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Events in Malta
Coming up Malta Events
Malta International Fireworks Festival – 29.04.2012 – 30.04.2012
The Parliamentary Secretariat for Tourism, Environment and Culture and the Malta Tourism Authority, will be organizing the 11th edition of the Malta International Fireworks Festival on the 29th and 30th April 2012. The Grand Harbour will once again provide the perfect setting for this event. The festival forms part of the 8th anniversary celebrations of Malta’s accession to the European Union. (2004).
Numerous Maltese fireworks factories are expected to participate in the event and two foreign fireworks companies will provide the international flavour. The event will feature fireworks displays synchronized to music as well as a series of competitive displays by Maltese fireworks factories.
Barriera Wharf on the Valletta sea front inside the Grand Harbour will be the best place to view all the action.
THE MALTA SPRINGFEST – 20/04/2012 to 22/04/2012
Another edition of The Malta Springfest will be organized in Qormi on the 20th, 21st, 22nd April, featuring a vast programme of entertainment, traditions, exhibitions, Maltese food, cultural experiences, music, fun and much more.
The highlight of this year’s edition will surely be the attempt of the breaking of the new Guinness World Record with the largest Glass of Wine in the World! Such a record is held by the municipality of Limassol in Cyprus were it claimed the Guinness World Record for the world’s biggest wine glass measuring 3.37 metres in height and 1.73 metres last year.
But the forth edition of The Malta Springfest has more to offer.
The Festival will kick off on Friday 20th April at 7.00p.m. , with a Festival of Choirs. Along the streets, their will be a good number of stalls exhibiting local traditional crafts.
Saturday, 21st April at 7.00p.m., there will be a traditional folk evening, with the highlight of the day being the attempt of the Guinness World Record breaking of the Largest Glass of Wine.
Then on Sunday the organizing committee is setting up an open-air Spring village which presents Maltese fruit, traditional food, stalls with vegetables and annimal exhibitions. One can also visit the old traditional bakeries of Qormi and other historical buildings in this area which dates back to prior 1400 AD.
The programme on Sunday spreads from 10am till 9pm. It will be a day for the whole family, and entrance is completly free.
For more info one can visit the website www.festiesterniqormi.org. The event can be reached by bus, getting onto number 62 or 63, and it is just 10min away from the capital city Valletta.
This event is organized by Kumitat Festi Esterni of Qormi, together with the Qormi Local Council, the Ministry for Home & Parliamentary Affairs , Malta Tourism Authority, and other entities who are greatly supporting this annual festival.
THE MALTA JAZZ FESTIVAL – 19/07/2012 to 21/07/2012
The Malta Jazz Festival this year, which will be held on the 19th to 21st July at Ta’ Liesse, is a cocktail of different musical styles including vocal jazz, flamenco, hard-bop, fusion and latin jazz.
The main highlights this year are Al di Meola and Terri Lynne Carrington, whose album Mosaic Project has just won a Grammy Award for Best Vocal Jazz Album. Terri Lynne Carrington, featuring one of the premier jazz vocalists in the world Dianne Reeves, will be performing at the Malta Jazz Festival on Friday 20th July. Drummer Terri Lynne Carrington performed with Herbie Hancock, Marcus Miller, Yellowjackets and Dianne Reeves. The album she just released features Esperanza Spalding who was part of the Malta Jazz Festival 2011 and won a Best New Artists Grammy Award last year, Dee Dee Bridgewater, and Gretchen Parlato.
Al di Meola will return to Malta and will perform rhythmically-charged flamenco and tango inspired originals on Thursday 19th July. Grammy Award winning world class guitarist Al di Meola is one of the most well-known exponents of his instrument. His highly celebrated career has spanned a wide range of emotions into a unique style embodying the artists world inspired influences. The virtuoso pianist Gonzalo Rubalcaba will feature with Al di Meola. With eight Grammy nominations under his belt, Gonzalo Rubalcaba has proven himself as established force in the modern Jazz world. The Jeremy Pelt Quartet will also perform on the 19th. Jeremy Pelt began his career playing with Mingus Big Band. He performed with Jimmy Heath, Frank Wess, Charli Persip, Keter Betts and many more renowned musicians. Pelt was voted Rising Star on the Trumpet five years in a row by Downbeat Magazine and the Jazz Journalist Association.
The Tigran Hamasyan Trio which will perform on the 20th July finds inspiration from traditional Armenian folk music as well as poetry. Tigran won the prestigious Thelonious Monk International Jazz Piano Competition in 2006. He is considered one of today’s most vital and original young jazz artists.
Will Vinson Quartet will perform on the 21st July. Will Vinson is one of the most exciting alto players on the New York Scene. His last recording The World (through my shoes) was described as “marvellous” by Downbeat and “exhilarating, cascading…outstanding” by JazzTimes. Chano Dominguez will close the festival with his combination of flamenco and jazz. He will present his latest album which gives homage to Miles Davis. The group will feature a flamenco dancer, singer and cajon player. He just signed to Blue Note records.
The Maltese bands this year will be the Paul Giordimaina Trio that will introduce the festival on Thursday 19th July and Carlo Muscat/Alex Bezzina on Saturday 21st July. This year there will also be the Off fringe festival, coordinated by Andrew Alamango, on the days preceding the Malta Jazz Festival. This is supported by MIA. The Malta Jazz Festival is supported by the Malta Council for Culture and the Arts and the Ministry for Tourism, the Environment and Culture. Sponsors of the festival include Go, MSV Life, Switch, CyberPass, and Phoenicia Hotel.
Programme:
Thursday 19th July
Paul Giordimaina Trio featuring special guest Rino Cirinnà
Jeremy Pelt Quintet
Al di Meola World Sinfonia featuring Gonzalo Rubalcaba
Friday 20th July
Tigran Hamasyan Trio
Terri Lyne Carrington’s The Mosaic Project featuring special guest Dianne Reeves
Saturday 21st July
Carlo Muscat/ Alex Bezzina project featuring Joe Debono, Matyas Szandai, Lionel Boccara
Will Vinson ‘The World Through My Shoes’ Quartet
Chano Dominguez Flamenco Sketches
Mdina Grand Prix 2012 – 11/10/2012 – 14/10/2012
Mdina Grand Prix 2012, the popular classic car street race, now established as a staple of Malta’s national events calendar. Mdina Grand Prix conjures up images of stunning classic cars, international celebrity drivers, glamorous stars, global brand owners and visiting journalists. The Valletta Grand Prix Foundation have set the 11th and 14th October 2012 as the dates for the 2012 Mdina Grand Prix. The 2 days of racing will now be extended to 4 days of activities given the quality of the Mdina venue and racetrack, culminating on Sunday October 14, 2012.
The 2012 Mdina Grand Prix and Classic Car Event organised by the Valletta Grand Prix Foundation will feature races and exhibitions of historic and classic cars and incorporates a racetrack stretching from Mdina through Marfa and into Rabat, over a distance of 2.2 kilometres. This street race is the only one of its kind in this part of the Mediterranean and attracted huge crowds of local and international visitors in 2011 to the racing heart of Malta. The Mdina Grand Prix, is a classic car event like no other with action, drama and full speed to thrill the large crowds.
The 2012 event will include the Concours d’Elegance where all qualifying cars will be on display for the enjoyment of the public. The main timed sprint runs and demonstration runs will be held throughout Saturday and Sunday.
MALTA ARTS FESTIVAL
Music, Dance and Theatre , Festivals , Family Entertainment, Exhibitions, Cultural- The top cultural event of the season. 01/07/2011 to 23/07/2011
From an island whose history is a manifestation of cultures that converge, comes a festival which brings hundreds of artists to its performance platform. The Malta Arts Festival attracts people with different tastes, expectations and of all ages. It emphasizes our belief that culture is for all.
Join us in a unique experience, a journey beyond the boundaries of cultures through music, theatre, dance, visual arts and other artistic realities that make up the Malta Arts Festival.
This year’s edition will include performances by top Maltese and foreign artists, appearing in different art forms, presenting a vast array of styles and genres.
Further information can be obtained from the Malta Council for Culture and the Arts on Tel. (356) 21232515 or by visiting www.maltaartsfestival.org .
Download the Programme for the Malta Arts Festival 2011.
Venue : Valletta & Floriana
Contact : Malta Council for Culture and the Arts
Email : info@maltaculture.com
Malta ‘full of talent’
The music suite of Palace Hotel in Sliema vibrates with beaming smiles. It is the second full-day shoot led by London Fashion Week casting director and Top Model UK operations director Geoff Cox.
The photos will be submitted to media houses for use by magazines in the UK and will also supplement the models’ portfolios.
Top Model UK 2010 winner and London Fashion Week model Lizzie Elliott vents her energy on the drum kit in front of her, just before Kaii Couture director Annabelle Spiteri puts a Maltese lace-inspired bracelet, handmade by Rachel Robinson, on her wrist.
Ms Robinson, founder of Prickly Pear Designs, is a trained jewellery designer who set up shop in Gozo three years ago.
Using money awarded for a Malta Crafts Council competition, she designed big catwalk statement pieces and Maltese silver accessories toying with the idea of tradition but injected with a modern twist.
Sue Calì, 18, waits her turn to step under the camera’s gaze.
Although the news that she was chosen for the shoot has not sunk in yet, the experience was “well worth it” for Ms Calì, who has just finished a course in hairdressing and wants to expand her make-up skills.
Danica Buhagiar, 18, says the experience, her first of the sort, started “out of nowhere”.
“I just happened to have read about the model casting in the newspaper and gave it a go. I had always wanted to take part in such a shoot, but never had enough courage.”
Ms Buhagiar believes she can only maintain modelling as a hobby.
Artistic director for 13 years, Mr Cox has been to Malta six times and believes real talent should be allowed to thrive based on people’s ability and not based on whom they know.
“I think if you give everybody an equal opportunity, real talent would bloom in Malta. There is some really good talent on the island and I believe the fashion and modelling industry could prosper in Malta,” he adds.
“There are a lot of positives about Malta but the most disappointing thing is the lack of cohesion and organisation. Malta needs an organised official body which regulates modelling, oversees fashion and brings it all together.
“If I had the right backing from people in Malta, I would love to set up a Maltese fashion organisation that could oversee the fashion and modelling industry here and give it an international perspective. Malta is not just full of talent, it is full of wasted talent, and that’s such a shame.”
Mr Cox says exposing undiscovered talent is extremely satisfying. The most rewarding thing is finding undiscovered talent and help realise its potential.
For this shoot, together with Ms Elliott and make-up artist Kate Blackmore, Mr Cox took on three Maltese models, two Maltese designers, and a Maltese photographer, David Mansfield.
The team shot in narrow streets in Victoria, the Citadel, the blue hole in Dwejra, and at the Capua Palace.
“Some people come to Malta to shoot or film, bringing in the talent from abroad. For me, that’s a travesty,” Mr Cox says.
Kaii Couture are the sole clothing designers of the 13 pieces used for the shoot. Ms Spiteri says the outfits are versatile, young, fresh and very strong.
A 15-year-old Ms Elliott made her London Fashion Week debut in 2010 and won the Top Model UK title in March of that year. Ms Elliott has worked for over 25 different designers and is now shortlisted for New York. It is her first visit to Malta and she hopes she will have the chance to return very soon.
As for Mr Cox, he plans on returning after the summer to meet people for next year’s shows.
“I’m always on the lookout for new talent that can potentially be shown in London.”
Tuesday, June 21, 2011 , by
Sarah Carabott
Lounge 360 – Sushi Bar every Thursday
For more information on Lounge 360 follow this link:
http://axhotelsmalta.wordpress.com/ax-restaurants/lounge-360/
Call +356 21 333 444 to Book.
The Vodafone Upcoming Artist 2011 Jamming Sessions No. II
Music — 23 March 2011 — 12:30CEST
The 4 artists for this 2nd jamming session were Genn & Mayo, Owen Grech, Mikaela and The Crowns. Their performance was outstanding; truly an enjoyable evening for all present. The results of the televoting are in! The 2 finalists joining Christopher Grech and Stephanie Dejardins for the Vodafone Upcoming Artist 2011 title are Mikaela and The Crowns.
Mro Sigmund Mifsud, Vodafone Malta and The Palace Hotel, Sliema invite the music-loving public once again to attend the 3rd jamming session to be held on Tuesday March 29. The special guests for the night will be Mark and Aldo. Entrance is free so booking is a must. Bookings can be made by calling on 21 333 444.
