Iljieli fit-Teatru, Pjazza Teatru Rjal’s series of small-scale concerts in the intimate setting of the Green Room, is back for its seventh edition. 

Last year’s successful Keyboard Fiesta put each keyboard instrument, from the organ and the harpsichord to the accordion and the synthesizer, under the spotlight. 

This year’s series will be a chamber music bonanza featuring Maltese and international musicians in a variety of intriguing combinations. 

Held on a Monday once a month, the series opens on January 20 with a flute and guitar recital by Malta Philharmonic Orchestra sub-principal flute and piccolo player Fiorella Camilleri, who will be joined on stage by Italian guitarist Giampaolo Bandini.

This time-tested combination has inspired composers from a variety of musical genres and the performers will be offering an eclectic programme that highlights the technical possibilities of both instruments. 

The series continues on February 17 with a saxophone (Philip Attard) and piano (Christine Zerafa) recital; March 17 featuring the Janascharco Trio (flute, violin and piano); April 21 with two of Malta’s upcoming vocal talents, Gabrielle Portelli (soprano) and Joseph Cutajar (baritone), accompanied at the piano by Marie-Elena Farrugia; and May 19 with a violin duo (Stefan Calleja and Valhmor Montfort) performing some gems from the violin duet repertoire by Leclair, Gliere, Prokofiev and Handel. 

After the summer, that sees Pjazza Teatru Rjal’s activity moving on to the main stage, the Iljieli fit-Teatru series resumes on October 20 with a concert of works written for the unorthodox combination of harp and piano featuring two of Malta’s finest chamber musicians, Caroline Calleja (harp) and Joanne Camilleri (piano); November 17 with a concert for vibraphone and piano by Daniel Cauchi and Tricia Dawn Williams, who have both earned an increasingly growing reputation for their adventurous programming; and December 15 in a night dedicated to Maltese għana with a difference, when the Mariele Zammit Tri-oh! will be combining traditional Maltese għana with jazz and modern musical elements.

All concerts start at 7.30pm. Entrance for these concerts will be from Casa Cassar, Triq il-Vittorja, Valletta. For tickets and more information, visit www.pjazzateatrurjal.mt or follow Pjazza Teatru Rjal’s social media platforms.