This year’s 17th edition of the Victoria International Arts Festival gets underway this coming Wednesday 11 June 2014 with the inaugural concert by the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra.

A total of 33 concerts will see more than 400 performers coming over to Gozo from 17 different countries. More than 130 composers will be performed and the 240+ works range from late Medieval to the present day.

Musicians consist of solos, trios, quartets, quintets, no fewer than 21 chamber ensembles of different formations, 2 choirs, brass bands, and, to top it all, the participation of the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra, in its full complement, in both the inaugural and the closing concerts on Wednesday 11 June and Monday 14 July respectively.

Not counting the instruments play by the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra, the rest of the musicians will be performing on 25 different instruments, to include the mandolin, accordion and the therbo… Also, the concerts will take place in 7 different venues in Victoria.

PROGRAMME OF EVENTS

Wednesday 11 June Inaugural Orchestral Concert

Dejan Bogdanovich (violin)/Malta Philharmonic Orchestra (leader: Marcelline Agius)/Joseph Vella (conductor) – Malta/Serbia (St George’s Basilica)

Thursday 12 June Guitar Recital Simon

Schembri – France/Malta (St Augustine Church)

Friday 13 June Vocal and Organ Recital

Joseph Lia (baritone)/Irina Rozanova (organ) – Malta/Russia (St George’s Basilica)

Saturday 14 June Pianoforte Recital

Gabriele Vianello – Italy (Aula Mgr G. Farrugia)

Monday 16 June Violin and Accordion Duo

Andrea Gajic/Djordje Gajic – Scotland/Serbia (St Francis Church)

Tuesday 17 June Virtuoso Accordion

Djordje Gajic – Serbia/Scotland (Bishop’s Curia)

Wednesday 18 June Royal Conservatoire Brass

(Concert 1) Gregor Beattie, Holly Boddice, Ben Hirons, Stephanie Mitchell (trumpet)/Andrew McLean (horn)/Daniel Eddison, Richard Leonard, Christopher Mansfield (trombone)/Joe Walters (bass trombone)/Rachel Brown (tuba)/John Logan (conductor) – Scotland (St George’s Basilica)

Thursday 19 June Royal Conservatoire Brass (Concert 2) Gregor Beattie, Holly Boddice, Ben Hirons, Stephanie Mitchell (trumpet)/Andrew McLean (horn)/Daniel Eddison, Richard Leonard, Christopher Mansfield (trombone)/Joe Walters (bass trombone)/Rachel Brown (tuba)/John Logan (conductor) – Scotland (Il-Hagar Heart of Gozo – Roof-Top)

Friday 20 June Martinu Quartet

Lubomir Havlak, Libor Kanka (violin)/Zbynek Padourek (viola)/Jitka Vlasanková (violoncello) – CzechRepublic (St George’s Basilica)

Saturday 21 June Argotti Trio

Maria Conrad, Nemanja Ljubinkovic (violin)/Philip Walsh (pianoforte) – Malta/Serbia/England (Aula Mgr G. Farrugia)

Sunday 22 June Cosmos Piano Trio

Godfrey Mifsud (clarinet)/José Garcia Gutierrez (horn)/Charlene Farrugia (pianoforte) – Malta/Spain (Aula Mgr G. Farrugia)

Monday 23 June Flute and Pianoforte Duo

Kristin Hammerseth (flute)/Lars Fredrik Nystad (pianoforte) – Norway (Aula Mgr G. Farrugia)

Tuesday 24 June Trio Aura

Hitomi Derow (clarinet)/ Levan Stülpnagel (violoncello)/Marcel Mok Levan Stülpnagel (pianoforte) – Germany (Aula Mgr G. Farrugia)

Wednesday 25 June Raskin & Fleischmann Duo

Johannes Fleischmann (violin)/Philippe Raskin (pianoforte) – Austria (St George’s Basilica)

Thursday 26 June Dalton Quartet

Pablo Guijarro, Sebastian Gogl (violin)/Nebojsa Bekcic (viola)/Marlene Duschlbauer (violoncello) – Spain/Serbia/Upper Austria (Cittadella Centre for Culture and the Arts)

FIVE DAYS OF BAROQUE MUSIC

Friday 27 June Hortensia Virtuosa Ensemble (Concert 1)

Giovanni Rota, Aki Takahashi (violin)/Giuseppe Petrella (theorbo)/Rebecca Ferri (violoncello)/Luigi Lorè (harpsichord) – Italy (St George’s Basilica)

Saturday 28 June Hortensia Virtuosa Ensemble (Concert 2)

Giovanni Rota, Aki Takahashi (violin)/Giuseppe Petrella (theorbo)/Rebecca Ferri (violoncello)/Luigi Lorè (harpsichord) – Italy (St George’s Basilica)

Sunday 29 June Musica Poetica London

Claudia Norz (violin)/Kate Conway (viola da gamba)/Oliver John Ruthven (harpsichord) – England (St George’s Basilica)

Monday 30 June Kalamus Clarinet Trio

Rodolfo La Banca, Domenico Marcello Urbinati, Massimiliano Limonetti (clarinets) – Italy (St George’s Basilica)

Tuesday 1 July Trumpet and Organ Duo

Carmelo Fede (trumpet)/Gianluca Libertucci (organ) – Italy (St George’s Basilica)

Wednesday 2 July Aldante Duo and Gregory Daltin

Pierre Henri Xuereb (viola)/Vincent Beer-Demander (mandolin) and Gregory Daltin (accordion) – France (Victoria Library)

Thursday 3 July Sheffield Music Academy Chamber Ensemble (Concert 1)

Elliot Bailey, James Douglas, Emma Farner, Lucas Ferguson, Thomas Hetherington, Amy Kent, Sarah Razlin, Hazel Watson/Tutors: Kathryn Cropper, Martin Cropper (violin)/Roberto Meoni (clarinet) – England/Italy (St Augustine Church)

Friday 4 July Sheffield Music Academy Chamber Ensemble (Concert 2)

Elliot Bailey, James Douglas, Emma Farner, Lucas Ferguson, Thomas Hetherington, Amy Kent, Sarah Razlin, Hazel Watson/Tutors: Kathryn Cropper, Martin Cropper (violin)/Roberto Meoni (clarinet) – England/Italy (St George’s Basilica)

Saturday 5 July Etymos Ensemble

Francesco Gatti (flute)/Tony Capula (bass clarinet)/Matteo Cammisa (vibraphone)/Girolamo Deraco (leader/composer) – Italy (Aula Mgr G. Farrugia)

Sunday 6 July Sakyr Ensemble

Santa-Monica Mihalache (violin)/Barbora Veisová (viola)/Šimon Veis (violoncello)/Marko Hilpo (pianoforte) – Romania/Czech Republic/Finland (Aula Mgr G Farrugia)

Monday 7 July Violoncello and Pianoforte Duo

Daniel Veis/Helena Veisová – Czech Republic (Aula Mgr G Farrugia)

Tuesday 8 July Choir of Clare College, Cambridge

Graham Ross (director)/Peter Harrison, Matthew Jorysz (organ) – England (St George’s Basilica)

Wednesday 9 July Vocal Recital/Laudate Pueri Choir

Roberto Colavalle (contraltista)/Maria Frendo (harpsichord)/Laudate Pueri Choir (director: George Joseph Frendo) – Italy/Malta (St George’s Basilica)

Thursday 10 July The Composer Speaks Series

Stuart Murry-Turnbull/Debutants’ Concert Sylvano Mizzi (alto saxophone)/Nicole Portelli (pianoforte)/Josef Attard (Bb baritone) – England/Italy/Malta (Aula Mgr G. Farrugia)

Friday 11 July Chircop-Rivoltini Pianoforte Duo

Natascha Chircop/Marco Rivoltini – Malta/Italy (Aula Mgr G. Farrugia)

Saturday 12 July Léman Trio

Felix Froschhammer (violin)/Magdalena Morosanu (violoncello) Julia Froschhammer (pianoforte) – Switzerland (Aula Mgr G. Farrugia)

Sunday 13 July Siglo de Oro and Sam Corkin

Hannah Ely, Ruth Mcelvanney (soprano)/Timothy Clifford Hill (alto)/Robert Jenkins (tenor)/Patrick Allies, Benjamin Mckee (bass)/Sam Corkin (saxophone) – England (St George’s Basilica)

Monday 14 July Closing Choral and Orchestral Concert

Simon Veis (violoncello)/Laudate Pueri Choir – St George’s Basilica (director: George Joseph Frendo)/Malta Philharmonic Orchestra (leader: Marcelline Agius)/Joseph Vella (conductor) – Malta/Czech Republic (St George’s Basilica)

Artistic Director: Joseph Vella

* All concerts start at 8pm.

* All concerts are free of charge. A donation of 100 euro secures a seat for all the concerts.

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