The third edition of the APS Summer Festival will take place at the University of Malta campus quadrangle between 20 and 31 July 2022.
Under the artistic direction of Annalisa Schembri and in celebration of diversity and the magic of live entertainment, the Festival presents a line-up of acts and performances by headline artists. They include the Beangrowers, The New Victorians, with their exclusive new album live set and a warm-up act of upcoming, young, female talent; Qamar–Qabar; a multidisciplinary performance into sights and sounds by composer Alex Vella Gregory, soprano Miriam Cauchi, and cellist Simon Abdilla Joslin, accompanied by visual interventions by Austin Camilleri. The Festival hosts local bands and musicians including Kantera, singer-songwriter Walter Micallef, Skald, ManaTapu, Cushion and a musical theatre performance by l-Aħwa Bezzina about the songs of popular Maltese singer-songwriter Gaetano Kanta.
The Festival programme includes an evening dedicated to children, with sensory-friendly shows developed especially for three different groups of young audiences ranging from 0 to11 years of age. This special evening includes a brand-new show commissioned by the Festival called Chromatopia created by Analise Mifsud and Mirko Galea and shows produced by More or Less Theatre and the fun duo Sean Briffa and Jeremy Grech. Returning to the stage this year is the space given to upcoming talent and community with artists from the University of Malta School of Performing Arts, MCAST Institute for the Creative Arts and Refugee Week Malta.
The APS Summer Festival is also hosting a number of international acts including Puerto Flamenco, a Seville-based dance troupe with an authentic Flamenco show led by Ċikka Grima and a night of clownerie experience with Brazilian-Italian artists from Companhia Palma and Italian artist Giovanni Risola in the Otto Panzer Show.
The closing night will host a show curated in collaboration with the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra, featuring Mathias Camilleri with a circus art performance on the Chinese pole, accompanied by spoken word written and performed specifically for the Festival by Gabriel Lia. A series of workshops throughout the 12 days of the Festival will also be open specifically for artists and practitioners of the local creative economy.
Left to right: Matthew von Brockdorff (Managing Director and CEO, Atlas Insurance), Rector Prof. Alfred J. Vella, (University of Malta), Rachael Blackburn (Head of Culture, APS Bank) and Annalisa Schembri (Artistic Director)
Rachael Blackburn, Head of Culture at APS Bank commented: “This 12-day programme is a testament to APS Bank’s vision to be the community bank in Malta. The richness of the content presents a palpable expression of our corporate values – excellence, authenticity, passion, inclusiveness and being contemporary.”
Annalisa Schembri, Artistic Director added “The content being offered this year is firmly rooted in our Festival values, enabling us to produce a contemporary, inclusive, sustainable and international arts festival that aims to entertain and inspire audiences and artists alike. We will also ensure to keep it boutique and bespoke, creating space for fringe festivals to exist and create a strong market for them locally.”
Rector Prof. Alfred J. Vella commented, “The University delivers education, but also culture is a big part of that delivery. We feel that by having the Festival happen on our campus, it is very much part of our mission in education.”
Matthew von Brockdorff, Managing Director and CEO of Atlas Insurance said: “At Atlas, we are committed to contributing to the community in which we operate, through our various initiatives in the areas of sustainability, heritage, sports and wellbeing, and in this case the arts and culture which are an important cornerstone of our overall ESG strategy and very much in line with our purpose beyond profit.”
APS Summer Festival is brought to you thanks to Atlas and University of Malta, together with the support of Kinnie and the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra.
Follow APS Bank Summer Festival website page for programme updates.