The youth factor in The Three Palaces festival

The sixth edition of The Three Palaces Festival will place more emphasis on youth artistes. One of the highlights of this festival will be an opera aimed specifically for children, entitled IlQtates ta’ max-Xatt. Based on a book written by Clare Azzopardi and adapted as a score by talented young composer Euchar Gravina, this opera, which will be directed by Denise Mulholland, will do the rounds around many schools so that within five years, it is hoped it will serve as an experience and as an inspiration to young, budding talents.

Youth contribution in this festival will also include Charlene Farrugia, who is considered as the enfant terrible of the Maltese piano and an internationallyrenowned artiste in her own right. Her contribution to this year’s edition of this festival will be a solo performance. Ian Ellul, violinist and member of the Malta Youth Orchestra and soprano Michaela Agius are also two more emerging youth exponents at this festival and this year, they will team up for a presentation of popular and less popular works at the Malta Society of Arts in Valletta.

During the launch of this festival, was which during the last week of July at The Royal Malta Yacht Club, artistic director and much revered violinist, concertmaster and director Peter Manning expressed his fascination with Malta’s history, notably Marsamxett Harbour, where the conference was taking place. “The Three Palaces Festival itself lends further intrigue to the history behind these premises and the monumental buildings surrounding us. One hopes that such a festival will continue to enhance the evergrowing reputation that Malta has been enjoying in various cultural fields.”

The National Archaeology Museum will host Maltese soprano Claire Debono, a graduate from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, who will be accompanied by pianist Gary Matthewman, as well as a concert by O Duo, who have kept a very youthful zest through their marimba and percussive pre- sentations and moreover, their experiences abroad over the past two decades. This World Heritage Site will also host The Stockholm Philharmonic Wind Quintet, as well as Phantasm, an award-winning consort of viols, and Les Musicians de Louvre, considered by The Guardian as one of the best orchestras in the world, as well as veteran, multi-talented musician Dominic Galea, who will be leading a jazz trio for this occasion.

Austria will be represented by the Koncz String Trio which pertains to the much revered Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. Their performance, which relates to its deep association with the history and tradition of European classical music, will further add to this festival’s own rich historical background.

Annabelle Stivala, director Festivals and Events stated that The Three Palaces Festival is one of various activities aimed to coincide with particular seasons and events throughout Malta’s cultural calendar. She also stated that: “This year has been really busy working in collaboration with Valletta 2018, as well as in the main seasonal activities like the Arts Festival, which is the main summer event. The Three Palaces is the main event for autumn and the Arts Council has been working in earnest to ensure that the special youth theme gets effectively promoted in order to reach the desired audience.”

During the inaugural press conference, Dr Owen Bonnici, Minister for Justice, Culture and Local Councils, stated that The Three Palaces Festival comes at a time where Malta’s economic growth is also being matched by a resurgence of creativity in various art forms, which in turn have also helped to boost the self-same economy, through the development of various creative niche markets. It is hoped that this year’s edition will further broaden the scope of this festival and increase the participation of young, accomplished artists. The Three Palaces Festival will be held between 2 and 11 November.