The long awaited return of the ‘Festival Kanzunetta Maltija’ gained positive reviews as it managed to reach an outstanding viewership, with over 320,000 televiewers, following the three consecutive nights of Mużika Mużika. The festival, broadcasted on TVM, provided a much needed platform for Maltese music, something which had been missing for over seven years.
Addressing a press conference during which the three winning songs were awarded cash prizes, Minister for National Heritage, the Arts and Local Government José Herrera praised the talent of local artists who managed to produce high quality material for the first edition of the festival. Minister Herrera also applauded the work and commitment of the organisers of the festival led by Festival Malta, the national festivals agency.
“The work carried out by the organisers and competing artists managed to unite a nation and give hope during these challenging times through high-quality and fresh entertainment for all the family,” Minister Herrera stated. “I am sure that the Maltese public will continue supporting this festival in the years to come, assuring every success and growth for such an ambitious project,” he reiterated.
Minister Herrera presented the monetary prize of €10,000 to Philip Vella, the composer of the winning song ‘Ħarsa Biss’, which was interpreted by Glen Vella and written by Joe Julian Farrugia. Mużika Mużika Chairman Raymond Bugeja presented the second prize of €5,000 to Gilbert ‘Bibi’ Camilleri for ‘Għajjejt Inħobb’, sung by Christian Arding and written by Rita Pace, which won the jury vote and finished in second place. Festivals Malta Chairman Norman Hamilton presented the third prize of €3,000 to Elton Zarb for the song ‘L-Ewwel Jien’, interpreted by folk group Kantera and written by Joe Julian Farrugia. Annabelle Stivala, CEO of Festivals Malta, presented the trophy to the winners of the Best Interpretation and the Best Musical Arrangement award to Christian Arding and Norbert Camilleri respectively.
Festivals Malta CEO Annabelle Stivala expressed her satisfaction for the quality of production achieved by Festivals Malta, whilst congratulating all the artists who participated in this successful festival; “I feel proud that, as Festivals Malta, we managed to organise a production of this level. I congratulate all the artists who participated in this successful production and wish them the best of luck on their musical journey. Through Mużika Mużika, Festivals Malta managed to reach new heights – finally, local artists have a suitable platform where they can showcase their talent by means of the Maltese language,” she commented. “Festivals Malta is already working on next year’s edition, while also producing the music video of the winning song ‘Ħarsa Biss’. Apart from this, we would also like to announce that the official Mużika Mużika CD will be available for sale soon,” Ms Stivala continued.
Congratulating all the authors, composers and singers for their participation, Mużika Mużika Chairman Raymond Bugeja also commented on the level of songs that were presented in the production. Mr Bugeja said, “I am proud with the level of talent we had for this production. I congratulate all the winners for their achievement, as well as all the artists who took part. Unfortunately, there always has to be one winner, but given the high standard of all participating songs, this choice was not easy. You showed us the level that local artists have to offer and how truly important the Maltese song is to our nation.”
Norman Hamilton continued on Mr Bugeja’s comments by praising the organisation behind the production, which managed to reach numerous audiences with positive results. “I wish to thank all the committees involved, the organisational team, the members of the orchestra, as well as the singers, authors and composers, and all those who were involved in this production, particularly my team at Festivals Malta. At long last the Maltese song was given the spotlight and prestigious platform it truly deserves.”
