The Medina Foundation for Music launched a programme of events calling for peace under the distinguished patronage of George Vella, the President of Malta, in aid of the Malta Community Chest Fund.
Make Art not War will bring together a variety of arts, reuniting several countries for a call for peace. Mro Mark Agius, chairperson and CEO of Medina Foundation for Music, said that the programme will feature classical music, poetry, vocal soloists and dance, portraying the theme of peace while serving as a platform to showcase several arts from local and foreign performers.
John Huber, chairperson of the Board of Administrators of the Malta Community Chest Fund, thanked the Medina Foundation for Music for choosing the MCCF as the beneficiary of the forthcoming events. Huber said that promoting peace through art and promoting solidarity through MCCF causes is where the Medina Foundation and the MCCF are in synchronicity.
Cultural Platform Event – Saturday, October 8, at 7.30pm
The Medina Foundation for Music, in collaboration with the Malta Cultural Institute Foundation, will present an enjoyable evening for all the family featuring different arts portraying the theme of peace through arts and culture, including dancing, instrumental music, singing, and literature, with the participation of local and foreign, upcoming, professional and renowned artists. This event will be held at The Imperial, Sliema, and is open to the public.
Final grand concert on Sunday, October 16, at 7.30pm
The St Paul Metropolitan Orchestra will be performing the premiere of Mro Agius's latest composition, A Mass for Peace, at the St Paul’s Metropolitan Cathedral, Mdina.
This performance will be held under the patronage of President George Vella, and in collaboration with the St Monica Vocal Ensemble and Rotondo Choir from Poznan, Poland, who will be joining the SPMO’s resident choir, Anacrusis.
The concert will also feature local and international artists, namely, soprano Karen Darmenia, tenor Joseph Aquilina and the Polish violinist, Daria Skryzpek, together with the participation of foreign embassies in Malta having selected representatives carrying their respective national flags during the performance and children from different nations who will deliver a message in their respective languages calling for peace. The event will also be open to the public in general.
An Insight of ‘A Mass for Peace’
The nature of Agius's composition, A Mass for Peace, deals with a historically important period, without prejudice of ethnicity or religion. This project was inspired by the composer’s visit to Auschwitz and Birkenau concentration camps in November 2016. It is dedicated to the innocent victims of war, particularly the victims of genocide and those ethnic groups who, persecuted in their homeland, fled to seek asylum in other countries.
The St Paul Metropolitan Orchestra will be complemented with the participation of children from different nations speaking a message of peace, thus providing more opportunities for people to engage personally in the performance. The project also allows people, including the elderly and ‘hard-to-reach’ groups, to engage in classical, cultural, and creative events.