President Edward Fenech Adami was presented with a donation by Bank of Valletta to sponsor a concert by the Armed Forces of Malta Band and the folk music group Nafra. The concert, hosted by the President and Mrs Fenech Adami, is being held on Friday, 17 August in the grounds of Verdala Palace and all proceeds will go towards the Malta Community Chest Fund.

Presenting the bank’s sponsorship, bank chairman Roderick Chalmers said that “besides raising funds in aid of the most valuable social work undertaken by the Community Chest Fund, we are sure that this concert, in such a unique setting as Verdala Palace, will be an enjoyable and culturally enriching experience for all those present.” AFM commander Brigadier Carmel Vassallo was also in attendance.

President Fenech Adami expressed gratitude towards Bank of Valletta and said that through the support of such fund-

raising activities the Malta Community Chest Fund would be able to help those who sought its assistance.

Verdala Palace will be set up specifically for the night, creating an atmosphere that complements the show. The concert will start at 8.15pm.

Tickets will be sold at Lm5/EUR11.65 and are available from:

• The Palace, Valletta, tel: 2123-1350, from Monday to Friday between 8.30am and 12.30pm

• St James Cavalier, Valletta, tel: 2122-3216/email: box

[email protected], from 10am to 9pm.

• AFM Headquarters, Luqa, tel: 2167-8102/2249-4007, email: [email protected], from Monday to Friday 8.30am to 12.30pm.

Verdala Palace will be open for viewing after the show.

Armed Forces of Malta Band and Nafra

Various pieces from the AFM Band’s wide repertoire, which range from military marches to classical and popular music, will complement the unique sound of the ethnic prototypes, which are synonymous with Nafra, on the night. The AFM Band and Nafra will be performing alternatively. However, the culmination of the night will be a joint performance, with the two groups interacting to provide some scintillating music through popular songs.

The AFM Band, under the baton of its Director of Music, Lieutenant John Ivan Borg, has a complement of 43 musicians. It performs on a regular basis at national events and gives frequent displays and programmes all over the island.

During the last few years, it has also represented Malta at various festivals and military tattoos overseas, such as in Monchengladbach and Bremen in Germany, Agrigento in Sicily, Modena in Italy and Breda in Holland, as well as very recently in Brussels, Belgium and St Petersburg, Russia.

Nafra, on the other hand, which is led by Ruben Zahra, is an acoustic ensemble featuring traditional Maltese instruments: zaqq (bagpipe), zummara (reed pipe), flejguta (cane flute), zafzafa (friction drum) and tanbur (frame drum).

The ensemble is also very active on the local scene and has performed by invitation in Portugal, Spain, Germany, Tunisia and Hong Kong.