Din l-Art Helwa is pleased to announce the 14th edition of the Bir Miftuh International Music Festival.  This annual spring music festival, which has gained success and popularity over the years and is much appreciated by lovers of music and the heritage, has firmly established itself as one of the highlights of Din l-Art Helwa’s cultural calendar.  Our regular and generous sponsors are, as usual, procuring for us high calibre international artistes who will regale us with beautiful and select repertoires.

Din l-Art Helwa very much appreciates the unfailing support of its sponsors and wholeheartedly conveys its thanks to the Italian Embassy and the Italian Ambassador, H.E. Dott. Paolo Andrea Trabalza together with the Istituto Italiano di Cultura and its Director Dott. Bruno Busetti, the French Embassy and the French Ambassador H.E. M. Daniel Rondeau together with the Alliance Française and its Director and Cultural Counsellor Dr. Serge Borg, the German Embassy and the German Ambassador H.E. Mr Bernd Braun and  Malta International Airport and its CEO Mr Julian Jaeger together with the Austrian Embassy and the Austrian Ambassador H.E. Dr Caroline Gudenus.

This year, the festival is not conforming to its usual format.  In fact, the last concert will be held at St. John’s Co-Cathedral, by courtesy of the St. John’s Co-Cathedral Foundation, and not at the medieval church of Santa Marija ta’ Bir Miftuh as for the previous concerts. 

Those wishing to attend or for further information contact Din l-Art Helwa office, tel. nos. 21220358/21225952, Monday to Friday between 8.30a.m. and 12.30p.m. 

We are confident that this year’s festival will be widely supported and we much look forward to welcoming you and your friends to this spring music festival, which is also a fund raising activity in aid of Din l-Art Helwa’s restoration projects. 

Cettina Caruana Curran

Events Co-ordinator 

 BIR MIFTUH INTERNATIONAL MUSIC FESTIVAL 2010

Friday 21st May 2010  - Harp and Vocal  Recital
by Elena Trovato - Harpist and Gianfranco Cerreto  - Tenor
at the church of Santa Marija ta’ Bir Miftuh.
This concert is sponsored by the Italian Embassy and the Istituto Italiano di Cultura

Elena Trovato studied and graduated as a harpist at the Conservatorio di Brescia, furthering her studies in Torino and at the Scuola di Musica di Fiesole. She has won eleven prizes in national and international chamber music competitions. She has performed over 1000 concerts in Italy and abroad - Europe, China, Saudi Arabia and the USA. Elena Trovato  has a preference for chamber music and performs regularly with the chamber group ‘Caronte’ which she founded.  She also performs during prestigious Italian music seasons. She is very interested in contemporary music and has performed numerous works dedicated to her by Italian musicians. She has several CDs to her credit.

Gianfranco Cerreto graduated from the Conservatorio A. Vivaldi of Alessandria.  He performs intensively both as a soloist and with chamber music ensembles, with a repertoire ranging from opera to musicals, from sacred to chamber music.  He is very much present both on the national and international scenes.  Gianfranco Cerreto was awarded several prizes in national and international competitions.  He has made several recordings of Bach’s music.  He currently teaches vocal technique at the Mozart 2000 Association in Acqui Terme and at the Progetto Musica in San Rocco in Alessandria.
The performance is very varied and ranges from a beautiful selection of  arie da camera and opera to soundtracks from renowned and Oscar-winning films, some jazz and world famous songs.

The concert starts at 8.00p.m. Tickets cost €20 per person including refreshments after the concert.

Saturday 29th May 2010
Guests will have the unique opportunity of enjoying two distinct concerts on the same evening. The venue is the church of Santa Marija ta’ Bir Miftuh.
The first concert is by the Cosmos Wind Ensemble comprising Rebecca Hall – Flute, John McDonough – Oboe, Godfrey Mifsud – Clarinet, José Garcia Gutiérrez – Horn, and Ulrike Buhlmann – Bassoon. This concert is sponsored by the German Embassy.
The Cosmos Wind Ensemble was formed in 2005 and is a woodwind-based group, committed to the performance of original chamber-music compositions.  The members of the ensemble come from five different nationalities and their diverse cultures have been intertwined through their mutual love of music.  All of them have played as soloists and as orchestral musicians with the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra.  The ensemble has performed varied and exciting repertoires for diverse combinations and in different formations.  Their repertoire ranges from the Baroque to the Contemporary.  They have played at a variety of venues and events across the Maltese Islands, including the Manoel Theatre, St. James Theatre-in-the-Round, St. Catherine’s Church, St. James Cavalier Recital Room, the historic Palazzo Falzon and the Malta Arts Festival.  Last May they performed an all Maltese contemporary programme in Munich as part of the Europamusicale Festival.
Their repertoire features works by Ludwig van Beethoven, Charles Camilleri and Eugène Bozza.

The second concert is a choral recital by the Feldkirchen Folksong Choir from Austria. This concert is sponsored by Malta International Airport and the Austrian Embassy.
The Feldkirchen Choir was founded 54 years ago and has faithfully carried on the tradition of Carinthian choral music. Their founder Deacon Josef Stotter, who is still closely involved, laid the foundation for the musical quality and excellence which continue to distinguish this choir.  Under Anna Wresnik, the present director, they have developed further and under her leadership they have toured Estonia, Germany and China. The choir performs regularly at the annual prestigious Carinthian Summer Festival.
The 24 choristers will delight the audience with a beautiful and varied programme featuring traditional songs from Carinthia, a cappella music, and a few surprises, delivered with the unique sound of southern Austrian voices and accompanied by saxophone and accordion.

The first concert of the evening starts at 7.00p.m. with a duration of 1 hour and this will be followed by an interval of 45 minutes for refreshments.  The second concert starts at 8.45p.m. and should last one hour and fifteen minutes. Tickets for the two concerts and refreshments cost €25 per person.

18th June 2010 – Organ Recital by Pierre Méa
This concert will be held at St. John’s Co-Cathedral by courtesy of the St. John’s Co-Cathedral Foundation. It is sponsored by the French Embassy and the Alliance Française. 

French organist Pierre Méa studied music in Reims under the tuition of the famous organist Olivier Latry and then furthered his studies under the guidance of other distinguished professors.  He won several awards in national and international organ competitions and from prestigious institutions like the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris and from the Conservatoire de Lyon.  He became a laureate of the Yehudi Menuhin  Foundation after having been substitute organist at Notre Dame de Paris for eleven years. He is the regular organist at Reims Cathedral. He has given concerts with renowned orchestras like the Orchestre de Paris, the French National Orchestra, and the Cappella of Saint Petersbourg, under the direction of famous conductors such as Riccardo Muti, Leonard Slatkin, and Vladislav Tchernouchenko. He is Professor of Organ at the Conservatoire National de la Region de Reims and lectures at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris.

The concert starts at 7.00p.m. and lasts 1 hour.
Donations payable to Din l-Art Helwa and mailed to Din L-Art Helwa prior to the concert will be greatly appreciated. Invitations will be issued and refreshments will be served after the concert. 

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