The Gaulitanus Choir’s annual Gaulitana: A Festival of Music is back with a series of 19 concerts, featuring international and local performers in various venues.
The concerts include a diversity of musical styles, from sacred to secular, serious to light and chamber to orchestral as well as a number of orchestras, choirs, chamber ensembles and soloists.
Artistically directed by Gaulitanus Choir founder-director Colin Attard, the festival not only features established performers but also gives exposure to up-and-coming talent.
The festival kicked off last Thursday with a recital by British organist Robin Walker at St Augustine’s church in Victoria. One of the festival’s biggest highlights is expected to be today’s concert, a choral-instrumental performance being held at St Francis church, Victoria, at 8pm.
This will feature Gozitan violinist Pierre Louis Attard in Bach’s Concerto in A Minor as well as Italian soloists Aurora Tirotta (soprano) and Lara Rotili (mezzo-soprano) and the Gaulitanus Choir itself in Vivaldi’s famous Gloria. The musicians will be accompanied by the Gaulitana Festival Chamber Ensemble, directed by Colin Attard.
The next highlight will take place in Malta, with a vocal-orchestral concert at St John’s Co-Cathedral, Valletta, on Friday at 7.30pm, featuring religious music by Italian contemporary composer Federico Gozzelino and Colin Attard.
The Malta Philharmonic Orchestra will attend together with Maltese soprano Miriam Cauchi, mezzo-soprano Claire Massa, bass Noel Galea, Italian narrator Amina Contin and violinist Pierre Louis Attard.
The festival comes to an end with a musical theatre experience on May 3 at 8pm at the Kempinski Hotel, San Lawrenz. Semi-staged adaptations of the musicals Annie, Annie Get Your Gun and Carousel will be performed by the Gaulitanus Choir, some of its soloists and British guest soloist Emma Darling.
British choir member Terry Shaw will take care of the arrangements and production, while Attard will direct with Stephen Attard on piano.
Once again, one of the aims behind the festival is that of holding performances in venues that rarely ever host a concert. The festival is being supported by the Malta Arts Fund, the Gozo Ministry, Verso l’Arte, Istituto Nazionale di Arte Contemporanea, the Italian Cultural Institute, the Russian Centre for Science and Culture, Victoria, Xagħra and Xewkija local councils, the Gozo Cultural Office, Michael Grech Financial Services, Bank of Valletta and JDB Digital Printing.
Entrance to all concerts, except when otherwise indicated, is free. Call 9920 9779, 9925 8592, 2156 0200 or e-mail info@gaulitanus.com.
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