THEATRE

Madama Butterfly

After being performed in Gozo for the first time in 1977, Puccini’s iconic opera returns to the Aurora Theatre in Victoria on October 14 at 7.30pm.

The Leone Philharmonic Society is presenting a lavish production, designed by Luke Azzopardi, with choreography by Riccardi Buscarni, and music by the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra, Leone resident conductor Colin Attard and the Aurora Opera Chorus.

The cast stars Italian soprano Federica Vitali in the title role, Mikheil Sheshaberidze as Pinkerton, mezzo-soprano Manuela Custer as Suzuki and baritone Piero Terranova as Sharpless.

The local cast includes Cliff Zammit Stevens, Stanley Portelli, Louis Andrew Cassar, Ken Scicluna and Clare Ghigo.

For tickets, visit teatruaurora.com.

Naughty Malta

The Naughty Project has been collecting Malta’s naughtiest, funniest and most embarrassing sex confessions via an anonymous online survey. These confessions are now being turned into a real-live sketch show, which will be staged for a second week at Theatre Next Door in Magħtab on October13, 14 and 15.

The show, written and directed by Steve Hili, stars Hili, James Ryder, Pia Zammit, Naomi Knight and Joseph Zammit.

For tickets, visit tnd.com.mt.

Romeo u Ġuljetta

The Kumpanija Teatrali Dun Mikiel Xerri is presenting a musical and comic take on the famous Shakespearean tragedy Romeo and Juliet at the San Ġorġ Preca College Middle School, Blata l-Bajda, on October 14 at 7pm and October 15 at 2.30pm.

The play is penned by Philip Chircop.

For tickets, call 7946 7196 or post a message on the theatre company’s Facebook page

TOI TOI Baby Series: Farmyard Fun

TOI TOI, the Manoel Theatre’s Learning and Participation Programme, is opening this season’s Baby Series with a production that focuses on the world of farmyard animals.

The interactive and engaging performance is specially designed for children aged 0-4, introducing them to the lovable characters from Old McDonald Had a Farm through song, dance and play.

The show is being staged on October 14 at 9.30 and 11am at the Manoel’s Studio Theatre. Tickets are available from teatrumanoel.mt.

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ARTS

Festival Mediterranea

The Astra Theatre in Victoria is holding the 20th edition of this festival bet­ween October 7 and November 19, featuring exhibitions, concerts and opera.

An exhibition of nature-inspired sculptures entitled Rosso Cenere by Reuben Formosa is being held bet­ween October 12 and 29.

Another exhibition entitled Operetta in Gozo, running from October 15 to 31, will provide an insightful journey into the development of the musical genre within the context of the Gozi­tan cultural landscape.

The highlight of the festival will be the staging of Verdi’s opera Rigoletto, on October 26 and 28. For more information, visit teatruastra.org.mt.

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FILM

Children Cinema Day

KRS Releasing, in collaboration with cinemas in Malta and Gozo, is holding another edition of Children Cinema Day on October 14.

The Eden Cinemas in St Julian’s, Embassy Cinemas in Valletta, Galleria Cinemas in Fgura and The Citadel Cinemas in Victoria will be screening a number of children’s films at a reduced admission price for all shows commencing before 7pm.

The films screening on the day include the most recent releases Elemental, Blue Beetle and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem. Also showing on the day will be Barbie, Disney’s Frozen and the new release Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie.

For screening times, refer to the cinema websites.

Ingmar Bergman retrospective

The retrospective showcase of award-winning Swedish film-maker Ingmar Bergman’s oeuvre continues at the Spazju Kreattiv cinema in Valletta until November 3.

The next film showing in the Unveiling Bergman: A Cinematic Voyage into the Human Psyche programme is Persona (1966) on October 14, Cries and Whispers (1972) on October 20 and Autumn Sonata (1978) on November 3. All screenings start at 8.30pm.

For more information and tickets, visit kreattivita.org. Also read this preview.

Disney’s 100th anniversary celebration

KRS Releasing Ltd, in collaboration with The Walt Disney Company and in partnership with the local cinemas, is celebrating Disney’s 100th anniversary with a programme of films this summer.

These include classic, groundbreaking Disney films selected from almost every decade of the centenary such as the original animated versions of Snow White, Bambi and The Jungle Book.

 The Princess and the Frog (2009) is showing until October 12. It will be followed by Frozen (2013), which is celebrating its 10th-year anniversary, until October 19. The latter film will be bringing the Disney cycle of films to an end.

For more information, visit the KRS Releasing Facebook page.

MUSIC

Vince Fabri book/album launch

The next event in the series celebrating the Malta Society of Arts’ 100th anniversary at Palazzo de La Salle will be dedicated to singer and songwriter Vince Fabri, who will be launching his book/album Ġimgħa wara Ġimgħa on October 10 at 8pm.

The book, published by Horizons Malta, contains 35 lyrics from Fabri’s repertoire, with a digital link that enables the readers to listen to the recorded songs.

This publication includes an interview with a selection of photographs that trace Fabri’s life and a critical appraisal of the songwriter’s work by Terence Portelli.

Free tickets can be downloaded from here.

The Creepers at Aria

Local band The Creepers is presenting an evening of vintage American blues at the Aria Complex in San Ġwann on October 13 at 9pm.

The band will be joined by guitarist Ben Bailey and Dutch harmonica player Thomas Toussaint as they pay tribute to their late frontman, Gilberto Arredondo.

The event is supported by Festivals Malta, Rock ’n’ Malta and Play Vintage.

Tickets from ticketline.com.mt. For more information, visit the band's Facebook page.

The SPMO Wind Quartet in concert

The SPMO Wind Quartet, featuring Silvio Zammit (flute), Alfred Fenech (oboe), Noel Beck (clarinet) and Peter Lyndley (bassoon), will perform in a concert at the Mediterranean Conference Centre in Valletta on October 13 at 7.30pm.

The programme ranges from Mozart’s Magic Flute, and Rondo alla Turca and Delibes’s Lakme, to the Broadway’s famous Romantic Jazz Suite.

For tickets, visit showshappening­.com.

Trakafest

A festival celebrating world music is taking place at the Malta BMX Indoor Skatepark, Pembroke, on October 14 from 9am to 9pm.

There will be live performances, dance, yoga and percussion workshops, besides a food court and an artisan market.Look up the event on Facebook for more information.

Tickets are available from showshappening.com.

All You Need Is Love – A tribute concert to The Beatles 

The Orkestra Żurrieq is presenting a Beatles tribute concert at the Manoel Theatre in Valletta on October 14 at 8.30pm.

The programme includes a selection of the band’s most popular songs, with arrangements for contemporary orchestra.

The event is organised by the Żurrieq local council. Tickets are available from teatrumanoel.mt.

Strummin’: Turn Back Time

Strummin’ Foundation is hosting the 19th edition of its music event Strummin’ at St Agatha’s Auditorium in Rabat on October 13 and 14 at 8pm. 

This year’s show will take the audience across different eras, by featuring music from the 1940s to the rock ’n’ roll anthems of the 1960s, the disco fever hits of the 1970s, the synth sound of the 1980s and the pop tunes of the 1990s. 

Proceeds will go in aid of the Foodbank Lifeline Foundation Malta. 

Tickets and more information are available on strummin.mt.

Intermezzo for Strings

A recital featuring a string orchestra is showcasing works by renowned composers synonymous with the operatic genre at St Augustine's church in Victoria, on October 15, at 7.30pm. 

Among others, pieces by Mozart, Mascagni, Massenet, Verdi, Puccini and Rossini will be performed, including Mozart's Divertimento in F, Rossini's Sonata for Strings No. 1, Massenet's Méditation from Thaïs, and Mascagni's Intermezzo from Cavalleria Rusticana.

Held under the musical direction of Pierre Louis Attard and leader Marcelline Agius, the concert forms part of the Opera month in Gozo. It is presented in collaboration with the Cultural Heritage Department within the Ministry for Gozo.

Entrance is free.

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MISCELLANEOUS

Birgufest

The Vittoriosa local council is once again celebrating the locality’s history and culture with a weekend of activities on October 13 and 14.

The main event is ‘Birgu by Candelight’ on October 14, when all the city will be lit up by thousands of candles. Museums and places of interest will be open to the public at a reduced admission price or for free. These include special combined admission to the Inquisitor's Palace, which is hosting an exhibition of 19th- and 20th-century Maltese bridal wear, and to Fort St Angelo at a minimal entrance free throughout the night.

Various artists will perform along the streets and in Vittoriosa’s open spaces.

Performers on October 14 include Bongailas Band and SterjoTipi at St John’s Tower; South Garden and Gilbert Gauci at il-Foss tas-Sur; La Barokka and Emotional Brass Quintet at St Scholastica church; String Quartet and Jacob Portelli and singer at the Annunciation church; Joy Gospel Singers at St Lawrence church; Fuse Band and Vintage Band in the Mandraġġ area and Lyndsay Pace and Kultura Brass Band on the main stage in Vittoriosa square.

For more details, look up the local council's Facebook page.

Malta Café Scientifique

Malta Café Scientifique is opening the new season with the event ‘A New Era in Healthcare: A Fantastic Journey into Targeted Treatment’ at Studio B, Spazju Kreattiv in Valletta, on October 10 at 7pm.

Christian Scerri, consultant geneticist at Mater Dei Hospital and a professor at the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery at the University of Malta, will discuss the progress − and challenges − of targeted treatment that allows healthcare providers to offer more accurate diagnoses and develop personalised treatment plans.

Attendance is free of charge but booking is required here.

Malta  Café  Scientifique  is supported by  STEAM  project, Spazju Kreattiv,  the University of Malta, and Malta Chamber of Scientists (of which the café forms part).

Identify the Artist?

AsinMalta is organising a lecture that puts into words what it is that tells that a picture is by, for example, Rubens rather than Rembrandt.

The lecture uses photos of small details of paintings greatly enlarged, to demonstrate some of the distinctive quirks and give-away characteristics of artists from Mantegna and Bellini to Canaletto and Gainsborough.

Tips and tricks of art-gazing will be shared by the lecturer, Chantal Brotherton-Ratcliffe, who has 40 years’ experience as a freelance lecturer with a number of prestigious institutions, such as the National Gallery and the Wallace Collection.

The lecture is taking place on October 12 at Radisson Blu Resort Hotel, St Julian’s. For more information and registration, contact Nicole at mem.asinmalta@theartssociety.org or call +356 9989 1006.

Kite and Wind Festival

The Kite and Wind Festival returns to Għarb on October 14 and 15.

As in previous years, there will kite flying and acrobatics shows, kite-making workshops, a children’s area, a traditional fair and food and drink stalls.

Local and foreign kite flyers will be taking part.Workshops are intended for children aged four+. Minors are to be accompanied by an adult.

For more information, visit the Facebook page of the Għarb local council.

Open weekend at Villa Portelli

Heritage Malta is opening the doors of Villa Portelli in Kalkara to the public tomorrow and on Sunday.

A former residence to influential figures during the British period, the villa, once restored, is set to offer a multisensory experience inside its halls as well as a green space for relaxation in the gardens surrounding it. 

The open weekend, from 10am to 5pm on both days, will feature activities and entertainment for all the family. Visitors may enjoy virtual reality adventures, hosted by Heritage Malta’s Underwater Cultural Heritage and Digitisation Units, and NGO Wirt il-Kalkara and Heritage Malta representatives will be delivering talks on the history of Kalkara and Villa Portelli at specific times throughout the weekend. Heritage Malta’s conservators will give the public an opportunity to witness the real-time conservation of artefacts. 

Visitors may also see Heritage Malta’s conservators at work and take part in lace-making sessions.

Those who have personal fond memories of Villa Portelli, or grew up listening to parents or relatives recounting their own recollections of the villa, are being invited to share their recollections inside a ‘Memory Room’. 

For more information, visit https://heritagemalta.mt/news/an-opportunity-to-visit-villa-portelli-during-an-open-weekend/.

Colour My Run

The unique five-kilometre run or walk that offers participants an opportunity for positive, healthy and active team building while getting blasted with tonnes of colour is taking place on October 15 at Fort Manoel on Manoel Island from 9am to 1pm.

The event is open to participants of all ages and abilities, including parents with strollers, runners, joggers or walkers.

For more information and tickets, visit colourmyrun.com.

FestAnnimali

A festival dedicated to animals is being held at the Ta’ Qali picnic area on October 15 from 10am to 6pm.

There will be a variety of activities for all the families and their pets, such as bingo, a bouncy castle and a treasure hunt.

There will also be live performances by local musicians, and an eco-market where people can shop for eco-friendly products.

During the event, pet supplies like food and toys can be donated to animal shelters and NGOs for animals in need.

Participants are allso encouraged to bring plastic bottles and cans for recycling, and consider donating the vouchers to HUH – Help Us Help, a voluntary organisation that organises fundraisers in aid of numerous animal shelters.

For more information, click here.

Festa Scouts

The Scout Association of Malta is organising a special edition of Festa Scouts on October 15 at the Għajn Tuffieħa Scout Campsite, where it is celebrating 115 years of scouting in Malta.

With the collaboration of the scout groups of Malta and Gozo, the public will be given the opportunity to experience the ‘scouting adventure’ through several activities, including abseiling, ziplining, archery, obstacle courses and more.

Visit the Facebook page of the Scout Association of Malta for more information.

VISUAL ARTS

Through My Window

Xaxa Calleja is presenting her seventh solo exhibition at Art...e gallery, in Victoria.

This collection of paintings are a window into Xaxa's world. They are a reflection of her emotions, which are represented in both abstract and representational work.

She is also presenting works that are inspired by landscapes that she has witnessed and have left a lasting impression. 

Through My Window runs daily until October 20 at the Art...e gallery, 1 Library Str, Victoria, from 9.30am to 12.15pm.

Natural Beauty

Madeleine Vella Satariano’s fourth solo exhibition includes various themes, such as nature, birds, seascapes and landscapes.

She also included paintings of horses and is sponsoring RMJ Horse Rescue by donating a percentage of the proceeds to this voluntary group who care for sick and abandoned horses.

This exhibition, hosted at the Voluntary Centre, in Bartolomew Street, Rabat, is open until October 22.

Ignis: Capturing the Timeless at Art

An exhibition of ceramic artworks by Deborah Marmara and Anna Miggiani is opening at Art by the Seaside Gallery in Senglea between October 13 and 27.

The works include an array of sculptures and wall hanging works, besides showcasing a variety of firing and glazing methods.

The exhibition covers a diverse range of themes, including nature and tradition nature, while challenging conventional notions of shape and form.

Visit the venue's Facebook page for more information.

Expression − From drawing to painting and sculpture

Antoine Paul Camilleri is exhibiting a series of pyrographs and sculptures at Gallery 23 in Balzan.

The son of the late Antoine Camilleri, one of the most important pioneers of Maltese modernism, the younger Camilleri has taken the advice and artistic direction that his father relayed to him.

Pyrography is often regarded as craft, rather than art. However, the artist has elevated the technique to new heights in a series of works extolling the virtues of the Maltese landscape and its architecture.

Camilleri is also exhibiting a number of ceramic sculptures related to sports, such as weightlifters and pole vaulters. He is also exhibiting two sculptures representing his father.

Expression − From Drawing to Painting and Sculpture runs at Gallery 23, Triq Idmejda, Balzan, until October 27. Consult the venue’s Facebook page for more information.

That Other Place

Raphael Vella’s latest exhibition draws inspiration from Susan Sontag’s ‘citizens of that other place’ in her book, Illness as Metaphor. The other place refers to the kingdom of the ill, which she opposes to the kingdom of the well by exploring dehumanising myths and metaphors associated with the most infamous illnesses of modernity.

Over the years, artist, educator and researcher Vella has developed a unique and profound artistic language for voices and choices of resistance and a sense of agency and advocacy for ‘the other’ by making reference to institutions and systems that have become dysfunctional in a dystopian world – in a context in which illness itself no longer holds a form of truth with respect to the subject, as we all experienced it in recent times on a planetary scale.

Vella opens up a complex debate on representation to indicate a different plot of how we could imagine forms of curing in cultural, institutional and discursive spaces that are disruptive, unruly, intense, incompatible, contradictory or transforming.

That Other Place, curated by Maren Richter and hosted by Valletta Contemporary, is on until October 28. Log on to the venue’s Facebook page for opening hours and more information.

Also read this Times of Malta interview with the artist and curator.

Yells, Bells & Smells

Gemelli Art Gallery of Ta’ Qali is hosting a solo exhibition by Joan Zammit Cutajar.

Zammit Cutajar started her artistic journey with the late Esprit Barthet. She has since been greatly inspired and tutored by Debbie Caruana Dingli, who is curating the exhibition, and Tonio Mallia.

Yells, Bells & Smells is open until October 28. Consult the venue’s Facebook page for more information.

Soap to Think With

Norbert Francis Attard is holding a solo exhibition at Gozo Contemporary at 11, Triq Mongur, Għarb.

Curated by Ann Dingli, the exhibition features works made out of soap and soap boxes besides other materials to highlight links between massive events in national history that we might otherwise have not made.

A catalogue featuring critical essays by Paul Sant Cassia, Ann Dingli and Nikki Petroni and a prologue by Gabriel Zammit accompanies the exhibition, which is dedicated to Marisa Vella (1960-2020).

Soap to Think With runs until October 29. It can be viewed by appointment by calling on +356 7904 1051 or by sending an e-mail to norbert@norbertattard.com.

Read more about the exhibition in this Times of Malta interview with the artist and curator.

The Wind Blows… Waves in All Directions

Spazju Kreattiv is hosting an exhibition as part of the EuroPride 2023 programme. 

Using Maltese and Tunisian contexts as parallel bases for this exhibition, artists and activists from 11 Mediterranean countries reflect on the past, present and future, as well as their community and their own identities with running themes of resistance through activism, gender expression, sexual liberation and self exploration throughout the exhibitions.

The exhibition runs until October 29, is co-curated by Bobb Attard & Mohamed Ali Agrebi. For more information, click here.

Ego Sum: The Face of Homelessness

To raise awareness about homelessness and to debunk stereotypes around it, YMCA Malta has embarked on a multi-venue exhibition, partly funded by Art Council Malta.

Ego Sum means 'I Am' in Latin and refers to how someone perceives themselves. 

The exhibition aims to show that being homeless/roofless is but a mere chapter in somebody’s life; that homelessness/rooflessness does not define who that person is or may become. That homeless person on the street could in fact be a doctor, a parent, an artist, a chef, a footballer, a dreamer or a student. 

The walk-through exhibition depicts the artistic sketches of Rachel Bowman and the photography of Tyler Calleja Jackson. Both these Maltese artists were inspired by interviews conducted with 50 homeless individuals and, together with Sofiya Chuzhda and Gwennaelle Viard, created a final collage.

The exhibition is being held at the Società Dante Alighieri, 134 Old Bakery Street, Valletta throughout October. It is open Monday to Friday from 5 to 8pm and on Saturday from 10am to noon and from 5 to 8pm.

Read all about the exhibition here.

A Collective Solo

Decades of experimentation with several media as well as formal training have led Ethelbert Perini to create a collection of artworks that are being exhibited in what is his first solo exhibition.

The exhibition’s title, A Collective Solo, is an oxymoron that prepares the viewer primarily for a diversity in the themes that are being presented. However, the medium employed for each work is consistent throughout.

The technique that Perini uses is soft pastels on paper or board, and it is one that he discovered when exploring different media throughout his artistic journey. The starting point for each composition is always nature, Perini’s surroundings, as well as the human form and physiognomy.

A Collective Solo, curated by Charlene Vella, is being held throughout October in the Palm Court Lounge of The Phoenicia Malta.

Carbonaro

An exhibition looking at the outstanding oeuvre of Maltese artist Pawl Carbonaro is currently on at Il-Ħaġar - Heart of Gozo Museum.

Exploring his varied output through more than 60 paintings, among which are his abstracted landscapes and his sprawling abstracts as well as etchings, this exhibition serves to inform the art-loving public about the artistic trajectory, spanning decades, of this seminal Maltese contemporary artist who has been a mentor for a plethora of younger local artists. A publication accompanies the exhibition.

Carbonaro, curated by fellow artist Austin Camilleri, is on until November 5. Opening hours daily between 9am and 5pm. Admission is free.

Also read this Times of Malta preview.

Froġa / Farrago

Sebastian Tanti Burlò is exhibition a collection of oil paintings at Sliema’s R Gallery.

The artist is known for his political cartoons in the Times of Malta but here he swaps his pen for the brush while retaining his unapologetic social commentary, a flair for the absurd, satirical strokes and an underlying subversive narrative. Nature, journalism and the world’s issues are represented in this exhibition.

The tragicomical is investigated through an ideal romantisation of our country and how society has evolved, together with comments on world issues that trouble the world at large. 

The exhibition, hosted at R Gallery of 26, Tignè Street, Sliema, runs from October 12 until December 3.

Emotions of the Spirit

A collection of 28 works by Ivan Grixti is open for visitors at Level O, SkyParks Business Centre, MIA, Luqa, until the end of December.

Works include several portraits, including a self-portrait, that of homeless men and of Pope Benedict. There are also abstracts and a depiction of war, among others.

Grixti has just returned from Poznan, Poland where he lived, studied and worked as an educator for the last 12 years. There he mastered the language and attended several art courses. He graduated B.A. (Hons) in Education: Technical Drawing and Design & Technology (2001-05) from the University of Malta and then attended a post-graduate course at the Fine Arts Institute Marie-Curie Sklodowska, Lublin, Poland (2021-2022).

In Malta, he studied under Anthony (Tony) Demicoli, Paul Vella Critien, Anthony (Anton) Calleja and Philip Agius. He has exhibited in Malta, Poland and France.

OTHER EXHIBITIONS

Ancient Tea With New Glamour

The China Cultural Centre in Malta is hosting an exhibition under the theme of 'Tea for Harmony', co-organised with the Xi’an Municipal Administration of Culture and Tourism.

Featuring intriguing displays, artefacts, paintings and photographs from the city of Xi’an, this new exhibition opens a window into the enduring significance of tea in Chinese culture.

A Tang-style gilded tea set made of bronze gold and silver is the main attraction. Other exhibits include a batch of royal teaware items that were unearthed in 1987 at the ancient Buddhist Famen Temple in northwest Shaanxi and a modern reprinted thread-bound edition of The Classic of Tea, considered to be the first known monograph on tea in the world, written by Lu Yu between 760 CE and 762 CE, during the Tang Dynasty.

One may visit the exhibition, which will remain open until the end of this year at the China Cultural Centre, 173, Melita Street, Valletta. The centre is open Monday to Friday from 9.30am to noon, and from 1.30 to 4pm. Entrance is free. Reservation is advised for group visits at events2023ccc@gmail.com.

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whatson@timesofmalta.com