It is with joy and pride that the organizers of the Victoria International Arts Festival announce that this year’s 16th edition will see the participation of over 600 musicians coming from 18 different countries worldwide. Thirty-three concerts running over a period of almost uninterrupted musical activity will be presented in the major central venues in Victoria, including St George’s Basilica, Aula Mgr Giuseppe Farrugia, Il-Ħaġar Roof-Top, St Francis Conventual Church and St Augustine Priory. Concerts ranging from solo recitals to trios, quartets, quintets, brass ensembles, choirs, the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra to inaugurate and close the Festival, a debutants’ concert, an up-and-coming young composer speaking about his works, and many more, will fill the mediaeval spaces of Victoria with the most wonderful musical sound.  

An added bonus this year is the inclusion of a 5-day mini-series of Baroque music, during which audiences will be regaled to rarely-performed and highly specialized Baroque music from Malta, Germany, France, Scandinavia, England, Italy and the Low Countries. Most of this music will be performed on period instruments and will be coupled with explanations on interpretation and execution of the pieces chosen for performance.  

Master classes take pride of place, full details of which will be uploaded soon. Students and young performers will have the opportunity to be coached by experts in their respective field, including those performing on Baroque instruments. These master classes will be held in pianoforte, violin, clarinet, brass, percussion and harpsichord.

So, watch this space …