Second concert in Bir Miftuh Music Festival

The second concert in the series of the Bir Miftuh Music Festival organised annually by Din l-Art Helwa will be a guitar and mandolin concert by Ester Poli and Leopoldo Saracino.

It will take place in the chapel of Sta Marija ta' Bir Miftuh on Saturday at 8 p.m.

The concert is being sponsored by the Istituto Italiano di Cultura. The programme will include works by Allessandro Piccinini, Girolamo Frescobaldi, Antonio Vivaldi, Mauro Giuliani, Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco, Manuel de Falla and a selection of traditional Neapolitan songs. Ester Poli, guitar and mandolin, has performed as soloist, chamber musician and with orchestras in several countries in Europe, the Middle East and the Far East and with famous chamber-music ensembles, such as Gli Archi Della Scala.

Leopoldo Saracino, guitar, has won numerous awards at international competitions. His performances have been broadcast on radio and television in Greece, Austria and France. In recent years he specialised in the original music of the 19th century, also performing on authentic period instruments. At present he holds the post of professor of guitar at the Conservatorio di Monopoli, Bari.

Tickets at Lm7.50, including refreshments, may be obtained from Din l-Art Helwa, 133 Melita Street, Valletta, tel. 2122 0358, 2122 5952.

Proceeds arising from the event will go towards the upkeep and maintenance of the chapel of Bir Miftuh and towards Din l-Art Helwa restoration projects.