I have been a classical music lover ever since my boyhood, and among the things which fuelled this love were the concerts organised by the Malta Cultural Institute at the Hotel Phoenicia Ballroom, featuring both established and young musicians, singers and dancers.

Ten-year-old Laetitia Amodio can be described as a child prodigy

The MCI, founded in 1949 by Gaston Tonna Barthet, is still going strong thanks to the dedication of its current director, the well-known classical singer Marie Therese Vassallo, and her team. The concert venue has now switched to Hotel Le Meridien in Balluta Bay, where my wife and I attended a New Year concert last Sunday.

The good-sized audience, including not a few foreign visitors and hotel residents, were treated to some varied fare.

The concert opened with a piano recital by ten-year-old Laetitia Amodio whom one could describe as a child prodigy, seeing the way she breezed through challenging works by Mozart, Chopin, Debussy, Rachmaninov and Albeniz – all of which she performed without a score.

Clearly, young Laetitia, who placed first in three international piano competitions abroad, and will be sitting for her Grade VIII LRSM examinations this year, has a brilliant future ahead.

The 20-strong Johann Strauss Clarinet Ensemble, directed by Godfrey Mifsud, clarinet tutor at the Johann Strauss School of Music, then entertained the audience to a medley of popular tunes by composers ranging from Bach to Freddie Mercury of Queen.

I was especially intrigued to hear an all-clarinet rendition of the famous Largo al Factotum from Rossini’s Il Barbiere di Siviglia, while the entire audience clapped enthusiastically as they joined in for the rousing Radetzky March by Johann Strauss the Elder, which is a staple feature of the Vienna Philharmonic’s New Year concert.

No time should be wasted in giving the Johann Strauss School of Music a proper home and thus obtain the most from the amazing musical talent of our young generation. This enjoyable evening ended with a very lively Flamenco performance – to enthusiastic cries of Olè and Guapa! from some Spanish members of the audience – by members of the Alegria Academia and Dance Company. The swirling, colourful skirts, the clicking castanets and the passionate zapateado created a suitably high-spirited atmosphere.

The Malta Cultural Institute clearly deserves every support. Membership is €12 a year, and entrance to all concerts is free, though donations are gratefully accepted.

Their next concert is on February 12, at Le Meridien, St Julian’s, at 7 p.m.

The MCI website, http://maltaculturalnstitute.yolasite.com , is worth visiting.