Muti-backed music academy still on track – ministry
The Ministry for Education, Culture, Youth and Sport yesterday claimed it was still working on the establishment of a Musical Accademy, after the project – first endorsed by world-renowned Italian conductor Riccardo Muti – was reported to have been abandoned.
The ministry said the project had been taken up by the former Tourism and Culture Ministry, which had unsuccessfully applied for EU funds. The education ministry said the project “had been, indeed, more educational than cultural.”
It was proposed that the academy would be situated in Villa Bighi, Kalkara, but this required extensive refurbishment estimated at over €5 million. Without EU funds, such refurbishment could not take place.
The ministry however said it remained in contact with Riccardo Muti in Ravenna, and had communicated with him twice, for a meeting to be held over the project.
“In the meantime, the ministry will keep on working and exploring new routes to establish this academy,” the ministry said in a statement yesterday.
Plans for the academy had reportedly faltered over lack of funds, even though the project was meant to be up and running by October 2008. Villa Bighi was identified as a location as far back as 2007 and the project was launched in Rome with workshops led by Muti at the Mediterranean Conference Centre about a month after.
According to Mario Frendo, the artistic director entrusted with the project, he did not “know whether all is lost.”
The Education Ministry yesterday said criticism by Labour’s culture spokesperson Owen Bonnici on the government’s lack of aid to artists and musician was unfair. “Last week, the government launched an arts fund and last year a film fund was launched. A number of measures were launched in the previous budgets, such as the reduction of VAT from 18% to 5% on renting spaces for arts and culture, and sale of theatre, museum, and concert tickets. The government also exempted non-profit cultural organisations from paying any VAT.”
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