Dear Members and Friends

The 25th Edition of the Bir Miftuђ International Music Festival

Din l-Art Ħelwa is pleased to announce the 25th Edition of the Bir Miftuђ International Music Festival. With the euphoria of spring, the church of Santa Maria ta’ Bir Miftuђ will once again resonate with melodious and uplifting music. The medieval and awesome aura of the venue enhances the beauty of the eclectic repertoires and the exceptional performances executed by high-calibre international and national artists, procured for Din l-Art Ħelwa by our very generous sponsors. Thanks to the benevolence and whole-hearted support of our sponsors, this year’s edition of the festival guarantees the high standards that have been consistent throughout the years.

The Festival this year comprises three concerts:

1st Concert – Friday 10th May at 7.30 p.m.

A Violin, Flute, Harp and Voice Performance

featuring Manon Galy – Violin, Anissa Baniahmad – Flute, Anne Marie Camilleri Podesta’ – Harp, Gillian Zammit – Soprano

The musicians will delight the audience with fascinating works by Massenet, Gaubert, Debussy, Piazzolla, Saint Saens, Fauré, Strauss, Ibert and Berlioz.

This concert is generously sponsored by The Embassy of France / The Alliance Française de Malte-Méditerranée together with the Embassy of Germany.

2nd Concert – Saturday 18th May at 7.30 p.m.

A Piano and Voice Performance

featuring Rachel Gauci – Piano, Clare Ghigo – Mezzo Soprano

The audience will be enchanted with works by Brahms, Mallia Pulvirenti and Benjamin Britten.

This concert is fully supported and sponsored by the German Maltese Circle and the Goethe Institute.

3rd Concert – Saturday 8th June at 8.00 p.m.

A String Quartet Performance

featuring Ester Garcia Salas – Viola, Inmaculada Muñoz Salgüero — Violin, Agnieszka Kuzma – Violín, Frank Camilleri — Violoncello

The performers will regale the audience with works by Juan Crisóstomo de Arriaga, Joaquín Turina, Isaac Albéniz.

This concert is whole-heartedly supported and sponsored by the Embassy of Spain.

Din l-Art Ħelwa is truly grateful to its sponsors and conveys its appreciation and sincere thanks to:

1st Concert:-

The Embassy of France – the Ambassador H.E. Madame Agnès von der Mühll, the Cultural Counsellor M. Reynaud Lallement

The Alliance Française de Malte-Méditerranée – the Director M. Thomas Lamouroux, the President M. Stephane Croce

The Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany – the Ambassador H.E. Ms Tania Beyer, the Cultural Counsellor Mr Elmar Kohlhofer

for generously co-sponsoring the first concert and for their dedicated support.

2nd Concert

The German-Maltese Circle – the President Ing. Arthur Ciantar and the Goethe Institute

for fully sponsoring this concert and for their unfailing collaboration.

3rd Concert

The Embassy of Spain H. E. Mr Jose Maria Muriel, the Cultural Attaché Mr Pedro Enrique Santamaría Fernández for their kind benevolence in sponsoring this concert.

Information and details about the concerts are below.

Tickets for each concert are against a donation of €25 per person and include refreshments after the performance in the church grounds.

Block bookings are against a donation of €65 for 3 concerts and €40 for 2 concerts.

Bookings can also be made on line by clicking here

For further information kindly contact Din l-Art Ħelwa on Email: info@dinlarthelwa.org

Remittances

By cheque payable to Din l-Art Ħelwa, with an accompanying note indicating the concert/s you wish to attend, addressed to The Organising Committee, Bir Miftuh International Music Festival, 133 Melita Street, Valletta or by bank transfer effected to one of the following bank accounts:

HSBC MT76MMEB44336000000033181181001
BOV MT51VALL22013000000040021787427
APS MT02APSB77024000892010892010012

 

The church of Santa Maria ta’ Bir Miftuђ is located outside the Malta International Airport near the roundabout to Gudja.

 

We appeal to all lovers of music and the heritage to join us at the festival, which as usual, will prove to be a special and memorable treat. You will also be giving your tangible and valid support to Din l-Art Ħelwa’s worthy cause of safeguarding the cultural and natural heritage of our Islands.

Sincerely,

Cettina Caruana Curran

Event Co-ordinator / Hon. Life Council Member

Programme – The 25th Edition of the Bir Miftuђ International Music Festival

 

1st Concert- Friday 10th May at 7.30 pm

A Violin, Flute, Harp and Voice Performance featuring Manon Galy – Violin, Anissa Baniahmad – Flute, Anne Marie Camilleri Podesta’ – Harp, Gillian Zammit – Soprano

The programme comprises works by Massenet, Gaubert, Debussy, Piazzolla, St Saens, Fauré, Strauss, Ibert and Berlioz.

 

Biographies

Manon Galy, born in Toulouse, was named ‘Instrumentalist soloist of the year’ at the Victoire de la Musique Awards 2022. At an early age she already displayed a passion for chamber music. She studied the violin at the Conservatoire de Toulouse, then proceeded to the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris. She won several international competitions and awards. She has performed with prestigious orchestras in various countries and is always in high demand at renowned festivals. In 2023 she released her first solo album ‘Nuits Parisennes’.

German flutist Anissa Baniahmad started her music studies in Frankfurt and Marburg. She furthered her studies at Frankfurt University of Music and Performing Arts, at Rice University in Houston, Texas and at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris. She was awarded numerous prestigious prizes and scholarships. She has performed with the Deutsch Symphony Philharmonic Orchestra of Berlin, The Ensemble Resonanz and the NDR Radiophilharmonie of Hanover. She forms part of the Duo Revello and she is currently solo flute with the National Theatre Orchestra of Mannheim.

Anne Marie Camilleri Podesta` took up the harp when she was twelve. At sixteen, she became a member of the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra (MPO), and has been consistently asked to perform with it. She is a founding member of the Ġukulari Ensemble, which performs music related to Malta. She represented Malta when it joined the European Union, in a concert at the Konzerthaus in Vienna. She has played with the European Symphonieta, the European Chamber Orchestra, the Sophia Philharmonic, the Orquestra Sinfónica Portuguesa, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and the Orquesta Sinfónica de Navarra. Her CD Gesti: Harp Music from the Mediterranean explores the beauty of Mediterranean rhythms.

Gillian Zammit studied with Carlo Bergonzi and Victoria de los Angeles and has worked with many established artists including Joseph Calleja, Eugene Kohn, Emma Kirkby and Placido Domingo. She is highly regarded as a recital singer and a respected exponent of Baroque music, performing regularly in the Valletta International Baroque Festival as well as the Utrecht Early Music Festival in Holland, the Intra Muros Early Music Festival in Belgium and the Naples Musica Sacra Festival in Italy. She released her debut CD entitled ‘The Love Songs of Paolo Tosti’ with pianist Lucia Micallef for UK record label Claudio Records and followed that with ‘Kantilena’, a CD of art songs with harpist Britt Arend and cellist Frank Camilleri, under the auspices of the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra and Parma Recordings.

 

2nd Concert – Saturday 18th May at 7.30 p.m.

A Piano and Voice Performance featuring Rachel Gauci – Piano, Clare Ghigo — Mezzo Soprano

The programme comprises works by Brahms, Mallia-Pulvirenti, and Benjamin Britten.

 

Biographies

Rachel Gauci studied locally with Gisèle Grima. This was followed by studies in France with Véronique Muzy and Andrea Corazziari. She then studied at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland where she graduated with Master of Music in Piano. Prior to her studies in Scotland, she had attended masterclasses at the Salzburg Mozarteum with distinguished professors including Petras Geniušas and Aaron Shorr. She is a solo and collaborative pianist with pedagogical interests. She has been awarded scholarships by the Arts Council Malta and the Janatha Stubbs Foundation. She is also a BOV Joseph Calleja Foundation Scholar.

Clare Ghigo is a highly accomplished mezzo soprano with an impressive and vast operatic repertoire and a versatile approach to both theatre and music. She has performed in various cities and countries around the world, including San Francisco, Barcelona, Vienna, Salzburg, London, Paris, Berlin, Bethlehem, Johannesburg, Bulgaria, Latvia, China, Armenia, Israel, Turkey and Luxembourg. Clare has participated in various operatic competitions and has been recognized with numerous awards and accolades. Throughout her career, she has had the privilege of working with acclaimed singers such as Joseph Calleja, Bryn Terfel, Anna Tomova Sintova, Nelly Miriciu, Monserrat Caballe, Daniela Dessi, Richard Bonynge, Luciana Serra, Jennifer Larmore, and Anna Bonitatibus. She has also collaborated with various ensembles, including the Jeune Orchestre Atlantique, Guildhall Consort, Karlsruhe duo, Rossini Ensemble, Ensemble Télémaque, La Mancha Philharmonic, RE:Orchestra, and the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra.

 

3rd Concert – Saurday 8th June at 8.00pm

A String Quartet Performance featuring Ester Garcia Salas – Viola, Inmaculada Muñoz Salgüero – Violin, Agnieszka Kuzma – Violín, Frank Camilleri – Cello

The programme includes works by Juan Crisóstomo de Arriaga, Joaquín Turina, Isaac Albéniz.

 

Biographies

Ester Garcia Salas was born in Spain and started her music education at the age of six. After graduating from the Conservatorio Superior de Musica de Zaragoza, Spain, she continued her studies in Amsterdam with Marjoline Dispa and later at the School of Music of Barcelona with Ashan Pillai, obtaining a Master’s degree. She was a member of various orchestras such as the Orquesta Filarmonica de Malaga, Orquesta de Extremadura, Orquesta Nacional de Catalunya, Spain and Orquesta Sinfonica Sinaloa de las Artes Mexico. Ester joined the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra in January 2021. Occasionally she acts as principal viola section. She plays a David Bagué viola.

Inmaculada Muñoz Salgüero graduated in violin and chamber music at the Real Conservatorio de Madrid under Pedro Leon, and completed the Master’s Degree and Postgraduate at the Royal Conservatoire in Brussels under Katalin Sebastian and Sigmund Kowalski. She was awarded the first and third place in the competitions Jovenes Interpretes of Ibercaja and Castilla la Mancha respectively. She was a member of the World Orchestra of Jeunesses Musicale International, Orquesta Sinfónica del Vallès, Orquesta Clasica de España, and the European Royal Ensemble. She joined the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra as a violinist in 2012.

Agnieszka Kuzma was born in Poland and started her music education at the age of seven. After graduating from the Academy of Music in Wroclaw, Poland, with a Master’s degree, she continued her studies in the class of Katalin Sebastian at the Royal Conservatoire of Music in Brussels, where she graduated with a distinction. She was a member of various orchestras such as The World Orchestra, Leopoldinum Chamber Orchestra (Poland), and SymphoniaASSAI (Belgium). She is the founder of the Omnia String Quartet. She joined the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra in 2014. In 2016 she performed with the MPO as soloist and premiered Concerto Notturno by Gorecki. Occasionally she acts as orchestra leader.

Frank Camilleri performs with the Valletta International Baroque Ensemble (VIBE) and has also performed as a soloist in various recitals. He started studying the cello at a young age under the tutorship of Mro Valeriu Popovici, later continuing his studies with cellist Simon Abdilla Joslin. He attended several masterclasses both in Malta and abroad including classes with distinguished cellist Enrico Dindo. In 2006 he joined the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra (MPO) as a fulltime cellist, occasionally performing as section principal. He has performed with several orchestras in Malta and abroad, namely, the Brno Philharmonic Orchestra, the European Union Chamber Orchestra, the European Union Orchestra, and the Mediterranean Orchestra. Currently, he is a member of the Cordia String Quartet, with whom he performed at prominent venues, the most notable being the performance held at Marlborough House in London for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II as part of the Commonwealth celebrations.