Pictured above: Alexander Zagorinsky and Eleonora Rolanova on accompaniment at last year’s Festival

A stunning line-up of international acclaimed musicians and professors will be performing and conducting master-classes at the Malta International Music Festival and Competition 2015. Organised by the European Foundation for Support of Culture, the festival and competitions will be held between 27^th April and 10^th May 2015.

Among the list of 18 international professors who will be participating in this year’s festival there are: German pianists Andreas Frölich and Nina Tichman, Russian pianists Yuri Didenko and Arkady Zenziper, Spanish pianist Leonel Morales, Italian pianist Giuliano Mazzoccante, violinist from Austria Dora Schwarzberg, Russian cellists Alexander Zagorinsky and Boris Andrianov, American clarinettist Julian Milkis, Swiss saxophonist Lars Mlekusch and Armenian saxophonist Hayrapet Arakelyan. The professors will be conducting master-classes in pianoforte, violin, violoncello, saxophone, clarinet and chamber music.

The Festival welcomes students and performers from around the world. Young artists will have an opportunity to learn, live and exchange artistic experiences with professors and many foreign participants.  Combining an intensive educational programme and an outstanding concert series, the Festival will provide a fine learning experience for music students and young performers.

Festival Artistic Director Mro Alan Chircop said: “We are looking forward to welcome many Maltese participants to an enjoyable, rewarding and inspiring artistic experience, no matter at which level they are in their career. They will have an opportunity to experience the work of other foreign participants and performers. For the past two festival editions, participants came to Malta from all over the world –  from across Europe to Russia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, and from as far as Kazakhstan and China. Once again, we envisage having a large number of foreign participants, since this year the number of Professors is more than double of last year.”

Apart from extending the range of master-classes and concert venues, this year the Festival will be holding international competitions for pianoforte, winds, strings and chamber ensembles – in four separate competitions presided by international adjudicating panels. Apart from the attractive monetary prizes, winners will be invited to perform in various European music festivals.

The stunning festival programme will feature all the musicians in various public concerts which will be held at different venues around Malta and Gozo. All the participants will have the opportunity to perform alongside international artists in an extensive number of concerts held every day and which will be open to the public free of charge. The Opening Concert of the Malta International Music Festival and Competition will be held on the 27th April at 19.30hrs at the Teatru Manoel in Valletta.

Malta International Music Festival and Competition 2015 is a member of Alink-Argerich Foundation, presented in collaboration with the Johann Strauss School of Music – Malta, and sponsored by D’Addario Woodwinds, D’Addario Orchestral, Henri Selmer Paris, Luna Holiday Complex in Mellieha. Air Malta is the Official carrier of the Festival.

Online registrations are open on the Malta International Music Festival website: www.maltafest.eu. Further enquiries can be made on the online contact form, via email to info@maltafest.eu, or call +356 77727222.