Valletta International Baroque Festival 2015

Built by the Knights of St John after the Great Siege of 1565 and consequently adorned by its eight langues, Valletta not only had to serve as a powerful fort, but was also to become a strongpoint of culture, economy and politics in the world. Embellished at the height of the baroque period, Valletta rose to become a city built by gentlemen for gentlemen.

The Valletta International Baroque Festival has been conceived purposely as a celebration of this baroque identity of Valletta. The first Festival was held in January 2013. During the Festival Valletta resounds with music from the period when it was built.

More importantly, an international festival like this forthcoming third edition of the Valletta International Baroque Festival will continue to not only confirm and enhance Valletta’s prestige but will also show Europe that this small historical outpost in the Mediterranean has over the centuries played a vital role in European history.

Centring around the Teatru Manoel, one of the oldest working theatres in Europe which also happens to be the only one in Europe that also fulfils the role of a National Theatre, the Festival will also extend to the magnificence of St John’s Co-Cathedral, the atmospheric Valletta churches, the splendid Grandmasters’ Palace, the auberges and other baroque edifices. 

With two very important events on the horizon namely the EU Presidency in 2017 and the European Capital of Culture the following year, plans for the Valletta International Baroque Festival are not only long-term but also ambitious. No stone has been left unturned in securing some of the best contemporary Baroque exponents of the moment, both from the international sphere as well as locally.

Finally, the high calibre programme that has been put together for the Valletta International Baroque Festival 2015 should not only give this festival the international status that it deserves but also extend the Baroque map of Europe to Malta. 

Take a look at the different concerts in the programme of events.