Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/516462
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 24 MAY 2015 This Week 43 TWO successful rounds of open calls for proposals for the new 2015/2016 programme of the Cen- tre for Creativity at St James Cava- lier have yielded a substantial 110 applications received from local and foreign creatives. Rupert Cefai, chairman of Fon- dazzjoni Ċentru għall-Kreattività, commented that, "This turnout augurs well, and goes far in giv- ing us a very positive snapshot of the current vibrant creative scene in Malta. Creatives have taken our calls for proposals as an opportu- nity to reach an even wider audi- ence, in search of promoting crea- tive activity, thought and growth in several areas of creative practice and research." Following the launch of the stra- tegic vision for the Centre for Cre- ativity in November 2014, applica- tions were opened to the public in order to propose projects which address its three main pillars – Identity, Diversity and Legacy. The Centre's artistic director, Toni Sant, explained that "in light of the three-pillar strategic vision, the projects which are to form part of the 2015/2016 programme will primarily be aimed at addressing the idea of creativity – to acknowl- edge it, to challenge it, and to find ways in which current efforts could promote further creative activity and appreciation". While current applications are being peer reviewed and success- ful applicants contacted towards the creation of the 2015/2016 pro- gramme, the Centre for Creativ- ity at St James Cavalier has con- currently opened another call for proposals related to any of nine specific types of creative work, including: collaborative writing, creative archiving, crowd science, dramaturgical development, inter- net art, live art, game design and development, open data explora- tions, and performance and crea- tive technologies. This specific-topic call for pro- posals is aimed to cover the period between September 2015 and July 2016, with successful applicants forming part of the Programme for the Centre for Creativity at St James Cavalier. Information work- shops and one-to-one follow-up sessions about the call for propos- als will be provided through IKK- REA, a series which will be open to the public. IKKREA will be held at the Studio at St James Cavalier on May 23 at 15:00 and May 28 at 17:30. No registration is required for attendance. The current call for proposals closes on Monday, 8 June at noon. Further information can be found on www.sjcav.org St James Cavalier receives over 100 proposals for new projects New horizons for the Klezmorimalta Foundation FOLLOWING the successful run of its workshop in Klezmer music, the Klezmorimalta Foundation is now busy working on many of its current and upcoming projects. These include the launch of a Mal- tese Klezmer band and the organi- sation of an international Klezmer workshop in 2016, as well as taking part in this year's Farsons Great Beer Festival and Notte Bianca. "This time last year the Klez- morimalta Foundation was still in its infancy," Birgit Albrecht, one of the co-founders of the NGO, said. "It's been a great first year though. With a national concert, the Klez- morimalta Nights, and our first workshop under our belts, we are now ready to take that much- needed leap of faith." 'A Workshop in Klezmer Music', which was held between April 20 and 25 at Palazzo de La Salle, was attended by 20 professional Mal- tese musicians. Tutoring them were Jakob Lakner, Chris Haigh and Basil Bunelik, the three in- ternational musicians who came to Malta especially for this event. The week was brought to a close with a well-received and well-at- tended Klezmer music recital. "The feedback we've received from participants and audiences has been overwhelming, and we're now more certain than ever that we want to create and push Mal- ta's very own Klezmer band," Bir- git explains. "So we are currently working closely with a number of musicians who attended our workshops to finalise the list of seven professionals to make up the band." Beyond that, the Klezmorimalta Foundation is now preparing to present an acoustic programme at this year's Farsons Great Beer Fes- tival in Ta' Qali, as well as work- ing with the organisers of Notte Bianca for its upcoming edition in October. "We're thrilled to see things coming together as they are, and we're very excited to get audiences and artists to interact," Birgit adds. "After all, Klezmer is a genre in which art and entertainment liter- ally do come together!" The Klezmorimalta Foundation is now also working on the second edition of its Workshop in Klez- mer taking place in May 2016. "We've only just started prep- ping for this so nothing has been confirmed yet, but would like to invite people to keep up-to-date on all that's happening through our recently-launched portal: www.klezmorimalta-foundation. com." PHOTO BY ELISA VON BROCKDORFF The main theatre at St James Cavalier