This year’s Malta Arts Festival will feature a performance by The New Choral Singers. Alexander Vella Gregory speaks to choir director Robert Calleja.
The word ‘amateur’ often elicits a negative reaction. It denotes something which, despite having a lot of effort and dedication, falls short of a professional level. Which is why whenever people hear the amateur choir The New Choral Singers perform, they are positively surprised.
The choir’s next engagement will take it away from its usual sacred repertoire into the operatic world
I am tempted to say it is all thanks to one man, choir director Robert Calleja. But that is a statement he would definitely not endorse. For him, the most important thing in the choir is its choristers.
Next year is the choir’s 20th anniversary, as well as Calleja’s 10th anniversary as its director. Still, with 20 years of music and acclaimed performances behind them, the choir is still exploring new territory.
Calleja has been involved with The New Choral Singers for over 13 years. The fact that he started off as a chorister means he has always remained in touch with the needs and tastes of the choir, while at the same time pushing them to always improve their standard.
“I thank God I have a lot of support from many choir members both in the organisational part and in the teaching process. The most important thing is that we keep a healthy and friendly atmosphere.I must admit that at times I can be the cause of a fair share of stress, particularly when I start picking on certain details to achieve the sound I’m after.”
That may be true, but it has also been the reason for the choir’s polished sound, which has enabled it to perform a lot of varied repertoire including Renaissance polyphony, Baroque works, 19th-century music all the way down to contemporary music. It seems that is not enough.
The choir’s next engagement will take it away from its usual sacred repertoire into the operatic world. The concert, called Viva Verdi!, is part of the Malta Summer Arts Festival. It is a celebration not only marking the 200th anniversary of Giuseppe Verdi’s birth, but also of Italian opera in general. How does the choir deal with such a radically different genres to their usual fare?
“It could be called madness. But it requires some crazy thoughts to keep the ball rolling, thus creating new challenges for the choir. Opera is loved by pretty much everybody, so I felt pretty sure the choir would love the music as well.”
No Verdi choral tribute would be complete without the Anvil Chorus (Il Trovatore) and the Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves (Nabucco). However, the concert goes beyond the usual fare, and includes lesser known choral works from I Lombardi, Macbeth and Il Trovatore.
The concert also looks at Verdi’s operatic legacy, with works by Puccini, Mascagni, and Leoncavallo thrown in for good measure. “Alhough I wanted to celebrate Verdi’s birth, from the onset I wanted to set up a birthday party concept by having some of his contemporaries on board,” Calleja adds.
In keeping with the concept of Choir and Friends, the concert will feature two guest soloists, soprano Claudia Tabone and bass Albert Buttigieg, who will be singing Verdi arias, with help from the choir.
Calleja aims not only to raise the standard, but also to promote it among music lovers and potential choristers. He is also a keen advocate for music literacy in schools, thereby securing the future of amateur choirs in Malta.
The amazing thing about all this is that it has been achieved through the voluntary work of Calleja and all the choristers. Theirs is a success story that has seen the choir grow from a humble ensemble of 14 choristers to a 60-strong choir.
The New Choral Singers will perform on July 6 at the President’s Palace courtyard, Valletta.
www.maltaartsfestival.org