As the new year unfolds and the routine resumes after the festive season, Schola Cantorum Jubilate announces its first musical event for this year. Teatranja – the conductor sings brings forth an infusion of music, literature and the audience; all on stage!
A special concert is in the pipeline and will feature the choir’s director and soprano, Marouska Attard. Marouska has been synonymous with Schola Cantorum Jubilate since its inception, having held the post of conductor from the very beginning. She holds a Master Degree in Music, specialising in Choral Conducting from the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Music and a Postgraduate Certificate in Music Education from the University of Malta.
As a soloist in her own right, Marouska has a wealth of performance experience. She has appeared in concerts at St John’s Co-Cathedral, the Manoel Theatre and Spazju Kreativ. Her operatic and concert repertoire includes roles such as Belinda in Dido and Aeneas, Dimitri in Fedora, performances in Brahms’ Liebeslieder Walzer and Henze’s Moralities, one of the Three Ladies in The Magic Flute, as well as appearances in Britten’s operas Noah’s Flood and The Little Sweep.
Feeding her passion for vocal musical knowledge, Marouska has attended an array of workshops with some of the legendary figures in the field. At the Lake District International Summer School of Music in Ambleside, UK she worked with Teresa Cahill and the late Robert Tear who was once so closely connected to the composer Benjamin Britten. Also, in the UK she had classes with another musical giant, the opera diva Yvonne Kenny, at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. Add to the list Prof. Jerzy Artysz of Krakow Music Academy, an international baritone with a hugely successful career and who had studied violin before voice as Marouska herself did; Prof. Thomas E Bauer, a German baritone of growing importance; Daniel Lichti one of Canada’s acclaimed concert and oratorio singers and Deborah Harrison-Rossner from the United States. Marouska has also been tutored by Claire Massa and the late Juliette Bisazza Zanni. Marouska is currently an active chorister, voice leader and soloist within the Malta’s National Choir – Kor Malta.
Teatranja – the conductor sings will be held on Saturday 28th February at Teatru tal-Opra Aurora in Victoria Gozo, starting at 7.30pm. The selected repertoire spans early to late Romantic lieder and mélodie vocal pieces by Brahms, Rossini, Dvořák, Strauss, Poulenc and Barber, as well as works by the Gozitan composer Prof. Joseph Vella. Marouska will be accompanied by pianist Irina Fedcenko Carbonaro.
For this concert, attendees will be seated on the stage, having a different perspective than the usual theatre setting. Attendees will become the protagonists and observe the theatre from a different angle.
In addition to the musical programme, selected writings by prominent contemporary Gozitan authors will be interpreted by actor Paul Portelli, who will bring the texts to life through his own distinctive style and imagination.
This event is supported by the Arts Council Malta in collaboration with the Ministry for Gozo and Planning.
This is truly an event of artistic fusion, promising a memorable and enriching experience produced by Schola Cantorum Jubilate. Entrance is free of charge, but booking is required due to limited seating. Interested attendees may reserve a seat via scjchoir.com. For further information or queries, please contact SCJ Admin at info@scjchoir.com or via WhatsApp on +356 7945 0950.
