An agreement has been signed between the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra and Bank of Valletta, which will see BOV become an official partner. Bank of Valletta has been the official banker of the orchestra for the past 10 years and this agreement consolidates the working relationship between the two entities. Through this agreement the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra (MPO) will be purchasing a Harpsichord, enabling it to broaden its performance repertoire.

John Soler, Chief Officer Credit at Bank of Valletta and Lino Attard, Chairman of the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra signed the collaboration agreement.

"Bank of Valletta is a leading patron of local art and music and this commitment highlights our ongoing commitment to preserve the rich cultural and musical heritage of the Maltese Islands. The Bank is honoured to be the Official Bank of the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra as this will ensure that the Maltese community will continue to be entertained with the high standards we have come to expect of the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra," explained Mr Soler.

"The new harpsichord will be played during a concert that will be held at the Manoel Theatre on the 24th January 2009," concluded Mr Soler.

During the presentation Mr. Lino Attard, Chairman of the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra, thanked Bank of Valletta for its support. "The support of Bank of Valletta is instrumental in allowing the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra to purchase instruments in order to broaden its musical repertoire and venture into new musical productions which have in the past been unattainable," said Mr Attard. "The Orchestra has long felt that it needed to acquire more professional instruments given that the number of full-time professional musicians has doubled in recent years."

With the purchase of the harpsichord, the first in a series of instruments that will be financed through this collaboration, the orchestra will be better-equipped to perform music from the Baroque repertoire. The J. C. Neupert "Blanchet" double-manual harpsichord is internationally recognized as one of the top harpsichord models and is used by some of the world's finest orchestras such as the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra and can be found in important art centres such as the Shanghai Oriental Arts Centre.

The Malta Philharmonic Orchestra was founded on 1st April 1968 when it was originally known as the Manuel Theatre Orchestra. In September 1997 it became an independent body and in January 2008 the MPO was officially launched during the Euro change-over celebrations. The Orchestra organises numerous events during the year which consist mainly of symphonic concerts.