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MT 18 March 2018

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maltatoday SUNDAY 18 MARCH 2018 44 THE Jugendorchester Stattegg, from Graz, Austria, will be visit- ing Malta between March 24 and 28 in what will be the Malta Youth Orchestra's very first international collaboration since its formation several years ago. Over these five days, the String and Percussion sections of the MYO will be uniting with the musicians coming from Jugen- dorchester Stattegg and will be embarking on an intensive work- shop held by the renowned guest tutors from the Jugendorchester Stattegg as well as distinguished local tutors, which will then lead to the two groups putting together an Easter concert where both orches- tras will perform together for the first time. During the first three-day in- tensive course, both the Wind and Brass sections will be work- ing simultaneously with reputable foreign and local musicians. The Brass section will be working with Rudolf Korb, Jose Garcia Gutier- rez, and Chris Spiteri while the Wind section will be working with Catharine Mooney-Zarzo, Harry Cameron Penny and John McDon- ough. Both groups will be devising a programme with their respective ensembles and tutors, which will lead to the final concert. The concert, held on March 27 and 28 at the Teatru Salesjan in Sliema, will see both orchestras collaborating and performing to- gether. The first part of the pro- gramme, which will take place on March 27, will consist of an entire programme with Strings and Per- cussion, conducted by the MYO's resident conductor Riccardo Bi- anchi and guest conductor Karl Vorraber. The second part of the programme, held on March 28, will consist of all four groups par- ticipating in a joint concert togeth- er. The Jugendorchester Stattegg will be in turn hosting the Malta Youth Orchestra in Graz between July 9 and 12, where both Strings and Percussion will play in differ- ent concert venues around Austria, whereas the Brass section will be working with Rudolf Korb during an intensive learning week at the Brass Academy Alicante in Spain between 9-13 July 2018. This Week Malta Youth Orchestra ready for international collaboration Austria's Jugendorchester Stattegg will collaborate with the MYO at the Teatru Salesjan Jugendorchester Stattegg Malta World Music Festival returns for a second edition A Festivals Malta initiative, the event will be taking place on May 18 and 19 at Fort St Elmo THE second edition of the Malta World Music Festival will be making a return on the May 18 and 19 at Fort St Elmo in Valletta. Over the two nights, six international acts hailing from all over the globe will be showcasing the diversity, breadth and vivacity that the modern world music scene has to offer. From contemporary interpretations of archaic musical forms to purer ex- pressions of folk traditions, the line-up has something to offer music enthusiasts of all kinds. "I am very pleased to have managed to put together such a fantastic line-up for the second edition of the Malta World Music Festival," Artistic Director Renzo Spiteri said. "Since its maiden edition last year, I want- ed to ensure this festival represents acts of the highest calibre in order for the festival to reach new heights. This will surely be a festival like no other." Annabelle Stivala, director of Festivals Malta, dis- cussed the progression of the festival from its original folk music focus to being a more all-encompassing cel- ebration of world music forms with wider appeal. She explained, "Originally a folk festival which has now been streamlined, the World Music Festival embrac- es award winning international musicians and local emerging artists in genres that span from traditional to contemporary. As from last year, this socially engaging festival has been given a rather tempting new look. It is more fresh, trendy and carefully curated, promising the finest collection of world music Malta has ever staged." Among this year's highlights include Grammy-nom- inated collective Afro Celt Sound System who will be headlining Friday night's concert. Formed by Simon Emmerson back in 1996, Afro Celt Sound System are a European and African based collective who've been a ground-breaking force in music ever since the begin- ning. With sales now topping one and a half million albums and two Grammy nominations to date, Afro Celt Sound System has been at the forefront of bringing worldbeat to the masses having performed at concerts and festivals all over the world. Cushion, who will be flying the flag for Malta, will kick off the festival on Friday night. This local Indian fusion outfit draws heavily from the Indian tradition, with dominant sitar licks and eastern vocalisations, all backed with keyboard ambience and pulsating bass and drum patterns. Their live performances often include professional dance choreography, fire juggling and buugeng acts. Friday night's line-up is completed by Refugees for Refugees, a band of ten musicians under the leadership of the Belgian oud player Tristan Driessens who are ac- tual refugees originating from Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Tibet. The band's sound builds bridges between the musical heritage of their respective home- lands. Chart-topping Spanish artist Ana Alcaide will open Saturday night's festivities. Ana has played a pioneer- ing role in the introduction and popularisation of the nyckelharpa in Spain. Rooted in ancient traditions yet resolutely modern, her compositions deftly blend mu- sical styles from different cultures. Alcaide will be followed by TRAD.ATTACK!, a trio of musicians who play their own interpretation of Es- tonian folk, which fuses rock, folk and bagpipe music. TRAD.ATTACK draws inspiration from archive re- cordings of the great Estonian folk singers and instru- mentalists who created and performed music for work, leisure and festivities in olden times. The festival will draw to a close with a set from Elec- trik GEM! Guitarist Grégory Dargent and his motley band of instrumentalists - which includes oud, gadulka and tarhu players - merge sounds from the Balkans, the Middle East and the Orient as an attempt to musically transcribe the modern multifaceted Mediterranean metropolis. The 2018 edition of the Malta World Music Festival promises to take festivalgoers on an expansive musical journey across time, cultures and place. For more information, log on to www.maltaworldmu- sicfestival.org Estonian contemporary folk band TRAD.ATTACK! will be among the participants of the Malta World Music Festival 2018 Dissecting visual arts at Spazju Kreattiv The Art Additives initiative will aim to open the contemporary art world to discussion SPAZJU Kreattiv at St James Cav- alier has just launched Art Addi- tives; a series of talks, workshops, encounters and satellite events developed around the Spazju Kre- attiv contemporary visual arts pro- gramme. Art Additives will add to the Spazju Kreattiv experience of contemporary art by generating discussion and debate, welcom- ing new audiences into the space, and encouraging conversation be- tween artists and those interested in the arts. All events are free of charge and open to a variety of audiences – from artists to students, children and families, and those with an interest in visual art. Events will be held at Spazju Kreattiv as well as at our partners' venues around Malta and Gozo. The events will feature a variety of speakers including, curators, practitioners, artists and educators. The first Art Additives events include a Meet the Artist event and workshop with Mario Abela, a discussion with young artist Mat- thew Schembri, and an encounter at The Mill in Birkirkara with the Azure Watch project team. Art Additives events will be listed and updated here on the Spazju Kreattiv website: http://www.kre- attivita.org/event/art-additives/

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