Malta Arts Festival earning respect overseas

The third edition of the Malta Arts Festival, now a fundamental ingredient of a Maltese summer, kicks off on July 1, offering an intense, two-week programme of 26 events involving 225 participants.

It includes a mix of both Maltese and foreign performers, as well as collaborations between the two, in keeping with its raison d'être.

Its artistic director, Mario Frendo, said the festival's main aim was, indeed, to create a platform for collaboration between Maltese and foreign artists, in line with the idea of an intercultural environment, while offering newcomers the possibility to present their works side by side with their more established counterparts.

Mr Frendo said the festival has received many requests from foreign artists, showing that it was being recognised and had earned respect overseas, being of good quality.

Another typical characteristic is that the events are held in a number of outdoor venues, which may not normally be used to host cultural activities, including the Palace Courtyard and the Old Opera House ruins.

An innovative addition to the list of venues is the La Vittoria Bastion at the Ospizio in Floriana, which is being cleaned up in preparation for one of the concerts, Education and Culture Minister Dolores Cristina said at yesterday's launch.

Ms Cristina disclosed that there were "big" plans in the pipeline for the Ospizio, saying it would be transformed into an area for cultural events, and expressing her pleasure that historical sites, which were in a shameful state of neglect, were being turned into "jewels" for cultural activities.

The festival moved culture closer to the public, in keeping with the minister's aim for culture to be accessible to all and not exclusive.

Another highlight of the festival is the promotion of contemporary art and it was specifically creating a space for this, Mr Frendo said.

In fact, the festival is launching a contemporary music series, one of the three concerts being by Maltese composers.

However, despite the push it is giving to contemporary art, the festival also includes traditional activities to create a balance and be able to attract a wider audience, which was constantly growing, Mr Frendo pointed out.

Increased attendance augured well not only for the festival but also for the country's cultural scene, he said.

Among the line-up of art forms is anything from classical music to jazz, Shakespeare to Chekhov, ballet to flamenco and visual arts exhibitions.

The Malta Arts Festival is being supported by the Malta Council for Culture and the Arts, the Education and Culture Ministry, the National Lotteries Good Causes Fund within the Finance Ministry, HSBC and BOV, the Malta Tourism Authority and the Valletta local council.

Ticket prices range between €8 (Lm3.34) and €15 (Lm6.44), while some events are even free of charge. Tickets are available from maltaticket.com or from Exotique, Agenda, Vodafone, Bookends and Newskiosk.

www.maltaculture.com, www.maltaartsfestival.com