MUSIC

Isle of MTV Malta Music Week

Malta Music Week returns with a week chock-full of events, the highlight of which is the Isle of MTV concert at the Granaries in Floriana on July 16. This year’s headliners are international chart-topper Nelly Furtado, multi award-winning singer-songwriter Raye and French DJ and record producer DJ Snake.

The line-up of local acts includes Klinsmann and Eurovision singer Sarah Bonnici, and various deejays, including Debrii, Denzel Jo Armani, JD Patrick and Miggy.

After the concert, an official afterparty will be held at Marrakech, Gianpula.

On July 17, Italian DJs and producers DJs from Mars will perform at Toy Room in St Julian’s, while a day boat party will be held on July 18.

Swedish synth-pop duo Icona Pop will take to the stage at Gianpula Main Room as part of G7 Fridays on July 19. This will be followed by a pool party at the Bora-Bora Ibiza-Malta Resort and a special Malta Music Week event at Toy Room in St Julian’s on July 20.

The week-long celebrations will come to an end with a club night featuring DJ and producer Benny Benassi at Café del Mar in Qawra on July 21.

Tickets for all events from showshappening.com.

For more information and updates, visit isleofmtv.com and the Isle of MTV Malta Facebook page.

Tom Jones in concert

Legendary singer Tom Jones will perform for the second time in Malta at the MFCC in Ta’ Qali on July 16, as part of his Ages and Stages tour.

The Welsh singer, best known for songs like Delilah, It’s Not Unusual, She’s a Lady and Sex Bomb, first performed in Malta in 2009.

Tickets for the concert, organised by Greatt and NNG Promotions, are available from showshappening.com.

Victoria International Arts Festival

The month-long festival is coming to an end on July 15, with an orchestral concert at St George’s Basilica, Victoria, featuring the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Philip Walsh, and clarinettist Godfrey Mifsud.

The programme includes Serenade for Stings in E Minor by Elgar, Concerto for Clarinet and Orchestra op. 121 by Vella and Symphony no. 4 in Major op. post 90 (Italian) by Medelssohn.

The concert starts at 8pm and entrance is free. Visit viaf.org.mt for more information.

The Vaccines live in concert

British indie rock band The Vaccines are playing in Malta for the first time at the Aria Complex on July 18. 

The band has released six studio albums since forming in 2010 and have toured extensively, opening for acts such as the Rolling Stones, Arctic Monkeys, Imagine Dragons and Red Hot Chili Peppers.

They have just performed at Glastonbury Festival this year. In Malta, they will be supported by local indie band Brikkuni.

The concert is organised by NNG Promotions. Tickets from showshappening.com.

MSA ConTempo Concert 3

The third concert in the Malta Society of Arts’ new classical and contemporary series will be dedicated to the memory of clarinet player Daniele Galletto, who passed away earlier this year. 

The event will feature clarinet and double bass virtuosos Godfrey Mifsud and Gjorgji Cincievski, who will perform works by Gajdos, Garcia, Scarlatti, Cincievski and Hindemith.

It will be held at the Manoel Theatre in Valletta on July 18 at 8pm. Tickets from teatrumanoel.mt.

ConTempo is curated and produced by composer Karl Fiorini as part of the Malta Society of Arts Performing Arts Programme 2024 and is supported by Arts Council Malta.

Sublime Imperfection

Sustain-Delay, a programme dedicated to promoting adventurous music from near and far, and forming part of the Malta Society of Arts’ Performing Arts Programme, is presenting world-renowned electronic musician and sound engineer POLE for its next event on July 19, being held at the Liquid Club in San Ġwann.

Headliner POLE, renowned for his immersive soundscapes, is a legendary pioneer in the dub techno scene.

The event will also feature key figures from Malta’s electronic music underground, including Neil Hales, under his acid techno alias Acidulant, who was one of the co-founders of Electronic Music Malta, and Sonitus Eco (Justin Meli), a staple in the dub techno scene in Malta.

Sublime Imperfection, the fourth event in this year’s Sustain-Delay programme, is part of the Malta Society of Arts 2024 Programme, which is run in collaboration with Arts Council Malta.

Read more here. Tickets from showshappening.com.

Do-Re-Mi Family Fanfare Finale

The Do-Re-Mi journey is reaching its final destination for the 23/24 concert season with a large orchestral concert conducted by Roderick Bugeja, at Pjazza Teatru Rjal in Valletta on July 20 at 8pm.

The seven fun-loving musical characters from the series will come together in this orchestral fanfare.

Tickets from showshappening.com. Children enter for free. Those under five must always be supervised.

Sacred music concert

St Paul Choral Society will present a concert at St Margaret parish church in Sannat, Gozo, on July 20 at 8pm.

The choir, led by Hugo Agius Muscat, will sing short sacred works ranging from the early baroque to the present day, some a cappella, while others accompanied on the Cavalli pipe organ restored in 2022. 

Four short organ solos will also be played by organist Elisabeth Conrad.

The last piece in the programme is a new SATB arrangement of the hymn Jesu Corona Virginum by Vincenzo Caruana Spiteri.

Entrance is free.

THEATRE

The Merchant of Venice

MADC is staging of one of Shakespeare’s highly acclaimed comedies at San Anton Gardens in Attard from July 19 to 22 and July 24 to 28 at 8.30pm.

The famous tale sees the eponymous merchant, Antonio, take a loan from an infamous moneylender named Shylock, so that his friend Bassanio may woo the beautiful and wealthy Portia. Shylock agrees on one condition – that Antonio either settles the debt by a certain date, or gives him a pound of his flesh. 

The production, directed by and starring MADC artistic director Stephen Oliver, also features Edward Caruana Galizia, Julia Camilleri, Gianluca Mifsud and a large ensemble cast.

The play is suitable for audiences aged 10 and above. Read more about the show here.

Tickets from www.madc.com.mt.

FILM

National Film Competition Awards Ceremony and Screenings

The awards ceremony of the 64th edition of the National Film Competition will be held on July 20 at the Amphitheatre Hall, the Marriott Hotel, Balluta.

The winning films, which will be screened on the night, are: Son of God (best production, best director, Bruce Micallef Eynaud, and best actor, Bernard Satariano); Whitebait (cinematography award, camera work by Matthew Muscat Drago); The Ambush (editing award, Fabrizio Fenech); Nailed It (scriptwriting award, Chris Ciantar); The Well/Tittawwalx fit-Toqba (best female acting award, Chanelle Cardona); and The Dance by Roy Davidson for photography (Jury Special Award for an Outstanding Feature).

The event starts at 7.30pm. Admission is open to the public free of charge.

For reservations, e–mail bookings@maltacinecircle.org or call on 9946 0866.

MISCELLANEOUS

Sliema Arts Festival

Another edition of the Sliema Arts Festival is being held at the Independence Gardens, promenade and Exiles, Sliema, from July 19 to 21.

Themed 'Colour Ignites, Love Unites', the festival will feature art exhibitions, various live music performances and genres, street artists, crafts and more.

One of the headlining acts is Coldplace, a tribute band to Coldplay. For all the details, visit the event's Facebook page and website.

Volleyball Marathon in aid of Id-Dar tal-Providenza

Id-Dar tal-Providenza is holding another edition of its fundraising volleyball marathon between July 19 and 21.

A group of 40 volunteers will play a total of 53 hours in a bid to raise funds for the Siġġiewi home.

The marathon will be held in the home’s parking area between July 19 at 6.30pm and midnight on July 21. There will be live music by local popular bands, food stalls and a children’s area.

Read more about the event here. 

Aborigen Latino Fest

A festival celebrating the richness and diversity of Latin culture is being held for the first time in Malta at the BMX Warehouse in Pembroke from July 19 to 21.

The event will feature the best in Latin music, comedy, entertainment and gastronomy. The programme includes performances by LA33, a world-renowned salsa orchestra, and Colombian comedian Don Jediondo, among many other artists. 

Tickets from ticketmonti.com. Children under 14 years of age enter for free.

For all the details, visit the event’s Facebook page.

Filfla cruise

Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar is organising a tour of Filfla on July 20.

The tour will explore the rugged, remote island and Malta’s southern coast, providing information on geological formations, rare flora and fauna and the Knights fortifications, with the possibility to encounter seabirds, and includes a buffet lunch and a swimming stop at Il-Ħofriet Bay.

Limited tickets are available at https://ticketengine.faa.org.mt/.

Champagne Festival

Malta is hosting its first-ever Champagne Festival at Palazzo Parisio in Naxxar on July 20 from 7.30pm onwards.

One will have the opportunity to indulge in a curated selection of champagnes meticulously chosen from prestigious houses.

There will also be live music and gourmet food stations offering exquisite pairings, all set in the picturesque Palazzo Parisio Gardens.

The event is curated by SommEscape, in collaboration with Palazzo Parisio, Farsons Beverage Imports Company Ltd, Wine Select, Philippe Martinet Fine Wines, Francis Busuttil & Sons (Marketing) Ltd and FE Wine Consulting. 

Tickets are priced at €39 per person, inclusive of a welcome glass of champagne and a charcuterie and cheese degustation plate. Tickets are available at www.ticketline.com.mt.

VISUAL ARTS

Ngħaddu ż-Żmien

Patarra, a Portuguese artist living in Malta, and Ed Dingli, a Maltese artist living in Portugal, are interpreting the culture and countries where they are currently based in an exhibition at the Malta Society of Arts in Valletta.

As both countries face a wave of homogenisation in the wake of globalisation, the artists explore the everyday nuances of quotidian culture which give a country and a people their identity, and try to find their place within it all.

The exhibition, curated by Andrew Borg Wirth, runs until July 18. Opening hours: Mondays and Fridays: 9am to 7pm; Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays: 9am to noon and 4pm to 7pm; Saturdays: 9am to 1pm.

Beyond the Brush

Madeleine Vella Satariano is presenting her first solo exhibition in Gozo.

Her works relay the feeling of freedom through movement, featuring, among others, rough open seas as well as wild, galloping horses in open spaces, enthralling the viewer with a sense of liberty and joie de vivre. 

She uses various mediums such as acrylic, water colour, ink and pencil, and uses Gozo as the backdrop for her works.

Beyond the Brush runs at the Banca Giuratale, in Victoria, until July 21. The opening hours are: Monday to Friday – 9.30am till 2.30pm and Saturday and Sunday from 9.30am till noon. 

Trialogue

A collective exhibition by Vanni Pulé, Gerald John Micallef and Godwin Muscat Azzopardi, is on at Gemelli Art Framing in Ta’ Qali.

Micallef’s work is an expression of all that goes on in his life. Some works evoke an amplified scream of a particular experience or encounter; others are the true expression of cherished moments, however painful, that help the artist to gain higher levels of maturity. 

Pulé has created a collection of original works in various unlikely tints, reflecting phases in his creative thinking. In this exhibition, he constructs and deconstructs local views with a spectrum of translucent stripes in imaginative hues. 

While some of his works are based on Maltese landscapes, Muscat Azzopardi is more inspired by the atmosphere of the place or subject than by its physical or local colour. He believes in the power of art to foster a positive narrative, countering the prevailing negative outlook and attitude with moments of beauty and comfort.

Trialogue runs until July 27. Visit the gallery's Facebook page for opening hours and more information.

Through the Eyes of a Collector

The exhibition Through the Eyes of a Collector offers a rare glimpse into the private collection of an avid art enthusiast, showcasing a diverse array of artworks that span various periods, styles, and media.

This unique display is a testament to the collector’s keen eye for beauty, historical significance, and artistic innovation.

It is curated by Charlene Vella and is open at the Palm Court Lounge, The Phoenicia Malta, throughout July.

whatson@timesofmalta.com