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THIS WEEK MUSIC maltatoday | SUNDAY • 24 NOVEMBER 2019 4 Director of the Cappella Sanctae Catharinae choir Alexander Vella Gregory speaks to TEODOR RELJIC ahead of the choir's 10th anniversary concert, which will also coincide with a trip to Rome, which also coincides with the research-based Malta Carols Project Teodor Reljic Choir aims to place music within First of all, how does it feel to be celebrating your 10th anniversary this year? What would you say are some of the most significant milestones you've achieved so far, and some of the most important lessons you've learnt along the way? It's been a long and excit- ing journey – 10 years ago we would never have imagined we'd be where we are today. Cappella Sanctae Catharinae started off as a one-off ex- periment as part of a series of concerts to raise funds for the restoration of the Church of St Catherine of Italy in Valletta (hence the name). The audience response was encouraging, and 10 years later, here we are! We've had some fantastic experiences along the way including be- ing part of Fondazzjoni Patri- monju Malti's 'Music in Mal- ta' Project (2018), the Malta International Arts Festival (Pope Joan, 2018), and the first ever edition of the Val- letta International Baroque Festival (2013). We have sung in more than 46 venues across Malta and Gozo, from imposing sacred spaces (Oratory of the Be- heading in St John's Cathe- dral, and the Cathedral of the Assumption in Gozo), to smaller ecclesiastical gems (the churches inside Fort St Angelo and Fort St Elmo), as well as beautiful secular spaces (Palazzo Verdala, Ra- bat, and the Birgu ditch). Cappella Sanctae Ca- tharinae has always been committed to more than just concerts. All our events aim to bring beautiful music to a wider audience, and to plac- ing that music within a wider context. We have also helped many worthy causes through our concerts, including philan- thropic causes and raising funds for heritage projects. We have also sponsored the restoration of a tome of notarial deeds (the cover of which was made up of re- cycled illuminated manu- scripts) as part of our ongo- ing collaboration with the Notarial Archives Founda- tion. There are two very impor- tant lessons that CSC has taught me (and us). First of all the importance of friend- ship and respect. This is all done on a voluntary basis, and we do this for the love of singing. We are aware that we are an amateur choir – but that does not stop us from creat- ing great music, and we strive continuously to improve our performances. The second lesson is the importance of reaching out far and wide to new audi- ences. Music should be a conversation between the musician and the listener – it has to communicate some- thing, otherwise it becomes vapid entertainment. We are committed to reaching out to new audiences and making music accessible. What can we expect from your upcoming concert in Malta, and how will the experience be repeated and exported across our shores to Rome? Are you excited to be touring, and what kind of reaction are you expecting? The Gaudete series is our annual Christmas appoint- ment. However it is not just any Christmas concert. We focus on little known reper- toire such as Medieval Carols or carols from around the world and give it a wider au- dience. To date, we've sung carols not only in English and Maltese, but also in French, Italian, German, Hungar- ian, Latin, and even Huron! This year we will be present- ing another great selection of carols, including some of our older repertoire. Since this is our 10th anniversary, we will be including the very first two pieces that the choir sung way back in 2009. The concert will be held on Satur- day, December 7 in the Par- ish Church of the Assump- tion in Gudja. Of course, we do know that December 7 is slightly early for a Christmas concert, but this has been done out of ne- cessity since the following weekend we will be celebrat- ing our anniversary in Rome. This is our first foray abroad, Music should be a conversation between the musician and the listener – it has to communicate something, otherwise it becomes vapid entertainment Photography by Fritz Von Weinsberg and Daniel Cilia