OPR - It-Tlieta 17 ta' Lulju, 2007

President Eddie Fenech Adami was presented with a donation by Bank of Valletta to sponsor a concert by the Armed Forces of Malta Band and the popular folkloristic music group Nafra. The concert, hosted by The President and Mrs. Fenech Adami is being held on Friday, 17^th August 2007 at Verdala Palace grounds. All proceeds from this concert will be going towards the Malta Community Chest Fund.

Presenting the Bank’s sponsorship, Mr. Roderick Chalmers, Chairman of Bank of Valletta said that ‘besides raising the funds in aid of the most valuable social work undertaken by the Community Chest Fund, we are sure that this concert, in such a unique setting as the Verdala Palace, will be enjoyable and culturally enriching experience for all those present’.  Brigadier Carmel Vassallo was also in attendance.

President Eddie Fenech Adami expressed his gratitude towards the Bank of Valletta and said that through the support of such fund-raising activities the Malta Community Chest Fund will be able to help those who seek its assistance.

Verdala Palace will be set up specifically for the night, creating an atmosphere which complements the show.  The concert will commence at 2015 hours.

Tickets will be sold at Lm5 (11.65 Euros) and may be obtained from:

-         The Palace, Valletta (Tel No: 21231350 – Monday to Friday 0830hrs to 12.30hrs),

-         St James Cavalier, Valletta (Tel No: 21223216 / E:Mail: boxoffice@sjcav.org; 1000hrs to 2100hrs)

-          and AFM Headquarters, Luqa (Tel Nos: 21678102 / 22494007 / E:Mail: hq.afm@gov.mt – from Monday to Friday 0830hrs to 12.30hrs)

Verdala Palace will be open for viewing after the show.

Armed Forces of Malta Band and Nafra

Various pieces from the AFM Band’s wide repertoire, which vary from military marches to classical and popular music, will complement the unique sound of the ethnic prototypes, which are synonymous with Nafra, on the night. Both the AFM Band and Nafra will be performing alternatively. However, the culmination of the night will be a joint session with both groups interacting to provide some scintillating music through popular songs.

The AFM Band, under the baton of its Director of Music, Lieutenant John Ivan Borg, has a complement of forty-three musicians. It performs on a regular basis during national events. The Band holds also, on numerous occasions, frequent displays and programmes all over the island to entertain the locals as well as tourists. During these last years, it had also represented Malta in various festivals and military tattoos held overseas, such as in Monchengladbach and Bremen (Germany), Agrigento (Sicily), Modena (Italy), Breda (Holland), as well as very recently in Brussels (Belgium) and St Petersburg (Russia).

On the other hand, Nafra, lead by Ruben Zahra, is an acoustic ensemble featuring traditional Maltese instruments: żaqq (bagpipe), żummara (reed pipe), flejguta (cane flute), żafżafa (friction drum) and tanbur (frame drum). Nafra is also very active on the local platform and has been invited to perform abroad in Portugal, Spain, Germany, Tunisia and Hong Kong.