Valletta Guitar Festival opens its first edition with Yamandu Costa

Valletta is hosting a brand-new guitar festival this week, running September 10 through 12 across two of the city's landmark venues. Organized by Festivals Malta under artistic director Simon Schembri, the three-night program moves through tango, gypsy swing, and Brazilian and classical repertoire, closing with a full orchestral concert.

Opening night, "The Extraordinary Guitar Night" at Teatru Manoel on September 10, brought together Rudi Flores, Sébastien Giniaux, Franco Luciani, the Quatuor Éclisses string quartet, Brazilian seven-string guitarist Yamandu Costa, Sandro Zerafa, and Vincent Bourgeyx for a single evening spanning tango, gypsy swing, Brazilian guitar, and jazz.

Costa returns on September 11 for "Encounters with the Latin Guitar," a set built around Brazilian choro that pairs his seven-string playing with cavaquinho, mandolin, accordion, and percussion.

The festival closes September 12 at Pjazza Teatru Rjal with "The Final Symphonic Concert," featuring the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra alongside Quatuor Éclisses performing works by Albéniz, Bizet, Chabrier, Rodrigo, and Ravel.

Workshops in tango and gypsy guitar, jazz guitar, and classical guitar run alongside the three main concerts, and tickets for the remaining dates are still available through Festivals Malta.