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Events 47 maltatoday, Sunday, 21 June 2015 Top UK practitioners for this year's Masquerade Summer Intensive Masquerade will be organising an intensive week of workshops in the performing arts (acting, dance and singing) led by top UK practitioners. These sessions will give students an opportuni- ty to develop their technique in all three disciplines. Solo sing- ing, harmony singing, acting through song, improvisation, comedy, different dance styles such as jazz, contemporary, street as well as elements of con- tact work and improvisation will be covered. Masquerade has been organ- ising the Summer Experience Workshops for the past thirteen years. The concept of time, the fo- cus of this summer's classes, has inspired the greatest story and song-writers in history, from Shakespeare to Eminem, and J M Barrie to Cyndi Lauper, Stephen Sondheim to Frank Si- natra! The greatest musicals all feature songs and lyrics about Time - classic shows like Into the Woods, La Cage Aux Folles and Mack & Mabel but also contem- porary shows like The Commit- ments, Kinky Boots and Mem- phis. Cinderella was in a race against time, Captain Hook was plagued by a timepiece through- out his swashbuckling days, and Alice's White Rabbit in Wonder- land was always in a terrible hur- ry. Every where we look, icons of children's and adults literature have been inf luenced by Time. Our creatives for this year's workshops are Steve Clark (mu- sical director) and Claire Bryan (acting coach), who both have run schools and workshops across the UK and are renowned for creating innovative theatre, which will both inspire and edu- cate students. They will be collaborating with Elena Zammit (choreographer/ dance tutor) whose diverse train- ing and experience will allow her to share the knowledge with the students and to explore differ- ent dance styles. Her sessions will incorporate working on the physicality of the body as well as expression through movement. The idea of time will be ex- plored, challenged and developed through movement. We never stop learning new skills – why not have a go at something you have always been too nervous to try? Through unique musical ar- rangements, an intricate weav- ing of classic and contemporary texts and innovative movement sessions – these workshops give everyone a chance to have their Time and we will create this work together so it will be Our Time. Students are guaranteed that they will have the time of their lives! Full details through www. masquerademalta.com, or by calling 2124 6619 or 7979 3737 Great turnout for Valletta Heritage public lectures by Frank Salt Real Estate Cultural enthusiasts who hold Valletta at heart filled up the Aula Magna of the Old Univer- sity Building in Valletta for an- other two seminars in the series of public lectures organized by Frank Salt Real Estate to explore the treasures of our capital city. The lectures were delivered by Emanuel Buttigieg, who took the audience back to the time of the Knights and explored how the Harbour landscape changed over the years and by Antoine Zam- mit who explained how Valletta's urban fabric may be envisaged in order for it to be a living example of true urban regeneration. The public lectures are an ini- tiative of Frank Salt Real Estate through its Valletta Heritage division and these events were supported by Caffe Cordina and Charles Grech. The seminar was organized with the assistance of the renowned archeologist, Tim- my Gambin. The first lecture presented by Buttigieg illustrated how the Or- der of St John while present in Malta, instigated a fundamental transformation of the harbour landscape from one of barren emptiness, save for the small medieval outpost of Birgu, to a mighty fortified conurbation. The amalgamation of the natu- ral and the man-made landscape created an impressive 'f loating stage' upon which the Order could put on shows of power and glory. The Grand Harbour was the gateway to the island of the Hospitallers. The lecture pro- vided a glimpse into the majesty, magnificence and good taste of the rituals held in the Grand Harbour of the Hospitallers. This was followed by a lecture by Zammit who explored the nu- merous ways to keep a city alive, and relevant, to its citizens and visitors, focusing on adaptive re- use strategies, for which Valletta provides an interesting example and test base, not least due to the recent attempts at injecting new life into the City. Amongst other, Zammit delved into whether this in reality makes the city liveable, the unseen perils, and how rede- velopments can become new 'ur- ban catalysts' within the City. Thanks to the investments made in the past years, Valletta is becoming ever more attractive, particularly the real estate mar- ket. In line with this, Frank Salt Real Estate has stepped up its efforts to raise awareness of the city's rich heritage. "People who take an interest in buying a prop- erty in Valletta, do so for much more than brick and mortar," stated Joseph Lupi, Managing Director, in his opening state- ment. "They understand the core val- ue of being part of this magical place. They are intrigued by its ornate architecture, rich history yet a modern cosmopolitan vibe. They know that taking up a resi- dence in Valletta is not just about buying a home or property, but taking up a lifestyle." This is where Frank Salt Real Estate's Valletta Heritage prop- erty consultants can assist. Over the last couple of months its team has put together a considerable list of properties available for sale and to let around Valletta. Some are ready to move into. Others require moderate or considerable restructuring and modernization – however with massive potential once complete. To find out more about forth- coming Valletta Heritage public lectures and to register one may do so by visiting www.frank- salt.com.mt/vallettaheritage or www.vallettaheritage.com Your first click of the daY www.maltatoday.com.mt HSBC brings global experience to the new International Banking Centre HSBC Malta has announced the opening of its new International Banking Centre (IBC) in Sliema. The centre, located on the first floor of the Bank's branch in High Street, focuses on serving clients who travel extensively or who are relocating to or from Malta. The IBC will be HSBC's largest branch in Malta by number of clients and will offer customised services in banking, lending, in- vestment, and international ac- count opening to both residents and non-resident personal cli- ents. "A dedicated team of 17 person- nel will assist clients. Customers will be able to benefit from the outstanding combination of local knowledge and the international strength, connectivity and expe- rience of HSBC's global network. We are committed to delivering high-quality integrated banking, wealth planning, investment so- lutions and lending," said HSBC Malta International Banking Centre Head Christian Debono. At the official opening cer- emony, HSBC Malta CEO Mark Watkinson said, "Our Interna- tional Banking Centre is located in the heart of Sliema, one of Malta's busiest commercial and tourist areas. With our specialist knowledge, multi-currency prod- ucts and global connections, we simplify international banking and wealth management – and make life easier for international clients." The opening ceremony was presided over by the Minister for Economy, Investment and Small Business Hon. Chris Cardona, who was joined by other senior HSBC Malta officials from Re- tail Banking and Wealth Man- agement (RBWM) and across the business, a number of repre- sentatives from Malta's legal and accounting firms, various diplo- mats and other dignitaries. Emirates to increase capacity to Uganda Emirates, a global connector of people and places, is set to up- grade its services to Uganda with the deployment of larger Boeing 777-200LR on the daily Dubai to Entebbe route from 1 October 2015. The Boeing 777-200LR will re- place the current Airbus A330- 200 used on the route, and in- crease the total number of seats across all cabin classes by 12 per- cent, offering eight private suites in First Class, 42 lie-flat seats in Business Class and 216 seats in Economy Class. "The upgrade to a Boeing 777 reinforces our commitment to Uganda and offering travellers world class products and serv- ices. The aircraft provides an enhanced product offering, such as the First Class private suites which have electrically operated doors to ensure privacy, a flat bed, including a mini-bar and work desk, while Business Class has sleeperettes and Economy Class comfortable, spacious seats", said Orhan Abbas, Emirates Senior Vice President, Commercial Op- erations, Latin America, Central and Southern Africa. The Boeing 777 is the backbone of the Emirates fleet and very popular with customers. Ugan- dan travellers can look forward to the same world famous service from Emirates' multi-national cabin crew, including Ugandan nationals, enjoy over 2000 chan- nels of on demand audio and visual entertainment on the ice entertainment system across all cabin classes, from the latest movies and music to games and audio books, as well as gourmet cuisine and generous baggage al- lowances, with 50 kilograms for First Class, 40 kg for Business Class and 30 kg for Economy Class customers. Emirates started services to Uganda in March 2000, with a thrice-weekly service linked with Nairobi, and later with Ad- dis Abba, until it was delinked in 2007 and became a direct daily service between Dubai and En- tebbe. Emirates operates a daily sched- uled flight between Dubai and Malta via Larnaca, Cyprus. For further information and flight schedules, one can visit the site: www.emirates.com/mt Students who attended one of Masquerade's Summer Experience Workshops