Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/761508
44 Events maltatoday, SUNDAY, 11 DECEMBER 2016 Hugo Boss celebrates fifth anniversary of first BOSS store in Malta HUGO Boss celebrated its five- year presence in Malta with the first BOSS store, where esteemed clients enjoyed an exclusive pri- vate dinner, prepared by the re- nowned executive chef Joe Vella. More than 100 invited guests, BOSS clients, media representa- tives, Maltese celebrities as well as international & local models, attended the gala dinner at the new Hilton Malta Hotel. The dining experience was accom- panied by international London based blues singer Jenessa Qua. VF Group represents the two BOSS stores in Malta, located on Ross Street, St. Julian's and the Departures lounge at Mal- ta International Airport. The launch of BOSS in Malta was an important milestone for the local fashion industry with the store becoming another success- ful ambassador for VF Group's portfolio of maisons and fashion houses. "Five years ago we had a vision of placing Malta on the interna- tional map of luxury goods," said Michelle Farrugia, Managing Di- rector of VF Group. "We decided to invest in a location which was new to luxury ready-to-wear and non- apparel. Today, we are hap- py to reconfirm that our strategy has been successful. We strive to distinguish ourselves, by focus- ing on a heightened customer experience. "When you offer high-end brands you are dealing with a more sophisticated clientele. In luxury retail, you are serving a more sophisticated market. I take great pride in the store am- bience and service that our cli- ents experience, when they shop in our stores. This level of ser- vice, is second to none and can only be experienced in stores." "We are proud of our partner- ship with Hugo Boss. A Ger- man engineered fashion house, professional in all aspects of the business, from the product it- self, through its Marketing, and Visual Merchandising," Farrugia said. Hugo Boss is one of the world market leaders in the premium fashion and luxury segment of the apparel market. It focuses on developing and marketing luxu- ry men's and women's fashion. Headquartered in Metzingen with a presence in 124 countries, the company generated with al- most 14,000 employees net sales of €2.8 billion in fiscal year 2015, making it one of the most profit- able listed apparel manufactur- ers in the world. The fascinating brand world of Hugo Boss com- prises the collections of BOSS and HUGO. Soprano Miriam Gauci for Manoel recital ON Friday, 16th December 2016 at 8pm internationally-renowned soprano, Miriam Gauci, and pia- nist Michael Laus, Resident Con- ductor of the Malta Philharmonic, come together for a recital, at Te- atru Manoel. This recital, by internationally- renowned Maltese soprano, Mir- iam Gauci, and pianist Michael Laus, Resident Conductor of the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra, will start with a selection from Rossini's Serate Musicali, written when the composer, still in his ear- ly forties, decided to retire from writing operas, after the Parisian success of Guillaume Tell. Liszt's settings of three of Pe- trarch's sonnets are incredible in the way that the composer man- aged to capture the meaning and colours of Petrarch's words with his then avant-garde harmonies and melodic lines. Wagner wrote the five songs based on poems by Ma- tilde Wesendonk, the wife of one of his patrons, while he was work- ing on Tristan und Isolde. In fact, Wagner himself described two of the songs as studies for Tristan. Together with Siegfried Idyll, the so-called Wesendonk Lieder are his most frequently-performed non-operatic compositions. The recital will finish exuberantly with Manuel de Falla's Siete Canciones Populares Españolas, seven songs which are based on colourful and traditional Spanish tunes. Miriam Gauci started her vocal education with her aunt, soprano Hilda Tabone. At an early age, she obtained a scholarship to study in Milan, where she made her home. She obtained her diploma in singing from the Conservatorio 'Giuseppe Verdi' and the diploma from the Centro di Perfeziona- mento Artisti Lirici from the Tea- tro alla Scala. During this period her professors for singing were Lia Guarini and the world famous mezzo-soprano Giulietta Simi- onato. She also studied staging techniques with Marisa Flask at La Scala and Renato Zanella and Vladimir Delman at the Teatro Studio in Bologna. Michael Laus grad- uated in piano, harpsichord, com- position, and conducting at the C o n s e r v a t o r i o Giuseppe Verdi of Milan in 1982. He later partici- pated in master classes in conducting given by George Mana- han in the United States and Vladimir Delman in Bologna. Principal Conductor of Malta's national orchestra for twenty- five years and now its Resident Conductor, he has conducted the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra in symphonic concerts both in Mal- ta's main concert venues and on tour in Belgium and Italy. This recital on Friday 16th De- cember 2016 at 8pm, includes works by Rossini, Liszt, Wagner and Falla. There will be a pre-concert talk at 7.30pm. Tickets from www.teatrumanoel. com.mt, bookings@teatrumanoel. com.mt or 21 246389 The new and improved 2017 KTM 250 EXC THE 2017 EXC range doesn't rep- resent a model update or some changes to a single bike. KTM have taken each model and rebuilt all the integral elements of the ar- chitecture. Every bike has a new chassis, new suspension and com- pletely redesigned engines. The 250 EXC is no exception. The 250 EXC has long been an underrated bike due to a lack of torque pull, making it a choice for the normal guy wanting a two- stroke but shunned by extreme enduro stars. The engine devel- opment has allowed KTM to take the bike to a whole new level. Al- though it is still a 250 two-stroke, the new 250 EXC now has more torque, more power and smooth delivery. The biggest change to this beau- ty is the new crank counterbal- ance, which removes the sharp, harsh vibrations typical of a two- stroke. These have been replaced by a muted, softened version, making it more pleasant on the hands. The biggest advantage of this is the increased life-span of the bike, bearings and most other wear parts, which means that you get to enjoy your fantastic ma- chine for years to come. Fapi Motors are the official dis- tributors of KTM® motor cycles in Malta. Visit our showroom in Imdina Road, Attard, or send an e-mail to info@FapiMotors.com for further details. PKF Cooper Parry scoops Most Innovative Practice award PKF Cooper Parry has been voted as the Most Innovative Practice - Mid-Tier Firm at the British Accountancy Awards. The British Accountancy Awards attract more than 600 guests from practices all over the country. The Awards rep- resent small local firms to the larger regional, national and global players. A panel of 20 judges repre- senting the very best of the profession were tasked with assessing the firm's services against three key criteria - cul- ture, technology and measur- able success impact – across a three-stage process. The judges were also on the look-out for the use of innova- tive techniques, resources or technologies used to acquire and retain clients and develop professionalism within the firm. PKF Cooper Parry recently reported its strongest financial year on record. It is the only accountancy firm to make the 2016 Sunday Times List of 100 Best Companies to work for. Miriam Gauci