Recent Comments

  • Joe: Cecilia Xuereb’s comments on this virtuoso’s playing appeared in the May 4th edition of The Times....
  • Jo B.: Yesterday’s Piano Recital No.2 was superb. Suzanne has a pronounced technical skill on the piano while...
  • Joe: Great music from local talent! The viola and piano made a surprisingly good combination! Congratulations all...
  • Fabio del Cioppo: Caro Colin. ho letto del tuo concerto per la Quaresima, con la partecipazione dei tuoi figli e di...
  • Maria: Oh yes…we really had lots of fun and we did a great show…thanks to everyone:)
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About the Choir

The Gaulitanus Choir, which hails from the island of Gozo (Malta), was officially founded in 1990 as Gozo’s only choir not affiliated to a parish or theatre. A 35-strong mixed choir with members hailing from all over the island, it has regularly organised and appeared in numerous concerts in Gozo and Malta. It has also been featured on TV and radio while a few concerts are also recorded on CD. This year it has also given a private concert for the President of the Republic of Malta. Besides, the choir has also ventured very successfully abroad performing in England (1995), in Germany (1997), in Holland (1999), in Greece (2001) and in Corsica (2001, 2002 and 2007). Moreover in 2005, when the choir’s 15th anniversary was being celebrated, the Gaulitanus Choir issued two CDs, namely “Sacred in Opera” and “Maria – A Celebration of Marian Hymns”.

Throughout these fifteen years the choir has been very favourably received by public and critics alike. After their latest participation at the Rencontres Musicales de Méditerranée in Corsica last November, the Corse-Matin [a Corsica morning newspaper] reported that:

“The Maltese choir at Cervioni (was) bellisimo! A taste of beauty ….. The richness of the concert ….. was simply a live expression of beauty. Esthetic beauty of a mixed choir fit to qualify as  as ‘very classy’. ….. All looked very elegant. An elegance in harmony with the voices. An ensemble in perfect accord with the piano-playing of Stephen Attard .. The Gaulitanus Choir showed vocal sensibility with flowing diction and a joyful interpretation; all demonstrating the choir’s artistry. …. As Jean-Marie Prescelti, the (local) priest, affirmed, ‘God also conceals Himself in what is beautiful’, and these Maltese voices had something heavenly. …They opened the doors onto a garden where harmonies become colours, sounds become images …. music a parody of life, the singers messangers of hope…. and the soprano Rita Dimech, a fairy among the angels.”

Indeed the choir has also proved to be very fertile ground for soloists. While its current principal soloist is soprano Rita Dimech, other soloists, all members of the choir and a mix of new and more experienced faces, are also often given space. Other members of the choir who have frequently act as soloists are tenors Terry Shaw and Fr. Joseph Calleja, baritone Joseph Buttigieg, bass Darren Vella, soprano Margaret Pland and Alto Stephanie Buttigieg.

The Gaulitanus Choir is directed by its founder, Colin Attard, who is one of Malta’s most active musicians being amongst others the resident director of Gozo’s Teatru tal-Opra Aurora and also a composer. The choir’s resident accompanist is Stephen Attard, himself a composer and a household name in our islands.

After having launched the first edition of “Gaulitana : A Festival of Music”, a festival featuring Maltese and international artists. This first edition was such a success that the choir decided not only to re-host this event, but also to enlarge it. In fact the 2008 edition of this festival was held over four weeks and consisted of no less than 12 events - 7 concerts were held by foreign artistes, guests of the choir, 2 concerts were held by talented Maltese artistes, and three concerts by the Gaulitanus Choir itself. This festival, which is usually held after Easter, has now been established as one of the most important Music Festivals in the island of Gozo.