EUFSC

The European Foundation for Support of Culture (EUFSC) is a non- profit organization founded in Malta by entrepreneur and philanthropist, Konstantin Ishkhanov, to initiate and promote cultural and educational projects in Europe. A key objective of the Foundation is to introduce broad public access to the most prominent facets of world musical and cultural heritage. In pursuit of this objective, numerous festivals, competitions, exhibitions, conferences, presentations, master- classes, workshops, round-tables, concerts and other events are held each year to support and promote culture and inspire interest in various types of modern art and also assist young talented musicians and gifted children. The promotion of Maltese composers, musicians, ensembles and orchestras is another important aspect of the work undertaken by the Foundation.

In Malta, the European Foundation for Support of Culture collaborates with various institutions on a permanent basis. These include the Embassies of Belgium, Turkey, Italy, Austria and the Russian Federation along with German-Maltese Circle, Italian Cultural Institute, Russian Centre of Science and Culture, Chinese Cultural Centre, Ministry of Justice, Culture and Local Government of Malta, Malta Tourism Authority, Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry, Mediterranean Conference Centre, Astra Theatre, the Catholic Institute, Barocco Foundation, Malta Philharmonic Orchestra Academy, Malta School of Music, Brigitte Gauci Borda School of Dance, Arts Council Malta, Programme for Promotion of Creative Development of Children and Young People, St. James Cavalier Concert Hall and many others. Its global portfolio is an impressive one. 

Notable past events and sponsorships include the 40th Jubilee Gramophone Classical Music Awards 2017 ceremony in London, the celebration of the 50th Anniversary of diplomatic relations between Russia and Malta that featured a debut performance of the new Crystal Palace ballet with participation of the Bolshoi Theatre and other famous Russian theatres. The Foundation is a sponsor of the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra and in 2018 the EUFSC organized the MPO’s first ever international tour of the USA and Russia together with a tour across Europe. In 2018 Valletta was listed as the European Capital of Culture and the Malta International Music Festival of that year featured many international world stars such as Grigory Sokolov, Maxim Vengerov, Salvatore Accardo, Nikolai Lugansky and Ray Chen among others. The festival of that year also incorporated the final stage of “11 ways to Malta” International Piano Competition that brought finalists from around the world to compete. In 2019 the Malta International Music Festival saw an impressive lineup including Tchaikovsky Competition Winner, cellist, Andrei Ionita and Queen Elisabeth Competition winner, violinist, Ji Young Lim, 

Highlights of recent projects include the Wandering Music Stars project (comprising the Israel Music Festival and International Piano Competition) in Tel Aviv (September 2019), Japan Grande Classico Festival (October 2019), Music 20 Festival in Armenia (July 2020), Lerici Festival (Italy, August 2020) and a historic performance in Dubai of Maxim Vengerov and Evgeny Kissin as part of the CC Forum in March 2021.

The  calendar of events of the EUFSC  marks an important cultural landmark  for Malta and, once again, in 2021 we can expect a stellar line up at the  Malta International Music Festival between the 24th and 30th of May.