The Gaulitanus Choir returned from a successful concert-tour in Emilia Romagna, Italy. Part of the celebrations for the choir’s 25th anniversary, the tour was held at the invitation of the Associazione Culturale Vox Vitae of Porretta Terme.

While in Italy, the choir performed a programme, titled Cantiamo il Natale, which included a varied Christmas repertoire with musical excerpts coming various countries, including Malta. The programme was chosen in an attempt to show that music is without any barriers and can, instead, be a way to unify various peoples and cultures, irrespective of ideological and religious diversities.

The choir’s first concert was held at the Immaculate Conception church in Porretta Terme, which boasts extremely good acoustics. Attended by a sizeable audience, led by officials of the Associazione Culturale Vox Vitae and parish priest Don Lino Civerra, the choir’s performance was very enthusiastically received and a standing ovation was given.

The choir also animated Mass at Bologna’s majestic St Peter Cathedral. Mgr Juan Andres Caniato, who was co-celebrating Mass, started his homily by thanking the Gaulitanus Choir for being witness to their faith through accepting to animate Mass. He also underlined the fact that the choir hails from a country whose first encounter with faith was prominently mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles.

Later that day, the choir gave a concert at the Madonna di Galliera church, a beautiful, early 18th-century building, also known as the Chiesa dei Filippini, in the heart of Bologna. The concert was organised with the help of the Maltese Consul in Emilia Romagna, Enrico Gurioni, who also inaugurated the church’s crib before the start of the concert. The concert was patronised by several members of the diplomatic corps serving in Bologna and was very heartily received.

During the tour, the choir was conducted by its founder and director Colin Attard and accompanied on the organ by Stephen Attard.

Two of the choir’s up-and-coming soloists, sopranos Patricia Buttigieg and Annabelle Zammit, also featured prominently on the programme. Other minor solo parts were interpreted by alto Tricia Azzopardi, tenor Josef Xuereb and bass Ian Grech.

The tour was supported by the Cultural Export Fund and was the choir’ second tour to Italy and their ninth overall.