What’s on in Malta and Gozo this week: June 29 to July 5, 2026

Ġimgħa l-Ħabs

Teatru Malta’s new production, Ġimgħa l-Ħabs, is based on true historical events and real police logs from 1825. 

It follows Maddalena Mallia, a woman who is condemned to spend a week in prison. Inside, she joins eight other female inmates spinning cotton on a machine under the watchful eye of guards.

The play is written by Chantelle Micallef Grimaud and directed by Chiara Hyzler, with original music by The New Victorians.

It is being staged at the Republic Hall, Mediterranean Conference Centre, Valletta, on July 3 at 8pm, July 4 and 5 at 3 and 8pm, and July 6 and 7 at 8pm. The show is suitable for an audience aged over 15. Tickets from showshappening.com.

Read more about the play on Times2.

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MUSIC

Closer to the voice – Charles Buttigieg live 

Baritone Charles Buttigieg will perform alongside international soprano Chrystelle DiMarco and tenor Alan Sciberras at the Grand Hotel, Mġarr, Gozo, on July 4 at 8.30pm.

The singers will be joined by an orchestra conducted by Mro Mark Gauci. 

The two-hour programme presents a carefully curated selection of operatic arias and ensemble works from the classical repertoire, highlighting the depth, artistry and virtuosity of the operatic voice.

Tickets from showshappening.com.

Victoria International Arts Festival

The Victoria International Arts Festival continues at the Aula Mgr G. Farrugia,  hosting a recital by Philip Attard (saxophone) and Christine Zerafa (piano) on June 30, and Liederbrand, featuring baritone Yang Wern Ooi accompanied by pianist Francis Camilleri, on July 1.

The Schola Cantorum Venerandae Fabricae (Milan), directed by Massimo Palombella, will perform at St George’s Basilica, on July 2, while the Primrose Ensemble Viola Quartet, featuring Pierre-Henri Xuereb, Noémie Airiau-Gauguier, Ruixin Niu and Camille Coello, will play at St Augustine church, on July 3. All the concerts start at 8pm.

British bass-baritone Samuel Lom will then present a vocal recital at the Aula Mgr G. Farrugia on July 4 at 8.30pm. He will be accompanied by pianist Francesca Lauri.

KorMalta, Malta’s national choir, under the direction of Riccardo Bianchi, will perform at the chapel of the Don Bosco Oratory on July 5 at 8pm.

Attendance to the concerts is free of charge.

Juniors’ Timeless Classics

The Junior Malta Youth Orchestra will on June 29 present a programme of orchestral favourites and cinematic highlights led by Roderick Bugeja, at City Theatre, Valletta. 

The programme features Haydn’s Surprise Symphony, Beethoven’s Symphony No.7, Tchaikovsky’s Romeo and Juliet, and Strauss’s Blue Danube Waltz, alongside music from Harry Potter and Godzilla, and a Disney medley arranged by Bugeja, among others.

The recital starts at 11am. Tickets from showshappening.com.

Folk Underground 

A new cultural initiative celebrating Malta’s folk heritage through traditional għana singing, storytelling and acoustic guitar performances is kicking off on July 1 at the Sala San Duminku, in Valletta.

Taking part will be renowned folk masters alongside a new generation of musicians, who will perform songs of love, loss, humour, resistance and everyday life. These are Mariele Zammit, Mikiel Cumbo ‘L-iżgej’, George Aquilina ‘Nofsillejl’ and his son Karol, and Andrew Alamango.

The weekly intimate performances will continue throughout summer and autumn. 

For more information, visit folkunderground.com.

Made in Malta

The final concert in KorMalta Ensemble’s series, Made in Malta, is being held at St Catherine of Italy church in Valletta on July 2 at noon.

The concert will celebrate the richness of Malta’s musical heritage through a programme spanning more than three centuries, from the baroque era to the present day. 

Featuring sacred and secular works by Maltese composers alongside music by Italian composers written especially for the ensemble, Made in Malta offers a musical portrait of the islands’ enduring artistic legacy.

KorMalta is part of the National Agency of Performing Arts (NAPA). The ensemble is conducted by Riccardo Bianchi.

Young Harmonies

The Malta Youth Orchestra takes to the stage under the baton of Michael Laus for an evening of classical repertoire at the Manoel Theatre, Valletta, on July 3 at 7.30pm.

Performing will be Teona Debono and Bernard Curmi (violin), Elena Gori (viola) and Abbey Grech (double bass).

The programme unfolds with Mozart’s Serenata Notturna, followed by Boccherini’s evocative Musica notturna delle strade di Madrid, arranged by Michael Laus, and Mozart’s Symphony No. 39.

Tickets from teatrumanoel.mt.

Classic Rock Night

Three leading local rock bands – Lord Adder, SouthBeats and Blacktones – take the stage at Pjazza Teatru Rjal, Valletta, on July 3 to present some of rock’s most classic anthems.

The concert starts at 8.30pm. Tickets from ticketline.com.mt.

Ħondoq by Night

The open-air music event, organised by the Qala local council, returns on July 3 from 9pm onwards.

The line-up features Cash & Band and deejay Ryan Spiteri, alongside many other performers. 

Entrance is free.

KorMalta on the Road

KorMalta on the Road brings the chamber beyond the concert hall.

From village squares to parish churches, the ensemble will present a selection of favourite works from across the year, inviting audiences to encounter KorMalta’s music wherever the road leads, ending with a concert at the MICAS Vault in Malta on July 4 at 7.30pm and at the Don Bosco Oratory, Victoria, on July 5 at 7.30pm. 

Tickets from showshappening.com.

Cantate Domino Canticum Novum

The Schola Cantorum Venerandae Fabricae of Milan is performing a concert of sacred choral works, under the direction of Mro Massimo Palombella, at St John’s Co-Cathedral, Valletta, on July 4 at 8pm.

Tickets from showshappening.com.

FILM

Exhibition on Screen: Frida Kahlo

Exhibition on Screen’s award-winning film about Mexican artist Frida Kahlo – first released during COVID to a restricted audience – is back by popular demand with a new addition from the curators of the blockbuster transatlantic exhibition from Tate Modern and MFA Houston: Frida Kahlo: The Making of an Icon. 

The film, certified PG, is being screened at Spazju Kreattiv, Valletta, on July 1 at 7.30pm and July 11 at 5.30pm.

Tickets from spazjukreattiv.org.

whatson@timesofmalta.com