Malta International Music Festival Returned with Month of Non-stop Concerts in Heart of the Mediterranean
The European Foundation for Support of Culture (EUFSC) together with the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra (MPO) organised the latest edition of the Malta International Music Festival (MIMF) between the 15th of June and 11th of July 2022, with consecutive daily concerts held in some of the most spectacular venues that the Maltese Islands have to offer, including the Mediterranean Conference Centre (MCC) and Manoel Theatre in Valletta, and the Grandmaster Suite at the 5-star Hilton hotel in St Julian’s.
This latest edition of the MIMF featured concerts by some of the greatest soloists of the classical music panorama, showcasing appearances by world-renowned conductors and orchestras. The Malta Philharmonic Orchestra (MPO) served as the Orchestra-In-Residence for the festival’s duration, performing a variety of works by historic and contemporary European and Maltese composers under the baton of Principal Conductor Sergey Smbatyan. During the festival the MPO was also joined by a number of renowned international orchestras and ensembles coming from various countries around the world to share in this celebration of classical music, such as the Kyiv Virtuosi Orchestra (Ukraine), Cukurova State Symphony Orchestra (Turkey), National Symphony Orchestra of Uzbekistan (Uzbekistan) and Selini Quartet (Austria).
Some of the artists who performed included Gold medallist of the Fifteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition and multiple First Prize Winner at numerous other international competitions, pianist Yekwon Sunwoo (South Korea); multiple-times Grammy Award-winner, Grand Prix du Disque, Diapason d’Or and Avery Fisher Prize recipient, violinist Gil Shaham (USA); Prize Winner at the Tchaikovsky International Piano Competition (2011) and 13th Van Cliburn International Piano Competition (2009), pianist Yeol Eum Son (South Korea ); Emmy, ECHO Klassik and Orphee d’or award winner, opera soprano Danielle de Niese (USA/Australia); Warner Classics Recording Artist, recipient of Echo Klassik and Classical BRIT Awards, violinist Chloë Hanslip (UK); and First Prize Winner and recipient of the Critics’ Prize and Audience’s Award at the prestigious Joseph Joachim Hannover International Violin Competition (2009), violinist Fumiaki Miura (Japan), among many others.
This project was conceived and organised by the EUFSC, with the aim to promote and develop the role of culture and arts in Malta. The organisers offered over one month of concerts and performances by outstanding musicians, with the project purposefully scheduled to coincide with the Malta Classical Music Academy so as to bring the two different facets of musical performance and education together. To this end, the most accomplished students of the Academy were also invited to perform in an orchestral concert upon completion of their courses.