What’s on in Malta and Gozo this week: March 31 to April 6, 2025
Highlights of events in the coming days
THEATRE
Is-Surmast
The Manoel Theatre is staging an amorous play in two acts by Trevor Zahra, based on his humorous novel of the same name, 30 years after it was first performed at the national theatre.
The play focuses on the character of Carmelo Ciantar: an eccentric and lovable headmaster (surmast) at a primary school. Carmelo is willing to ignore the instructions of his superiors in order to allow his school to run the same way he ran his home, that is based on his own personal whims and following in the footsteps of St Philomena.
Things run smoothly until an old family friend returns from England and turns things upside down for him.
The production, running from April 4 to 6, is directed by Joseph Galea and stars Charles Sammut in the main role. It is suitable for an audience over the age of 12. Tickets from teatrumanoel.mt.
TOI TOI: Down to Earth
TOI TOI participatory theatre, produced for babies between 0-3 years, is presenting the third of a four-part series exploring the elements on April 5 and 6.
Down to Earth is based on the idea that one fosters a love for nature and a sense of wonder about the environment from a young age. The attending babies and their guardians will be immersed into TOI TOI’s special brand of interactive play, encouraging their natural instinct for curiosity and movement. There will be two shows on all dates at 9.30 and 11am.
Tickets from teatrumanoel.mt.
ARTS
Sqaqien
Fourteen countryside lanes around San Lawrenz are coming alive with music, dance and art on April 5 from 8 to 11pm.
The evening will feature various performers, including violinist Pierre Louis Attard, harpist Jacob Portelli, soprano Miriam Cauchi, Ta’ Seguna Folk Band, the Gozo Diocese Choir, Levita Laurentius Choir, visual artist Christopher Saliba, clay artist Peter Aquilina, puppeteer Sean Briffa, actor Jamie Camilleri, Allegria Flamenco Malta, Ta’ Ċangura San Lawrenz Folk Group and Moveo Dance Company.
The event is organised by the San Lawrenz local council with the support of the Local Government Department and the Culture Directorate within the Gozo ministry.
For more information, visit the Facebook page of the San Lawrenz local council. Also read this Times2 preview.
MUSIC
Strings Resound
Pierre Louis Attard is leading a concert blending the elegiac tones of the Lenten period with more festive ones at the old parish church of Għajnsielem on March 31 at 7.45pm.
On the occasion of Freedom Day, the programme also includes works by Maltese composers, such as Charles Camilleri’s suite Village Music.
Entrance is free.
Pierre Louis AttardMagnetic Parallels
Harpist Léa Roger, from Brittany, will blend Celtic, experimental, classical and punk influences as part of the Sustain-Delay programme at the Malta Society of Arts.
Known for amplifying the harp’s body and strings, Roger deconstructs classical forms with drum machines, creating rich textures and noise. She joins Peter Sant, film-maker and co-founder of Hunters Palace, whose work merges experimental sound and cinema, notably his film Of Time and the Sea (2018).
The event will take place on April 3 at 8pm. Tickets from showshappening.com.
Harpist Léa RogerFiorini Piano Sonatas
Christine Zerafa is performing Karl Fiorini’s three piano sonatas (2017, 2021 and 2025) at the Malta Society of Arts in Valletta on April 4 at 7.30pm.
The first features jazz-inspired rhythms and expanding intervals; the second, written during the COVID-19 pandemic, deepens melodic and harmonic material, while the third explores complex cross-rhythms, offering a quasi-minimalistic effect with subtle melodies.
Tickets from showshappening.com.
Gaulitana: A Festival of Music
Gaulitana: A Festival of Music kicks off on April 5 with the launch of the exhibition In Harmony: 19th Century Music Printing in Malta at the Cittadella Cultural Centre at 11am.
Curated by Anna Borg Cardona and Joseph Calleja, the launch event will feature performances of solo Maltese music by Jessica Ellul (clarinet) and Pierre Louis Attard (violin).
The exhibition will remain open throughout the month-long festival between 9am and 5pm.
On April 6, a concert titled A Vella-Attard Sacred Opening at St Francis church at 7.30pm, presents compositions by the family of musicians, including the premiere of Quddiesa Madonna Ta’ Pinu by Stephen Attard (revised edition).
Gaulitana: A Festival of Music runs until May 4. Events are free of charge. For more information, visit www.gaulitanus.com.
Melita – Maltese Piano Music
Concert pianist Charlene Farrugia is celebrating the release of her new album with a live performance at the Malta Society of Arts in Valletta on April 5 at 7.30pm.
Melita: Maltese Piano Music, under the Grand Piano/Naxos label, is a tribute to Malta’s rich, yet sometimes overlooked music heritage, featuring works by composers Charles Camilleri, Carlo Diacono, Josie Mallia Pulvirenti and Carmelo Pace.
The official launch of Melita is organised by the National Agency for the Performing Arts (NAPA). Tickets from showshappening.com.
Pianist Charlene FarrugiaFoundation Day Concert
The Malta Philharmonic Orchestra is holding its annual Foundation Day Concert at the Mediterranean Conference Centre in Valletta on April 5 at 8pm.
Led by Michael Laus, the MPO together with members of the Malta Youth Orchestra will perform John Williams’s Olympic Fanfare and Theme and Gustav Holst’s The Planets.
Tickets from showshappening.com.
The event's posterSPMO Musical Moods
A wind quintet from the St Paul Metropolitan Orchestra will perform at Girolamo Cassar hall, Mediterranean Conference Centre, Valletta, on April 6 at 7.30pm.
The musicians performing are Natasha Chircop (flute), Alfred Fenech (oboe), Noel Beck (clarinet), Peter Lyndley (Bassoon) and Marco Cola (French Ham).
Tickets from showshappening.com.
Jazz Greats: The Trumpet Story
The event's posterJazz Assemblea is dedicating an evening to the evolution of jazz through the lens of one of its most iconic instruments − the trumpet.
The concert will feature the sounds of Dixieland and New Orleans, the intricate rhythms of the Bebop era, the soulful innovations of post-Bop, the electrifying Fusion period and the modern jazz of today. Each piece pays homage to the legendary trumpet players who defined and revolutionised the genre.
Trumpet players Alex Bezzina and Adrian Russu Brincat will perform, alongside Anthony Camilleri (piano), Warren Galea (guitar), Diccon Cooper (double bass) and Luke Briffa (drums).
The event, being organised by the National Agency for the Performing Arts (NAPA) and the Malta Society of Arts, is taking place at Palazzo de la Salle in Valletta on April 6 at 7.30pm. Tickets from showshappening.com.
DANCE
Timeless Wonders
The Turning Pointe Dance Theatre and the Gozo Gymnastics Academy are presenting the show Timeless Wonders at the MBC Theatre, Nadur, on April 4 and 5 at 7.30pm.
The performance is a celebration of creativity, featuring enchanting creatures, sparkling fairies and whimsical adventures through dance.
Tickets from showshappening.com.
Young performers rehearsing for the show. Photo: Facebook/ Turning Pointe Dance TheatreFILM
Lux Audience Award Screenings
The LUX Audience Award, organised by the European Parliament, promotes cultural diversity and provides tangible support to European cinema and the arts.
The five finalist films are subtitled in the 24 official EU languages and free screenings which are organised by the European Parliament in all 27 EU countries, including Malta and Gozo.
In collaboration with the European Parliament Office in Malta and Spazju Kreattiv, these films are being shown locally this month and in April.
This week, Dahomey by Mati Diop, certified 12, is being shown at Spazju Kreattiv on April 3 at 7.30pm.
Those who rate the films by April may win a range of prizes, including a trip to the European Parliament to attend the LUX Award Ceremony and meet directors and film crews of the nominees.
For show times, tickets and more information, visit the websites of kreattivita.org and citadelcinema.com.
LENTEN EVENTS
Passion plays
Skont in-Nisa by Skene Luqa, written by Frida Cauchi, at Teatru Metanoia, Luqa, on April 6, 12 and 13.
Ġuda L-Iskarjota in Triq tal-Gruwa, Sannat, on April 6.
Cast members rehearsing for Skont in-Nisa at Teatru Metanoia in Luqa.Concerts
Baroque Music for Lent: Stabat Mater, featuring the Valletta Baroque Ensemble and the KorMalta female ensemble performing Scarlatti’s religious work, at St Dominic church, Valletta, on April 1 at 8pm.
Crucifixus, an evening of solemn music by the Victory Philharmonic Society, at the Xagħra Basilica on April 3 at 7.30pm.
O Quam Tristis, sacred music by the BrassTubes Ensemble at St James church, Victoria, on April 4 at 8pm.
At the Cross, solemn music by Rebecca and The Passengers accompanied by the Angel Voices children’s choir, at the basilica of St Peter and St Paul, Nadur, on April 4 at 8pm.
Crux Fidelis, a concert organised by the Fondazzjoni Santa Ċeċilja AD 2013, featuring sacred, funeral music and soundtracks of films related to Good Friday at St Augustine Convent, Victoria, on April 5 at 7.30pm.
Sub-Cruce, a concert by the Għaqda Mużikali Santa Marija, Ħal Għaxaq A.D. 1873, at Għaxaq parish church on April 5 at 7.30pm.
Ponzju Pilatu, a musico-literary event with the participation of the Banda Prekursur, at the Xewkija rotunda on April 5 at 7.30pm.
Ikun li Trid Int, by the Regina Coeli parish choir, at the Marsa parish church on April 5 at 7pm.
A musico-literary event in aid of Id-Dar tal-Providenza featuring funeral marches, Maltese poems and an exhibition by Luke and Mark Mifsud at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Basilica, Valletta, on April 5 at 8pm.