Park Exhibition
2-15 July at Vilhena Palace, Mdina
A group of artists painting Malta’s first Nature and History Park in the northwest of Malta will be exhibiting their works at a fund-raising event organised by Din l-Art Helwa. Part of the proceeds will be devolved to Din l-Art Helwa’s restoration projects. This is the second exhibition of al fresco paintings coordinated by Petra Bianchi and Kenneth Zammit Tabona. The group who meet regularly to paint outdoors has been steadily growing.
Tila
6 July–26 August at Heritage Malta, Valletta
A collective exhibition of paintings and sculpture. Open from 8am to 4pm.
Quoting Caravaggio
26 July-18 August in Valletta
As part of the Malta Council for Culture and the Arts’ 400th-anniversary Caravaggio programme, this contemporary art exhibition features five established local artists in five different 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 offer different forms of art and the spaces chosen for this exhibition highlight the beauty of indoor and outdoor Valletta.
The Sixth National Art Competition and Exhibition
27 June-8 July at the Trade Fair Grounds, Naxxar
Organised by the Malta Society of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce during the Malta International Trade Fair, the exhibition showcases 126 artists who will be exhibiting 197 works of art. More information may be obtained from the Malta Society of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce, Valletta; tel.: 2124-4339, email: info@
artsmalta.org.
Lectures
Painting the Human Figure in Oils
12 July at the Malta Society of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce, Valletta
The Malta Society of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce is organising a demonstration by artist Jason Lu at the society’s premises at 219, Republic Street, Valletta between 5pm and 8pm. The fee is Lm6 for the society members and Lm10 for non-members. More information can be obtained by phoning on tel.: 2124-4339/2124-4400, or by email to: [email protected].
Other Events
Evenings on Campus
30 June-9 August at Atriju Vassalli at the University of Malta
The 15th edition of the festival has a varied programme of cultural events which will take place on campus. For more information, visit http://events.um.edu.mt/
eveningsoncampus or phone on tel.: 2340-3080, 2134-3562.
Le Salon en Spirale
20 July at the University of Malta
Hats & Tales in collaboration with KKU present a musico-literary evening as part of the Evenings on Campus, seeking to create a network community of artists in Malta from all fields, including poets, actors, video artists and musicians. The artists will create works based on the theme of spirals inspired by writers’ texts or poems. The night will be animated by a narrator who takes his audience with him to discover the surreal and magical world that these artists will create.
The Malta Arts Festival – Summer 2007
25 July-19 August in Valletta
This year, the festival organised by the Malta Council for Culture and the Arts spreads over six weeks. The two main open-air venues are the Opera House ruins and the Grand Master’s Palace courtyard. The Opera House ruins see large productions such as Etnikafè and Spiteri Lucas’ show. The Palace courtyard offers a more intimate space for chamber concerts, flamenco dancing and jazz nights. The festival is jam-packed with a variety of events in all the art forms, ranging from art exhibitions to theatrical performances and film screenings. For more info visit www.maltaculture.com.
This information is correct at the time of printing
[email protected]