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MT 24 July 2016

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maltatoday, SUNDAY, 24 JULY 2016 30 This Week What led to the setting up of TAO, and how did you go about its first steps? I guess my love for music and showbusiness was the main drive for starting this project. Our first steps were quite chaotic as most new ventures are, we had to learn fast and set up a respectable brand, finance our projects and build trust with our contacts... All of which are crucial when con- tacting a professional musician or management. Did you find the local musical scene amenable to the kind of events you were proposing (both from the point of view of the au- dience and local performers)? We had a very nice turn out in all our concerts and workshops so far and we are very pleased with the way our projects are being re- ceived. We would have never sur- vived if it wasn't for the support of the local music community and the excitement shown by the au- dience during standing ovations of every single show. Still, we'd love to see more people from dif- ferent genres take the plunge and get to one of these shows. What led you to settle on acoustic concerts as your niche? Acoustic music is something I'm very passionate about, I play acoustic guitar myself and all these projects are a kind of a re- flection of what I'm into. Perhaps, bringing all these acoustic virtuo- sos to the island might all be for my own selfish reasons after all! But joking apart, we are interest- ed in various other projects that do not necessarily involve acous- tic music and we don't consider acoustic as our only niche. How did you manage to attract international names like Andy McKee, Don Ross and now Tom- my Emmanuel to your events? What drew them to Malta? It's a matter of building trust with the artist and their manage- ment. Professionals usually have a whole management team han- dling their tours, legal, logistics and so on, which make sure that all requirements are dealt with properly and that the artist is safe. If you can assure them that you can manage and promote an en- gagement professionally, they'd be happy to visit a beautiful sunny island to do what they love. Why do you think the Tommy Emmanuel concert at Pjazza Teatru Rjal will be special? Anyone who is familiar with Tommy's music or has attended a show of his abroad knows that this will be one of this year's high- lights in our capital. We also have the Hot Club Of Valletta opening for Tommy with a Gypsy Jazz set – which will surely be an absolute blast! What do you make of the local musical scene? What would you change about it? I believe our scene is a vibrant one, and it's great to see so many initiatives by both the private and public sectors. Regardless what you're into, nowadays there's so much going on that you can barely keep up, and this is great. I wouldn't know what to change… I tend to focus on what we are do- ing and make sure we are getting things right so that our contribu- tion is relevant and a positive one. What's next for you? We have various projects lined up, some modest and some very ambitious. We will just take it step by step and see where things take us. Tommy Emmanuel will be per- forming at Pjazza Teatru Rjal, Valletta on August 10 at 19:30. Bookings: http://new.ticketline. com.mt/ or 7920 5402 Strumming the summer nights away Ahead of their hosting of legendary Australian guitarist Tommy Emmanuel as part of the next gig in their repertoire, Tao Productions founder and organizer Frankie Calleja speaks to TEODOR RELJIC about how the small but determined company managed to carve a niche for itself as the organizer of some of the island's top quality acoustic guitar concerts TWOTIME Grammy nominee Tommy Emmanuel is one of Australia's most respected musicians. The legendary guitarist has a professional career that spans five decades and contin- ues to intersect with some of the finest musicians throughout the world. A household name in his native Australia, Tommy has garnered hundreds of thousands of loyal fans worldwide. Tommy's unique style – he calls it simply "finger style" – is akin to playing guitar the way a pianist plays piano, using all ten fin- gers. Rather than using a whole band for melody, rhythm, bass, and drum parts, Tommy plays all that – and more – on one guitar. Guitar legend Chet Atkins was one of the first to inspire Emmanuel to try this "fingerpicker" style as a child. Decades later, Atkins himself became one of Emmanuel's biggest fans. Tommy Emmanuel is an honorary Kentucky Colonel, a CGP (Certified Guitar Player – a title given by Chet Atkins to only 5 guitarists in the world), an Order of Australia Medalist (AM) and the holder of both an honorary Master's Degree (MA) and more recently an honorary Doctor of Arts (DR) from Charles Sturt University in Australia in recognition of his commitment to rural Australia and his contribution to music education. About Tommy Emmanuel "Once you assure professional artists that they'll be deal with in a professional manner, they're more than happy to visit a beautiful island to do what they love" Maltese singer-songwriter Claire Tonna performing at a Tao Productions event Canadian guitarist Don Ross during a concert organized by Tao Productions last November Tao Productions founder Frankie Calleja

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