The Italian Cultural Institute is the latest entity to collaborate with the ever-growing Valletta Baroque Festival. Teatru Manoel CEO Massimo Zammit and artistic director Kenneth Zammit Tabona met with Massimo Sarti, director to the Italian Cultural Institute to discuss this collaboration.
 
“The theatre is happy to continue its excellent relations with the Italian Cultural Institute which has for many decades supported the arts and Teatru Manoel,” said Zammit. “The theatre welcomes such collaborations and will continue to serve as a platform for the local cultural sector as well as a performance space to both local and international artists.” 
 
Held annually in January, the original programme for the 2021, ninth edition of the Valletta Baroque Festival has been postponed to 2022. A festival on a smaller scale is being organised due to restrictions connected with the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic. 
 
“Preparations for the Valletta Baroque Festival each January start long before, with the programme publicised up to a year in advance,” said Zammit Tabona.

“Due to COVID-19, in April this year we advised all the participants of the 2021 festival – 36 concerts involving over 300 artists – that we may have to transpose the entire festival to January 2022, which the majority accepted. Ergo the 2022 festival programme is ready, but to keep the festival’s spirit alive this year I have devised a scaled-down version comprising Maltese musicians and singers like Gillian Zammit, Michael Laus and Sarah Spiteri, alongside others from Italy to perform on instruments like the viola da gamba and theorbo.”
 
Sarti, director to the Italian Cultural Institute has come on board to collaborate with the festival in supporting Italian artists Abchordis as well as Andrea Buccarella and Teodoro Baù. The 2021 Valletta Baroque Festival programme may be viewed at www.vallettabaroquefestival.mt.