This year's edition of Rockestra, in aid of the Malta Community Chest Fund, will take place on Saturday, 26 September, and will commemorate the memory of Maestro Aurelio Belli, who organised the event with great passion and dedicated significant effort to it, the Office of the President said on Thursday.

For this reason, the theme “What a Wonderful World” was chosen, which is also the title of Maestro Belli's favourite song. Aurelio Belli's family will also form an integral part of this year's edition, with his wife, Gloriana Arpa Belli, being one of the main artists.

Maestro Belli passed away last April at the age of 49.

During a press conference at San Anton Palace, where this year's Rockestra was launched, Artistic Director Pawlu Borg Bonaci recalled the wonderful and joyful moments that he and the organising team shared with Maestro Belli while organising previous editions.

“When I look back, these are the moments I want to continue remembering about Aurelio, and the greatest thing giving us the courage to continue this story,” Borg Bonaci said.

He recalled that Aurelio Belli used to point out that while he enjoyed organising Rockestra, he also benefited from it because of the assistance he received from the Malta Community Chest Fund during his long and courageous battle with illness.

Borg Bonaci therefore said that the organisers' idea is for this edition to be a celebration of life, reflected in the song What a Wonderful World, which celebrates the beauty of life and, at its heart, features children singing, nature and human connections despite social challenges and tensions.

This year, three Musical Directors will come together to fill the void left by Aurelio Belli: maestros Daniel Cauchi, Kevin Abela and Aleandro Spiteri Monsigneur. All three worked with Maestro Belli and, together with the National Philharmonic Orchestra, will lead the musicians and artists throughout the evening.

“Over the years, Belli and I would turn to Daniel, Kevin and Aleandro to help us with the arrangements. They performed at Rockestra and are therefore already part of the Rockestra family. It is also thanks to them that Aurelio will be with us in our hearts, in the spirit and in the music,” said Borg Bonaci.

This year's Rockestra will bring together several leading local artists and will, among other things, see the return of the group Animae, which has reunited for this occasion. Alongside Pawlu Borg Bonaci himself, the performers will include Kenneth Calleja, Joe Roscoe, Gianni Zammit, Janice Debattista, Kersten Graham, Matthew James Borg, Karin Duff, Carmelo Ebejer, Petra Zammit, Joelene Samhan, David Lowe, Konrad Pule, Martina Borg, Pamela Bezzina, Klinsmann Coleiro, Ivan Grech, Frank Calleja, Chris Grech, Ira Losco and Gloriana Arpa Belli. They will perform songs featuring musical arrangements by Aurelio Belli himself.

During the press conference, Her Excellency Myriam Spiteri Debono, President of Malta, described this year's edition as an emotional one.

“We will feel the absence of Maestro Belli's smile and the courage he gave us, but we have a team working on a wonderful show that will do justice to his memory,” said the President of Malta.

Her Excellency thanked those who attend every year, as well as those who will be attending for the first time, because their presence will help the Malta Community Chest Fund assist everyone who needs its support—not only with cancer treatment, but also with assistance for the treatment of other illnesses and social circumstances.

A new initiative for this year's Rockestra is a photographic exhibition celebrating previous editions of Rockestra. Through a collaboration with the Malta Council for the Arts, photographers who attended any edition of Rockestra will be able to submit their photographs, creating a collective visual memory.

Eric Fenech Sevasta, Chief Operating Officer of the Malta Council for the Arts, announced that the call for photographers wishing to exhibit their work will be issued in the coming days, with details available from the Arts Council Malta website.

Tickets for Rockestra are available from Showshappening.com, and this year an Early Bird Tickets offer is also available until the end of this month. Under the offer, anyone purchasing four tickets will pay for only three.

The Rockestra After Party will also be organised again at UNO Malta, in aid of the Malta Community Chest Fund, where attendees can continue enjoying the evening while meeting the artists up close.

Rockestra is made possible thanks to the support of the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra, Enemed, Social Causes Fund, Bank of Valletta, Arts Council Malta, Visit Malta, Mapfre – MSV Life, General Soft Drinks, Eurospin, Melita and Festivals Malta.