Programme – Bir Miftuħ lnternational Music Festival 2015.

First Concert – Friday, 15th May 2015

Piano, Violin and Horn Performance by the ‘Conrads in Concert’ composed of  Elizabeth Conrad – Piano,

Maria Conrad – Violin and José Garcia Gutierrez – Horn.

This concert is being made possible with the support of the ADRC Trust, which was founded by the Chalmers family to commemorate their late son Alistair, who was a keen Din l-Art Helwa volunteer and who had music and culture very much at heart.

 

Elisabeth Conrad is an organist, pianist and cellist with a strong reputation as a keyboard accompanist. Since 1999, she has been the regular accompanist of St. Paul’s Choral Society with whom she maintains a busy concert schedule, performing regularly at local venues and also joining the choir on tours in London and Austria. Future engagements include concerts with the St. Paul’s Choral Society at Notre Dame, La Madeleine and St. Sulpice Cathedrals in Paris, in August.

 

Maria Conrad studied piano and violin and graduated from the University of Malta and London’s Guildhall School of Music and Drama. She has worked extensively in Spain with several leading orchestras such as Orquesta Filarmonica di Gran Canaria, Orquestras Sinfonica de Tenerife, Galicia, Navarra and Bilbao. She has performed in over twenty countries in orchesteral and chamber formations. She is a member of the Argotti Ensemble and has also participated in various recordings.

 

José Garcia Gutierrez completed his horn studies in Spain and in Amsterdam. He has worked with most of Spain’s major orchestras and currently holds the position of Principal Horn with the prestigious Orquesta de Radio Television Española in Madrid. He has had solo engagements as soloist or Principal Horn with several leading orchestras including the Vienna Radio Orchestra, Orquestras Sinfonica de Tenerife, Bilbao, Elke and Murcia. He has several recordings to his credit.  As a soloist and chamber musician he has offered performances worldwide.

 

The musicians will regale the audience with fascinating works by Duvernoy, Reinecke, Brahms, Granados,  de Falla,  Buyanowski and  Mompou.

 

2nd Concert – Saturday, 23rd May 2015

A string concert by the String Ensemble Cincievski  composed of Vincenzo Picone – Violin, Matteo Colombo – Violin, Matthew Fenech – Viola, Mario Psaila – Violoncello and Gjorgji Cincievski – Double-Bass.

This concert is sponsored by the Embassy of France together with the Alliance Française de Malte – Méditerranée.

The String Ensemble Cincievski is a newly founded music group focusing on the research, presentation and performance of musical pieces which have been either forgotten with time or simply neglected by other performers. Another characteristic element of this ensemble is their wish to premiere contemporary works that were originally written for them.  The idea of founding this ensemble came from Gjorgji Cincievski, hence the name of the Ensemble. The very versatile nature of this ensemble has united them via the music of G. Onslow, H.Cassadesus, J. Brahms, F. Schubert, J.S. Bach, D. Shuplevski amongst many others. The String Ensemble Cincievski is made up of highly skilled professional musicians, each equally providing their special input, thus giving the ensemble its unique character.

 

The Ensemble will delight the audience with the enchanting George Onslow’s String Quintet No. 11  Op. 33 and No. 12 Op.  34.

 

 

3rd Concert – Saturday, 30th May 2015

Violin and Guitar Concert by the Musica Nova Duo with Massimo de Bonfils – Violin and Luca Minervino –  Guitar from the Accademia di Santa Cecilia.

This concert is being made possible by the support of the Istituto Italiano di Cultura under the patronage of the Embassy of Italy,  within the frame of the activities for the promotion EXPO Milano 2015 and in collaboration with the Conservatorio di Santa Cecilia.

 

Massimo de Bonfils is currently Professor at the Conservatorio di Santa Cecilia in Rome. At the age of thirty-one he became the youngest Director of the Conservatorio d’Italia (A Vivaldi di Alessandria e di Novara). He has participated in tours with the Orchestra of the Teatro Petruzzelli in Europe, Brazil and the USA. He has performed as soloist with renowed orchestras in three continents  and is invited to be part of the jury panel of numerous reputable international awards. He has given concerts and radio-TV recordings in more than sixty countries in Europe, America, Africa, Asia, Oceania and the Middle East.  He has directed Chamber Orchestras in festivals in Italy, Spain, Tunisia and  Bolivia.

 

Luca Minervino has graduated in classical guitar from the Conservtorio Niccolò Piccinni di Bari.  He has won various national and international competitions. He has played in the First Edition of the World Bach Festival at Palazzo Vecchio in Florence, at the Teatro del Sale in  Florence,  at the Music Festival of Nations at the Teatro Marcello in Rome and at the Festival di MondoMusica in Cremona. In addition, he has performed in New York at the Bronxville Women’s Club and also in St. Petersburg at the Italian Institute of Cultural Heritage. He has performed duo concerts in  Rome at the  Accademia di Santa Cecilia, in Frankfurt, Munich, St. Petersburg, Valencia, Tokyo, Hong Kong and New York.

 

This concert features captivating excerpts from Operas by Gioacchino Rossini.

 

4th Concert – Saturday, 13th June 2015

Guitar and Flute Concert by the Duo Liat Cohen – BOULANGER Prize, guitar and Moshe Aron Epstein – flute

This concert is being made possible through the patronage of the Embassy of Israel.

 

Liat Cohen is considered to be one of the most important guitarists in the world today.  She is the first classical guitarist ever to receive the Nadia and Lili Boulanger Prize awarded by the Fondation de France.

She has played at the Palais des Beaux Arts in Brussels, Circulo de Bellas Artes in Madrid, Salle Cortot in Paris, the National Theatre of Costa Rica, the Opera National de Montpellier, the Musée des Invalids in Paris, the  Palais des Congrès de Lyon, the Jerusalem Theatre in Tel Aviv and the Palazzo Bernini in Rome.

She has performed with leading orchestras and at festivals in the U.S.A. Australia, South America, Turkey, Sweden and Israel, many being broadcast live on national television and radio.  Cohen is ‘a true virtuoso

guitarist, continuing the tradition of Andrés Segovia’.  She has been dubbed ‘the princess of the classical guitar’ and Guitar Magazine called her ‘a virtuoso of poignant, delicate sound’.  She has been highly acclaimed for her impeccable technique, her deftness and her resourcefulness.

 

Moshe Aron Epstein shares an extensive solo and chamber music career along with his new position as Dean of Faculty of Music Education at Levinsky College in Tel Aviv, Israel.  As soloist he has performed with major Israeli Orchestras and international orchestras including the Berlin Symphony, Ljubljana Radio Orchestra, Shanghai Philharmonic and the Chamber Orchestras of Frankfurt and Hamburg.  He has played in music festivals in Austria, Italy, Germany, Slovenia, England, Poland and America. His master-classes are internationally sought after and are located worldwide, including the USA, Japan, Germany, China, France, England, Finland, Slovenia, Moldavia, Italy, Hungary, Estonia and Israel. He has various CDs to his credit.

 

The Duo will entertain the audience with marvellous works by Giuliani, Zequinha de Abreu and Villa Lobos.

 

Booking Form – Bir Miftuħ International Music Festival 2015

 

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Tickets and reception hosted by Din l-Art Ħelwa in the chapel grounds are at €20 per concert per person

 

Block tickets for four concerts and receptions cost  €65

Block tickets for three concerts and receptions cost €50

Block tickets for two concerts and receptions cost   €35

 

1st Concert Friday, 15th May                                     

 

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2nd Concert Saturday, 23rd May                                                       

 

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3rd Concert Friday, 30th May                                                            

 

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4th Concert Saturday, 13th June

 

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BLOCK TICKETS BOOKING FORM

 

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Din l-Art Ħelwa 133, Melita Street, Valletta VLT 1123 Tel. nos. 21225952/21220358