The Year 2018

What a year this has been! I’ve started off the year with the honor of singing with Dame Emma Kirkby in the REMA Early Music Award Ceremony together with VIBE. In the same month I then sang in Monteverdi’s Vespers 1610 with VIBE and The Monteverdi Project vocal ensemble. In February I hopped to something quite different, singing Rockquiem with the MPO Chorus and the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra. March brought with it Don Giovanni, an opera directed by Jack Furness, in which I was part of the chorus, and La Divina Commedia, in which I sang together with the A Cappella Choir.

In April I was a pit singer in the Mamma Mia! musical and in May I’ve sung a piece from Monteverdi’s opera Orfeo in a Monteverdi Project concert titled Musical Adventures in Seconda Prattica. Aħna Refuġjati, directed by Mario Philip Azzopardi, came next in August; a Maltese opera held at the Granaries in Floriana.

The Year 2018
(1) REMA Early Music Award Ceremony (2) Rockquiem (3) Don Giovanni (4) Mamma Mia! (5) Musical Adventures in Seconda Prattica (6) Aħna Refuġjati (7) Rockestra 2018 (8) Belt il-Bniedem: Is-Swar

In September I then took part in Rockestra 2018 with Animae Gospel Choir. November brought with it another Maltese opera, Belt il-Bniedem: Is-Swar, directed by Michael Moxham. I’ve then ended the year with another Monteverdi Project concert titled A Monteverdi Christmas.

While I continued to study classical voice at the Malta School of Music, and got my Grade 8, I must say that with 11 events in quite a musically diverse year, I met so many people from different walks of life, all sharing one common passion, music!

Maltese Operas

This summer I had the pleasure to be part of the chorus in two Maltese operas; Aħna Refugjati and Belt il-Bniedem: Is-Swar.

Aħna Refugjati happened on the 31st August and 2nd September at the Granaries in Floriana. This opera was under the direction of Mario Philip Azzopardi, who was also the librettist. Music was composed by Mario Sammut and Mro. Richard Merrill Brown.

Aħna Refuġjati
Aħna Refugjati (Photo by Ivan Borg)
Aħna Refuġjati
Aħna Refugjati (Photo by Ivan Borg)

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Spring to Summer

It’s been some time since I’ve posted here … have been kept quite busy this year! Soon after Don Giovanni, I sang with the A Cappella Choir in La Divina Commedia, where we sang two a cappella pieces; Eric Whitacre’s Lux Arumque and Ola Gjeilo’s O Magnum Mysterium. This was part of a concert directed by Michelle Castelletti and held at the Robert Samut Hall in Floriana.

In April I then joined the pit-singers for Mamma Mia!, an FM Theatre production. We were under the music direction of Kris Spiteri with the musical being held at the MCC in Valletta.

(1) La Divina Commedia (2) Mamma Mia! (3) Aħna Refuġjati (4) Musical Adventures in Seconda Prattica

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Don Giovanni

In the first week of March I was part of the chorus for the opera Don Giovanni, with music by Mozart and libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte. This is the second of a trilogy written by the latter two. Like last year, the opera was directed by Jack Furness, with Mro. Philip Walsh conducting the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra. Don Giovanni was held over four nights at the prestigious Manoel Theatre in Valletta. This was my fifth opera, with the last one being Patience, in which I interpreted the role of Major Murgatroyd.

Don Giovanni
Photo by Mark Zammit Cordina

The Monteverdi Project

Back in August we had our first masterclass with Mro. Marco Mencoboni as part of The Monteverdi Project. Monthly masterclasses were held specializing in baroque music. All this culminated in a baroque concert together with VIBE (Valletta International Baroqie Ensemble) on the 21st of December at St. Gregory’s Church, Żejtun. In this concert, presented by Teatru Manoel, a 14-piece orchestra performed together with The Monteverdi Project Vocal Ensemble under the baton of Mro. Marco Mencoboni.

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