Youth and Music Concert

Michela Galea during the concert

The first to play was Michela Galea who is just 13 years of age, attends Form 3 at St. Monica’s School in Gzira and plays with the piano. (Notice the with!)

At this tender age, Michela is already an ALCM, has a Dip. ABRSM and a BMusLSM in theory under her belt!!! She has debuted abroad at the age of 10 years at Sicily’s Mazzara del Vallo’s 1° Concorso Pianistico Internazionale "Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart" where she was awarded the Primo Premio (First Prize) in duet and the Primo Premio Assoluto (Overall First Prize) for solosits! in 2008 she attended the 17th Encounter of the Mediterranean Schools of Music in Thessaloniki (Greece) where she participated in various master classes with Profs Gisella Dapueto, Profs.Giorgio Montagna and Profs Metin Ülkü. At this performance Michela performed without a score throughout and performed the three movements of Maurice Ravel’s Sonatine in the first part andFrédéric Chopin’s Black Keys Etude (Op. 10 No. 5) as well as Franz Liszt’s Dance of the Gnomes in the second part of the concert.

Philip Attard at the concert

Next on the stage was Philip Attard, 16, who is studying music at the Sir M. A. Refalo, Centre for Further Studies in Victoria. Philip has been playing the alto saxophone since the age of 9 and is presently being tutored by the saxophonist Joseph Vella at the Gozo School of Music. Philip has played in various concerts both in Malta and in Gozo and even has his own band: Mistaken Identity with whom he played in Spain in 2007! He also forms part of a saxophone quartet at the Johann Strauss School of Music in Malta. In the first part of this concert Philip performed Maurice Ravel’s Piece En Forme De Habanera, Gabarial Pierne’s Canzonetta and Jaques Ibert’s Aria, and in the second part he played Jean Frencaix’s Baio et Merengue (from the Cinq Danses Exotiques), Claude Pascal’s Impromptu and Paul Agricole Genin’s Variations Sur Un Theme Espagnol. Philip was accompanied by Mro. Antoine Theuma on the piano.

Pierre Louis Attard at the concert

The third youth to perform was Pierre Louis Attard, who is 15, and attends Form 4 at the Gozo Seminary. Pierre Louis needs no introduction as he regularly performs in the Gaulitanus Choir events as part of the orchestra. Pierre Louis started learning the violin since he was 4 years of age and has last year obtained a distinction in grade 8 ABRSM violin exam. He has also started piano lessons and can also plays the viola. Currently he is studying music theroy with his father Mro. Colin Attard. Pierre Louis has participated as a soloists in many concerts playing these three instruments and has also featured on radio and TV and has taken part in some international competitions. Pierre Louis has also attended some master classes in both the violin and piano and was a member of the National Youth Orchestra. In the first part of this concert Pierre Louis played six movements from Bela Bartók and Zoltan Szekely’s Romanian Folk Dances, and three movements from Edvard Grieg’s Sonata No. 2 in G Major (Op. 13). During this concert Pierre Louis was accompanied on the piano by his father Mro. Colin Attard.

All three youths were very well received from the very numerous audience that filled the Exhibition Hall to capacity.