I refer to the statement by the chairman of the national theatre, Peter Fenech. His strong direct comments in regard to the re-building of Malta's opera house are totally unacceptable. The people of Malta and Gozo are owed a national heritage monument in Valletta.
If Dr Fenech thinks there are only 700 odd people in favour of opera manifestation among the arts and culture, I am sure his calculations are wrong.
Although we are very grateful to the Bank of Valletta to subsidise opera and other similar events, we are also aware that it should be the government's responsibility to fund all aspects of culture.
This disappeared from the obligations' list of the ministry responsible for culture a long number of years ago. Dr Fenech should seek the required financial assistance from the ministry that appointed him.
After World War II, the Italian Ministry of Culture in Rome used to fund operatic impresarios to bring a strong contingent of musicians and singers, along with a choir, to stage opera in Malta. Opera seasons used to last around three weeks and were always sold out in advance.
Calling whoever is in favour of opera "hullaballos" is a direct insult to those funding Dr Fenech's job at the Manoel Theatre and the Mediterranean Conference Centre in Valletta.
He should immediately withdraw such a statement and apologise to the people.
Given his vast experience, Joseph Calleja is certainly qualified to believe that our venues are inadequate. None of the venues have the required facilities to stage an opera in today's world.
Mr Calleja recently performed in Vienna where tickets for his performances were sold out months ahead. Vienna alone has 24 different theatres, which are all very busy with their respective performance schedules all year round.
It is a fact that theatrical events never make a profit unless manifestations of high calibre are staged that are to the public's taste and are backed by an experienced marketing team that pursues all possibilities securing success.
During the time of John Lowell, the Manoel Theatre had a good management team including Tony Cassar Darien who proved himself so much that he is still on the board today. Mr Lowell had no modern IT facilities or direct financial aid but under his direction the theatre managed to make a profit margin most times.
The Magic Flute or the Riders To The Sea cannot compare to the music of Puccini and Verdi among many othersand that's why the theatre had a very low attendance during these performances.
We always pointed out that the re-building of the opera house would not only allow the staging of opera but we would also like to have a multi-cultural hub where budding artistes could enhance their skills and studies.
The government wants third parties to fork out money out of their own pocket in order to invest in all sorts of projects and then expects to be in the forefront when getting all the merit. The government should subsidise quality events so that expenses can be covered.
Brian Schembri is definitely a sound investment to Malta's culture.
Dr Fenech should roll up his sleeves and strive to present good quality musical performances that attract the public if he wants to see some profit in his coffers. He should follow the example of the two Gozo theatre management teams; they always have a full house for their performances.
All in all, with due respect, he lacks quite a lot of experience in his role as chairman. His post-mortems should be more exhaustive if he is to achieve better results.