For a decade now, the Malta International Arts Festival (MIAF) has been delighting audiences with its mix of the finest cultural performers the world has to offer.

From virtuoso musicians to Shakespearean drama, stunning visual installations, to breath-taking dance, each year the festival has strived to enrich the local cultural calendar with a host of must-see events.

The annual event has also continuously championed the best that the local arts scene has to offer, providing Maltese artists, both established and emerging, a dynamic platform to show-case their art and engage with broader audiences.

Now in its 10th edition, the festival takes a fresh approach with a remit to help lead Malta to European Capital of Culture in 2018.

The festival  promotes freedom of artistic expression in a multi-disciplinary fashion and creates a programme of events that is exciting and innovative, alongside challenging workshops and master classes.

Most of these events will be held in some of the island’s most prestigious historical venues such as Pjazza Teatru Rjal, Argotti Gardens, Fort St Elmo and the recently renovated Valletta City Gate.

The programme was put together by an artistic committee, all artists themselves, led by MIAF artistic director Michelle Castelletti, together with composer Ruben Żahra, choreographer Francesca Tranter and Riccardo Carbutti, cultural project manager from Italy.

Among this year’s classical highlights are world-renowned classical pianist and Debussy specialist Noriko  Ogawa from Japan, as well as the Talich Quartet – one of the world’s finest string quartets, internationally-recognised as torchbearers for Czech musical tradition across the globe.

Led by Marcelline Agius (leader of the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra) with pianist Joanne Camilleri, Bar-to-Bar Quintet will be performing an energetic Shostakovich and Bartók at the Palace courtyard.

Commissioned by the Silk Road Art Music Festival of Hong Kong, the MIAF brings a performance by two of the most respected ensembles of Mediterranean musical tradition, En Chordais and Constantinople, who join forces to recreate a colourful musical journey in tribute of Marco Polo.

And in the interest of forging new international links, this year’s programme includes the EU-funded Meeting the Odyssey, a social and artistic collaborative project set on the ship named Hoppet. The Hoppet first set sail in the Baltic in 2014 on a journey of discovery through constantly changing artistic landscapes and cultural attitudes, developing synergies across Europe.

One of the strongest statements will be the Pendulum Choir

After having played over 20,000 performances to more than 12 million people around the globe, the multi award-winning phenomenon Stomp, from the UK, makes its debut appearance in Malta at the festival. With a blend of rhythm, theatre, comedy and dance, this promises to be a spectacular show for audiences of all ages.

Under the direction of Israeli choreographer Rami Be’er, the much-acclaimed Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company will be performing their original piece, If At All, a moving theatrical event in figurative and abstract dance.

The newly-launched national ŻfinMalta Dance Company will be creating a contemporary adaptation of Mallarmé’s 1876 L’Après-midi d’un Faune with their original production choreographed by Mavin Khoo.

And a performance by the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra will be one of the highlights of the festival. The event will be held for free at St George’s Square, Valletta, on July 26.

Other local productions include Faith, Hope u Charity, an epic drama scripted by local author Immanuel Mifsud and directed by Josette Ciappara. The drama is set in Malta at the start of World War II.

Following their highly successful sold-out run last year, Kelma Kelma Nota Nota will be returning with another performance packed with traditional Maltese prose, poetry and songs given a contemporary twist.

One of the strongest statements of the festival will be the opening night with Pendulum Choir, an original choral piece for nine a cappella voices and 18 hydraulic jacks, creating a living, sonorous body at the entrance to Valletta.

Conceived and constructed by Michel Décosterd with composition by André Décosterd, interpreted by Jeune Opéra Compagnie-Les voix and directed by Nicolas Farine, this multi-award-winning creation has been presented all over the world and will be free for the Maltese public.

Experimental multidisciplinarian Miguel Chevalier also comes to Malta with a new commission, Pixels Wave 2015, a generative and interactive virtual reality installation with a giant carpet of moving lights that will fill Republic Street at City Gate.

The Malta International Arts Festival is organised by Arts Council Malta and takes place between between July 10 and August 3.  A full programme of events is available online.

www.maltaartsfestival.org

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