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maltatoday | SUNDAY • 12 JULY 2020 6 CULTURE BOV Joseph Calleja Foundation scholar thanks tenor for scholarship A recent graduate of the Ian Tomlin School of Music with- in Edinburgh Napier University has praised Maltese tenor Joseph Calleja for his support. Gabrielle Sargent, who grad- uated from the school of mu- sic with a First Class Honours Degree, is a proud BOV Joseph Calleja Foundation scholar. She thanked the foundation for the scholarship and for the continued support they pro- vided during her studies. Sargent also thanked Calleja for providing her opportuni- ties to perform in front of se- lect audiences at fund-raising events and other functions. She also cited the help of the Janatha Stubbs Foundation, the Malta Arts Scholarship and the Lions Club. Sargent will now be contin- uing with her studies for a Masters of Music at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester. Joseph Calleja (left) and Gabrielle Sargent (right) JCI Malta's national debating competition is back in August JCI Malta is holding its Nation- al Debating Competition on 22 August 2020 and anyone be- tween the ages of 18 and 40 is in- vited to register and debate. The competition looks to find the best debaters on the island who will then represent JCI Malta at an international conference in the future. People can either register as a team of three or as an individu- al and they will then be placed in a team. Being an organisa- tion that is focused on devel- oping its members into future leaders, JCI Malta believes that knowing how to debate and speak in public is of utmost im- portance and therefore train- ing will be provided by some of the best trainers and debat- ers prior to the competition. Throughout the month of a series of friendly debating ses- sions are being held, allowing participants to practise debat- ing according to JCI guidelines. The final training session, 'De- bating Skills Refresher', will be held on 8 August to help all participants revise their debat- ing skills. The final preparations before the competition which will be held on 22 August from 9am to 5pm where all teams will compete for the coveted title of JCI Malta National Debating champions. The winning team will be win- ning a fully-funded trip costing more than €3,000 where they will get to compete in a Euro- pean setting, once European JCI countries announce they are opening up for conferences again. More information about the debating competition and the training sessions can be found on www.jci.org.mt/events Malta Tourism Authority honoured with Connoisseur Circle Hospitality Award THE Malta Tourism Authori- ty office in Germany has once again received one of the most important and sought-after ac- colades in the luxury tourism industry. During a special event held this week, the Malta team in Frankfurt led by Manager Mar- tin Frendo and Senior Execu- tive Michaela Hempel received the Connoisseur Circle Hos- pitality Award 2020 in the cat- egory Cultural Getaway of the Year, in recognition of MTA's innovative destination market- ing activity. Minister for Tourism and Consumer Protection Julia Far- rugia Portelli congratulated the Malta Tourism Authority on this latest achievement. "The fact that Malta and the MTA receive such recognition in the various countries where we are actively promoting the destination is testament to the hard work and dedication of our overseas network, support- ed by the local teams at MTA Head Office and the Ministry," she said. "It is also a certificate for Malta which has gradually transformed its image, to be- come a year-round cultural destination." Frendo and Hempel agreed that it was indicative that Mal- ta, with a history of over 7,000 years and abundance of histor- ical sights, was voted the Cul- tural Getaway of the Year 2020. The luxury travel magazine Connoisseur Circle has been awarding the best hotels, spa resorts, cruise lines, airlines and destinations with the re- nowned hospitality prize since 2013. Every year, an expert jury made up of travel journalists and industry insiders decides on the selection of nominees and winners in 15 different cat- egories. Gabrielle Sargent