260 pieces played during Victoria Arts Festival

The Victoria International Arts Festival, currently under way, ends on July 14 with a grand concert featuring the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra, cellist Daniel Veis and the Laudate Pueri Choir.

This year's festival, which is being supported by the Bank of Valletta, involved no fewer than 600 artists from the UK, Italy, Slovenia, Austria, Russia, France, Norway, Czech Republic, Armenia, Hungary and Romania, apart from some of the finest local musicians. Some 260 pieces by 140 different composers are being performed during the festival.

The sponsorship was presented by Jack Thewma, manager of BOV's Gozo Branch to,Joseph Vella, artistic director, and Fr George J. Frendo, organiser and co-ordinator of the festival respectively. The Victoria International Arts Festival was established in 1997 by the Laudate Pueri Choir of St George's Basilica and has become a fixed event in the cultural calendar of the Maltese islands.