The Rotterdam Young Ensemble, made up of 26 talented musicians, will be presenting two concerts in Malta as part of the International String Orchestra Festival.

Presented by the Vodafone Malta Foundation, and organised in collaboration with the Embassy of the Kingdom of The Netherlands, the festival promises to whet the palate of orchestra buffs.

The first concert will be performed at St Augustine's church, Victoria on April 27 and will feature music by Bach, Haydn, and Mozart.

The second performance will take place at the Manoel Theatre, Valletta, on April 29, and will include compositions by Haydn, Stravinsky, Wagner and artistic director Karl Fiorini's violin concerto featuring Emanuel Salvador as soloist.

The latter work forms part of a project by the same soloist who has performed the concerto in The Netherlands and Portugal, with upcoming performances in Italy, Uruguay and the UK.

The concert at the Manoel Theatre will also include a new premier for 12 strings by a young contemporary composer who has won the International Composition Competition and other awards.

The Rotterdam Young Ensemble, made up of artistes from seven different nationalities, was founded in 2005 and has since reached a wide variety of styles.

Paying special attention to contemporary music, the ensemble has given world premiers by young composers from The Netherlands, Spain, Greece, Japan, Korea and Mexico.

The concert in Gozo is free while tickets for the one at the Manoel Theatre are being sold at €20 (Lm8.59), €15 (Lm6.44) and €10 (Lm4.29), with a 50 per cent discount for students on presentation of a valid student card. Both concerts start at 7.30 p.m.

For reservations and information call 9929 5369 or the Manoel Theatre booking office on 2124 2398.

The events are supported by Bank of Valletta, Malta International Airport, the Malta Tourism Authority, Radisson Hotel and the Intercontinental Hotel.