L’Unione Philharmonic Society of Luqa will be holding a sacred music concert at St Andrew parish church, Luqa, on April 1. Entitled Tristis Est Anima Mea, the concert will see the pariticipation of the Coro Bel Canto and soloists Claire Caruana and Connie-Frances Zerafa.

The concert will include music penned by various renowned Maltese composers such as Joseph Abela Scolaro, Giuseppe Camilleri, Gaetano Grech and Charles E. Zammit. It will feature the premiere of three works composed by John David Zammit, Norbert Camilleri and Neil Zammit, who are active band members of L’Unione.

The band will also be playing excrepts from various important works by foreign composers, including Le Sette Ultime Parole di Cristo by Saverio Mercadante, La Passione di Cristo by Lorenzo Perosi, Stabat Mater by Giovanni Battista Pergolesi, Requiem by Gabriel Faure’, Héroïde-élégiaque by Franz Liszt, The Ten Commandments by Elmer Bernstein and King of Kings by Miklós Rózsa.

The band will be complemented by other important instruments, including the harp, bassoons, double basses and the church organ built by Vincenzo Mascioni in 1962.

L’Unione Philharmonic Society was founded in 1880 by Mro Vincenzo Camilleri, together with Vincenzo Cremona, Nikola Sammut and Andrea Sammut.  Throughout its history, L’Unione was patronised by some of the very best musical directors on the island, including Vincenzo, Gavino and Ferdinando Camilleri, Prof. Gaetano Grech, Orlando Crescimanno, Emanuele Spiteri, Salvatore Mallia, Joseph Abela Scolaro and Prof. Charles E. Zammit.

The present musical director is John David Zammit. The concert, held with the support of the Creative Communities Fund of the Malta Arts Council, starts at 7.30pm. Those who would like to attend are kindly requested to be seated at least 15 minutes before. Entrance is free.