The 46th ESTA (European String Teachers Association) International Conference in Malta will be held between the 10th and 14th of April, 2018. The main Sponsor of this important conference is the Viennese string manufacturing company Thomastik-Infeld. Matters pertaining  to the Conference can be found on the the Conference Web-site www.esta2018-malta.eu.

This conference is held in a different country annually and the various activities differ from year to year, however keeping the same patterns such as concerts, innovations in pedagogy, masterclasses, round tables and cultural excursions, to mention a few. Pedagogical innovation is always one of the outcomes of ESTA conferences, and this Conference aims to provide the required insight to continue addressing local shortcomings when it comes to music literacy.

During this Conference, artists are always learning through each other, whether they are actively engaged through their own presentations or not. The conference will see the results of the First National Children’s Violin competition, as well as “Play-day”, a project between the Maltese and Italian sections which will enable many young string players to get together for a final concert during the days of this International Conference.

The days leading up to the Conference will see the encouragement for children to take up a string instrument, with particular emphasis on the double bass, an instrument severely lacking in Malta.

The Conference will see various high profile artist collaborators from several countries. During the Conference, there will be an introduction to the late Charles Camilleri’s final work, and an interesting presentation about the Maltese Contemporary composer and conductor Joseph Vella. A local collaboration will include lecturers from the University of Malta School of Performing Arts.

The main venue will be the Catholic Institute in Floriana. It will be free to members of the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra (MPO) and the Malta Youth Orchestra (MYO). The latter will be encouraged not only to attend but also act as helpers and will be able to formulate their own contacts with the visiting artists. An exhibition of Strings and literature will also be running throughout the Conference.

This Conference is endorsed by the Valletta 2018 Foundation.