MaltaToday previous editions

MT 7 June 2015

Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/523863

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 29 of 59

maltatoday, SUNDAY, 7 JUNE 2015 30 This Week Passing on the guitar to future generations EVAN Plumpton has contributed considerably to classical guitar for more than three decades. Having been tutored by Simon Schembri (Malta), John Mills and Carlos Bonell (England) and Domenico Spada (Italy), he has also studied for a Masters Degree in guitar under the supervision of Profes- sor Michael Laus, director of the Malta Philharmonic Orches- tra and renowned Welsh guitar maestro John Mills. A member of the RGT (regis- tered guitar tutor) and a regular teacher at Johann Strauss School of Music and has performed reg- ularly at various venues, as well as recitals for radio and television. He has also fared well internation- ally with concerts at the Tunisian Guitar Festival and contacts with various renowned names. Your career encompasses classical and folk music. How have you managed to balance such genres? I have a teaching experience that goes back about 30 years. I teach classical guitar, rock and pop together with bass guitar, as well as being a registered gui- tar tutor. I am a full time music teacher (primary school). Teach- ing is my passion and will keep looking forward to do it, as this allows me to help other guitar en- thusiasts to improve, while con- tinuing to promote the guitar as an important instrument. Six years ago, I began a project that would help my students get concert spots. So, I gave birth of a new group entitled Guitar En- semble. This group is basically composed of students, ranging from beginners to advanced. We meet regularly and play different kind of musical genres in front of audiences. A couple of years ago, guitar ensemble had the opportu- nity to play at: President's Palace (Citrus Festival), Christmas con- certs (St Vincent De Paul), Zejt iz-Zejtun and Notte Bianca. Dur- ing last year's Notte Bianca we had the opportunity to work on a new project based on traditional folk music. This was a big chal- lenge for myself together with my group since we never played such genre. I started making mu- sical arrangements for the whole group and started with rehears- als and off we go… the project worked very well. Although it is ghana I still managed to bal- ance the genre and give it a taste of modern tempos that includes rock and blues. You have met some great talents, notably Julian Bream and John Williams. What are your recollections? Yes, I had the opportunity to attend in London for a classical guitar festival I took part and also participated and also had master classes with Alirio Diaz, Garry Ryan and Carlos Bonell. I also attended lectures and recitals of John Williams. These are experi- ences that I will always cherish. I had the opportunity to study guitar with John Mills in Cardiff, Wales. There, I attended regu- larly and visited the college every four months over a period of two years. How have you been preparing for this year's Ghanafest perfomance? I'm really looking forward to the Ghanafest concert. Together with my band, we're working very hard to prepare for this concert. We will be playing together with female singers, which will be a first for us. We will also be play- ing a piece composed by Ruben Zahra and adapted by myself to be played for my guitar ensemble (Helu Lehnek). We will also be playing some traditional folk mu- sic of Maltese composers. I think that this is going to be great fun and my group is also looking for- ward to deliver their full to show there great talent. Are young Maltese musicians are addressing new folk styles? Thanks to festivals such as Ghanafest, young Maltese musi- cians have more opportunity to listen and also to play folk music, which is blended well with tradi- tional to modern styles. I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the Ghanafest or- ganisers for their good work, and to thank them for allowing me to form part of this event. I hope that this year's edition of the fes- tival will open more doors for fu- ture participation and more pro- motion of Maltese music. This year's edition of Ghanafest – Malta Mediterranean Folk Mu- sic Festival 2015 will take place over June 12-14 at 19:00 at Argot- ti Gardens, Floriana Tickets are at €3 per night or €7 for a three- day block ticket available at the door. For more information and a full programme, log on to: www. maltafolkmusicfestival.org Ahead of his performance at this year's edition of Ghanafest, we spoke to guitarist Evan Plumpton about his thirty-year experience as a guitar player and tutor, and what we can expect from his performance at the folk song festival Evan Plumpton performing with his students at Notte Bianca Evan Plumpton performing with his students at Notte Bianca 'Away from mundane Visual artist Pawlu Mizzi's newly opened debut solo exhibition, Her Majesty – curated by Simon Sultana Harkins and on display at Akkademja Kulturali Pawlina in Valletta – sets out to be more of an experience for visitors than just another static display of visual art. TEODOR RELJIC speaks to Mizzi about his ambition to create a challenging take on the exhibition experience What was your starting point for this exhibition, and what kind of cohesive effect do you hope it will have? I wouldn't identify a specific starting point. To me Her Majesty is not an exhibition. My curator and myself refer to it as a project. It's a kind of time capsule featur- ing experiences and emotions that I've been through in the past, say, four years. Each work like a snapshot. You as a writer might want to look at each, in terms of chapters… each containing para- graphs of words, metaphors and commentaries. Adding to that are two public talks and the publica- tion of an academic book that will hopefully have a long-term legacy within the visual art sector. What kind of media did you employ for the works that form part of this exhibition? Why did you go for this medium/ combination of media? I've been drawing and painting from a very young age. In time, when computers invaded my drawing desk, I literally ended up with not enough space where to draw or paint. That's a setback of living in small spaces in Valletta I guess. Indeed, I discovered I could draw or paint through other tech- niques, mainly digital. During my time at the Emvin Cremona Art & Design Centre in Valletta (1997- 2001), I recall the late Emanuel Fiorentino assigning us a work re- lated to fashion, and that is where I started experimenting with digital collage. Scanning cloths, capturing textures and applying them elsewhere turned out to be the best language I've ever learned so far. The medium is relatively cheap and highly malleable. It also allows for an infinite palette and experimenting is a must. In fact Her Majesty is also a blatant ex- periment in re-appropriation; that is working around found digital objects to create new work. Thank you Mr Duchamp! What kind of experience do you hope the visitors will have of the exhibit? And how do you think the venue complements the work? Both myself and my curator, Si- mon Sultana Harkins, believe that no artist or curator should be dic- tating an experience. What Her Majesty does is suggesting an ex- perience. That experience cannot and should not be controlled. The audience is suggested to live Her Majesty their own way. The works have a character of their own now, a character that will interact dif- ferently with different people. And that is the best part of the artistic experience. The works are complemented by a space that is not made up. Ini- tially we were looking for a shelled- out space, somewhere really down market, unexpected and unu- sual. Following a few disappoint- ments, Antoine Farrugia from the Akkademja Kulturali Pawlina in Valletta came to our rescue with this venue that is definitely off the beaten 'art' track yet provides an underground, grungy, and possi- bly counter-cultural feel and look about it. I recall my MFA supervisor Dr Pawlu Mizzi: "We're making a very intense effort to place visual arts under intellectual scrutiny, away from the mundane beauty or interior design talk!"

Articles in this issue

Archives of this issue

view archives of MaltaToday previous editions - MT 7 June 2015