The seventh edition of the three-week Malta Arts Festival will this year feature a melting pot of artists from all corners of the world, spanning from Israel to California, Croatia and Denmark.

Finale is a special performance of Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess

Two new ingredients have been added to this artistic extravaganza: Theatre Week and the Emerging Artists Series.

Theatre week is made up of an assortment of workshops, talks, demonstrations and performances focusing on the work of Samuel Beckett, whose short play, Not I, was inspired by Caravaggio’s Beheading of St John the Baptist when he visited Malta in 1971.

One of the festival’s aims is to foster a culture of artistic expression in the local scene and help new artists flourish in their respective fields.

The Emerging Artists Series will be promoting the work of exceptionally talented young artists and provide them with a platform to showcase their work alongside other heavyweights.

The string of ensembles taking part in the festival includes acclaimed Italian cellist Enrico Dindo who will open the event with an intimate performance of three of the six Bach Cello Suites at the St Lawrence Basilica in ­Vittoriosa on July 1.

The festival comes to an elegant close with a special performance of Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess by the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra, St Monica’s Choir and Mirabitur Choir under the direction of renowned conductor Wayne Marshall at the Mediterranean Conference Centre, Valletta.

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