Voices raising funds and spirits

The magnificent sound of Voices has been resonating through the theatre at the Mediterranean Conference Centre in Valletta as spectators soak in the energy of each note sung by the 200-strong choir.

The popular Voices concert, which kicked off on Wednesday, is halfway through its two weeks of performances and has already attracted thousands of music lovers to the Valletta venue.

Themed Listen to the Music, this year’s concert features some talented new soloists who are making their public debut during the event.

The audience has been singing and clapping enthusiastically to familiar tunes by Sting, Pink Floyd, Michael Jackson and many other pop and rock classics.

This year, the feel-good repertoire includes such songs as Volare, Philadelphia Freedom, Hallelujah, The Show Must Go On, Nessun Dorma and Viva La Vida. There’s even an a capella medley of Maltese folk songs to tingle the spine.

The 200 choir members, led by Martina Caruana, as well as the 11-piece band, led by Sandro Grech, have been rehearsing for the concert throughout summer.

All the people who participate in the event, held once every two years, are volunteers and the money collected through ticket sales from the 10 nights is donated to charity.

The first night’s sales will go towards the Community Chest Fund whereas the other beneficiaries are currently being shortlisted by a special advisory board. Since Voices began in 1991, almost €1,200,000 have been distributed to various charitable institutions.

The first five concerts of the 10-performance schedule, sponsored by the Vodafone Malta Foundation, were held last week. Another five concerts will be held this week between Wednesday and Sunday.

Tickets can be bought from the MCC booking offices.