Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1514782
maltatoday | SUNDAY • 21 JANUARY 2024 5 CULTURE local talent pleasure to work with through- out the year, who note the level of professionality both when it comes to our events, as well as our dedicated team members. As Festivals Malta we strive to keep a high standard in every project we are entrusted with, and I also would like to take the opportuni- ty to thank the team at the Min- istry for the National Heritage, the Arts and Local Government for their continuous support and trust they have in our team and in Festivals Malta. Can you tell us about any up- coming events? Festivals Malta's next event is Carnival which is being held be- tween the 9 and 13 of February. This national event will feature various carnivalesque celebra- tions in Valletta, Ħamrun, and for the first time in Zurrieq. The main events, which happen in Valletta will include a defilé with carnival floats, choreographed dances, grotesque masks, street theatre and much more. A new edition to our portfo- lio this year is a performance of Joseph Vella's opera Valeriana – The Titan's Rock with the col- laboration of Mro. Vella's family. This opera was originally writ- ten for theatre by Vincent Vella and later set to music by the late Mro. Joseph Vella, however, he did not manage to complete the composition prior to his pass- ing. Now, the composition has been completed by Mro. Chris Muscat, who will be conducting the opera as it premiers in Gozo for one night only at the Teatru Astra in Gozo and will prove an unmissable event for lovers of operatic music. Festivals Malta will also pres- ent the fourth edition of Mużi- ka Mużika which will take place between the 14 and 16 of March live on TVM and at the MFCC Ta' Qali. Like each year, the lev- el of compositions is superb and the artists taking part are of a very high level – both artistically and professionally. We are look- ing forward to this year's edition and I encourage our audiences not to miss this event. Apart from these events we also have various other festivals throughout the year. For any in- formation about our upcoming festivals, one should always refer to the Festivals Malta social me- dia pages as well as the website www.festivals.mt. Malta-loaned Grand Master Vılhena and pages portraıt exhıbıted ın Spaın AN eighteenth-century paint- ing depicting Grand Master Vil- hena with pages, sourced from the Grand Master's Palace in Valletta, is currently on display in an exhibition at Spain's Mu- seo Naval de Madrid, through a collaboration with Heritage Malta. The exhibition, entitled 'The Mark of Jorge Juan - The Lega- cy of an Enlightened Scientist', marks 250 years since the death of one of the most brilliant sail- ors in the Spanish Navy's histo- ry, Jorge Juan de Santacilia. Jorge Juan's mark remained indelible in fields such as pol- itics, economics, the army, history, nature, geography, astronomy, shipbuilding and teaching, amongst others, con- tributing extraordinarily to the Enlightenment thought of his time. Through five extensive the- matic units, this exhibition in the Spanish capital offers a wider, all-encompassing anal- ysis of this outstanding figure, as never before. His connec- tion to the Order of St John in Malta is explored in the first of these units, which narrates his journey to the island of Malta as a young boy in 1722 to join the Order, in which he rose through the ranks to become a page to the Grand Master in 1725. Although not dated, an oil on canvas painting at the Grand Master's Palace in Valletta, depicting Grand Master An- tonio Manoel de Vilhena with pages, was identified as a very plausible depiction of a young Jorge Juan, based on his known timeframes within the Order, eventually leading to its loan by Heritage Malta to the Mu- seo Naval de Madrid. This painting was executed by Maltese artist Enrico Regnaud to celebrate the Grand Mas- ter's bestowment of the Blessed Sword and Hat by Pope Bene- dict XIII, which were blessed in St Peter's on Christmas Eve 1724 and arrived in Malta on 3rd May 1725 amongst great celebrations. The exhibition will run until the end of March 2024. For more information you can click here: https://armada. defensa.gob.es/ArmadaPortal/ page/Portal/ArmadaEspan- nola/cienciaorgano/pre- fLang-en/01cienciamuseo-- 04exposiciones--01actual