The semi-final and final of the popular song contest will be held at the MFCC in Ta’ Qali on January 15 and 17 at 8.30pm.
Eighteen songs will be performed in the festival, which will be hosted by Keane Cutajar, together with former Junior Eurovision winners Destiny Chukunyere and Gaia Cauchi.
Special guests will be Tommy Cash, the singer and rapper who represented Estonia at last year’s Eurovision Song Contest with Espresso Macchiato, placing third, and Croatian artist Baby Lasagna, who finished second in the 2024 edition with his track Rim Tim Tagi Dim. Cash will perform during the semi-final, while Baby Lasagna will take the stage on January 17.
Other guest performers include Gaia Cauchi, Jamie Cardona, Scream Daisy and last year’s winner, Miriana Conte.
This year’s winner will represent Malta at the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 in Vienna, Austria, in May.
Tickets for the live shows from showshappening.com.
Valletta Baroque Festival
The Valletta Baroque Festival continues this week with various events at different venues.
Marais, Couperin, Forqueray & Bach, being held at the Archbishop’s Curia, Floriana, on January 13 at noon, will see musician Lillian Gordis exploring the elegance and intensity of baroque masters such as Marais, Couperin, Forqueray and Bach on harpsichord.
In Bach Transcriptions at San Anton Palace in Attard on January 14 at noon, pianist Francis Camilleri will perform a programme of expressive, virtuosic piano transcriptions, illuminating Bach’s intricate counterpoint and timeless musical architecture.
Bach’s Lutheran Masses in A major BWV 234, in F major BWV 233, in G major BWV 236 and in G minor BWV 235 will then be performed at the basilica of St Dominic and Porto Salvo, Valletta, on January 13 and 14 at 7.30pm.
Cospicua parish church will host Alia Mens’s performance of Bach’s Deus Calculat on January 15 at 7.30pm.
In Handel and Scarlatti, harpsichordist Mahan Esfahani will present virtuosic and sublime works by the two composers at the Oratory of the Onorati, Archbishop Street, Valletta, on January 16 at noon.
The Valletta Baroque Ensemble will perform Maltese composer Girolamo Abos’s Stabat Mater, an underperformed work of sacred intensity and inspired by the Neapolitan school, at Żurrieq parish church on January 16 at 7.30pm.
The newly formed De Valette Chamber Orchestra and violinist Carmine Lauri will present Concerti Grossi by Vivaldi and Corelli at the Casino Maltese in Valletta on January 17 at noon.
A Vivaldi Celebration at the Manoel Theatre in Valletta on January 17 at 7.30pm will feature a selection of Vivaldi concertos, including the Concerto for 4 Violins by virtuosos Charlie Siem, Carmine Lauri, Anna Kosinska and Samuel Cutajar, and cellist Maximilian Hornung.
The Quattro Stagioni Extravaganza, also at the Manoel Theatre on January 18 at 6pm, will feature Vivaldi’s set of concertos depicting the four seasons, the most famous and iconic work in the baroque repertoire, performed by virtuosos like Charlie Siem and Carmine Lauri.
Tickets for all concerts from showshappening.com.
The poster for one of the festival’s events.Loners and Gunmen
Barocco Foundation, in collaboration with Din l-Art Ħelwa, is presenting its next lunchtime concert at Our Lady of Victory church in Valletta on January 13 at 12.30pm.
Loners and Gunmen – Characters from Broadway and the Silver Screen brings together baritone Ken Scicluna and pianist Ramona Zammit Formosa, who will perform a curated selection of songs that span decades of film and musical theatre history. These include Stephen Sondheim’s Send in the Clowns, Herman Hupfeld’s As Time Goes By and I Don Quixote from Mitch Leigh’s Man of La Mancha.
Entrance to the concert is at a suggested donation of €13. One can obtain the tickets prior to the concert from the venue itself or by e-mail at baroccobookings@gmail.com/baroccomalta@gmail.com or phone 7968 0952.
Baroque Trio Sonatas: Corelli & Beyond
The Jesuits’ Church Foundation is hosting an evening of baroque music on January 15 at 7.30pm.
This recital presents Trio Sonatas from composers like Vitali, Leclair, Telemann, and of course Corelli whose Trio Sonatas were among the most influential chamber works of the period.
Musicians Bernard Curmi (violin), Isabella Mercieca (violin) and Christopher John Mercieca (cello) will perform.
Entrance to the oratories is free but donations are welcome. Access from Archbishop Street.
Kantamagħna
DCapitals Big Band is holding the seventh edition of the singers’ festival Kantamagħna at the Astra Theatre in Victoria, on January 18 at 5pm.
As in previous years, the event also includes a competition for young people, Kantamagħna Junior.
Entrance is free.
DCapitals Big Band. Photo: FacebookFILM
La Traviata
The Eden Cinemas in St Julian’s is screening the performance of Giacomo Puccini’s famous opera by the UK’s Royal Ballet and Opera on January 14 and 18.
With Antonello Manacorda’s musical direction and Richard Eyre’s art direction, La Traviata features some of opera’s most famous melodies and is a star vehicle for its leading soprano role sung by Ermonela Jaho.
The PG-certified screening on January 14 will be held at 7.45pm, while that of January 18 will be at 3pm. Tickets from edencinemas.com.mt.
European Young Audience Award 2026
Three films are nominated for the European Young Audience Award 2026.
The online film Arco, directed by Ugo Bienvenu, will be screened on January 14 at 5pm, while two films − I Accidentally Wrote a Book, directed by Nóra Lakos and Siblings, directed by Greta Scarano − will be shown at the Spazju Kreattiv Cinema in Valletta on January 17 at noon.
The vote will be held after the viewing of the third film.
Young people aged 12 to 19 who would like to take part can fill in an online application form available at spazjukreattiv.org.
MISCELLANEOUS
Stand-Up Comedy in Broken English by Victor Pãtrãşcan & Radu Isac
The event’s posterRadu Isac and Victor Pãtrãşcan, two of the most experienced and widely travelled comedians on the European comedy circuit, are presenting a show at the Malta Society of Arts, in Valletta, until January 13.
Together, they deliver sharp, bold and funny stand-up that explores politics, culture, religion, identity and the absurdities of modern life − the topics people argue about online but still laugh about together in real life. Their comedy doesn’t provoke just for shock value; instead, it asks questions, challenges ideas and finds humour in the chaos of the world around us.
Isac is known for his calm delivery, dry charm and perfectly timed punchlines, while Pãtrãşcan brings bold ideas, cheeky observations and occasional audience interaction.
The show is suitable for an audience aged 16+. More information and tickets from artsmalta.org.
That ‘dreadful awful hole’ in Pietà
Edward Said, founding volunteer of The Friends of Villa Frere, will uncover the story behind the villa during a lecture on January 13 at 5pm.
For nearly two centuries, the villa has captivated visitors with its rich and varied history, but none of its features has stirred more curiosity than the mysterious “dreadful awful hole”.
All proceeds support the ongoing upkeep of Villa Frere’s historic gardens, managed by The Friends of Villa Frere under the auspices of Heritage Malta.
Tickets are available from any Heritage Malta museum and site, and at heritagemalta.mt.
Għannejja Ġodda
Għannejja Ġodda is providing an opportunity for people aged 13-30 to learn the craft of Maltese għana (Maltese folk singing) with established performers of the genre.
Participants will be instructed on the various forms of għana and taught how to perform a fatt written by some of Malta’s għana legends, such as Mikiel Abela ‘l-Bambinu’ or Frans Baldacchino ‘l-Budaj’.
Participants who distinguish themselves during the training sessions will be invited to perform at the Argotti Gardens during Festgħana 2026, produced by Festivals Malta.
The event is being held at Spazju Kreattiv in Valletta on January 17 at 10am, among other dates.
More information and tickets from spazjukreattiv.org.
whatson@timesofmalta.com