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maltatoday | SUNDAY • 3 OCTOBER 2021 4 THEATRE AN evening of world-famous operatic tunes that will be sure to leave you humming and buzzing, following the great success of the first edition of Opera in the City in Decem- ber 2020. Enjoy a programme of explosive vocal fireworks, filled with sparkle and operat- ic extravaganza, starring Nico Darmanin, Alan Sciberras and Cliff Zammit Stevens accompa- nied by Sofia Narmania at the piano. Russian pianist Sofia and Maltese tenor Alan will both be performing at the upcoming Opera in the City – The Three Tenors on Saturday 9 October in Valletta. They also happen to be married… Pianist Sofia Narmania dis- played tremendous interest in music from an early age and started giving her first concerts at the age of seven. Her musi- cal development was shaped by her studies at the Moscow Conservatoire, where she grad- uated with honors in the class of professor I.Plotnikova. A winner of international competition in Italy (1st prize), her extensive repertoire covers all musical periods and styles. In March 2014, she made a recording of works by mod- ern Italian composer Federico Gozzelino. Having performed in Greece, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Holland, Rus- sia and Malta; Sofia performs works by Scarlatti and Bach, Liszt and Rachmaninov, Ginas- tera and Piazolla. Maltese tenor Alan Sciberras started his career as an opera singer in 2016, under the guid- ance of Dr. Andriana Yordano- va. Since then he has attended Master classes with Miriam Gauci, Gioacchino Jack Li Vi- gni, Nelly Miricioiu-Kirk, Da- vid Gowland and Salvatore Fi- sichella. In July 2017 he made his debut as Rodolfo in La Bo- heme in Teatro Eschilo, Gela while taking part in the Medi- terranean Opera Studio & Fes- tival. In 2017 he performed for world renowned Italian bari- tone Leo Nucci, who received the coveted Premio Illica d'Oro in Castell' Arquato. In the same year, he performed the role of Enzo during a piano concert version of the opera 'L'Alpino' by Carlo Diacono under the musical direction of Mro Brian Schembri. Alan performed the roles of Lucio and Gondolier in Rossini's Opera Otello at the Manoel Theatre in 2020. Alan, your career as an opera singer began in 2016. Can you tell us about your journey into the operatic world? A new chapter began in my life in 2016 when I discovered the opera world, emotional- ly powerful, dramatic and pas- sionate. Also, because of music I met my future wife, our love story started with La Boheme (as Rodolfo),where I made my debut during the Mediterrane- an Opera Studio & Festival in Sicily, 2017. You performed for world-re- nowned Italian baritone Leo Nucci. What was that experi- ence like? For a singer to perform for such a legend like Leo Nucci is a great opportunity, it was a dream come true to share the stage with him.. he encour- aged me by complimenting my voice, timbre and potential. seeing him on stage made me want to perform different char- acters in opera. What do you envision for your future as a tenor? To continue digging in the world of opera, the endless list of roles I would like to cover, meeting and sharing the stage with other singers and musi- cians is very inspiring for me Sofia, you displayed interest in music from a very early age. What inspired you to pursue a career in music? In my family everyone plays an instrument, we were intro- duced to different genres of music from a very young age. At the age of 13 I was cho- sen to complete my degree in Music college and Moscow Conservatoire. I was blessed to have been immersed in a cul- ture of music, opera and muse- ums. I had no way out. In 2014, you made a recording of works by Italian composer Federico Gozzellino. What was that like? It was a unique experience to play in front of the composer, who was so delicate and gave me all the musical freedom to interpret his music. We re- corded three CD's with dif- ferent musicians and musical programmes. It was a beautiful encounter of narration, orches- tration and singers. It was such an honour and pleasure to have worked with him, as he writes beautiful melodic contempo- rary music and he wanted me as his pianist; an even greater honour as the Maestro is an ac- complished pianist himself You have performed all over the world. How did you end up in Malta? I first came to Malta as a tourist some 15 years ago still pursuing my studies at the Moscow conservatoire, and I immediately fell in love with the culture, architecture and the special Mediterranean hues of the island! By chance as I was at the Rus- sian Cultural Centre in Valletta with some of my colleagues, I was approached and asked by the director to perform a little proramme including Maltese music by the late Mro Vella over the next few days. Fast forward to 2021, and I am now based here with a love- ly Maltese husband with whom we have recently introduced the joy of our our life…. our very own Alessandra. As a married couple, do you enjoy performing together? If music be the food of love, play on! We are both extreme- ly lucky and happy to have met through the universal language of love… music. We love per- forming together and take every opportunity to play to- gether as it is not always that simple and easy to find projects and concerts or operas where we are both asked to perform. We cherish and treasure these moments where we are invit- ed to celebrate love, music and friendship together. Tell us about any obstacles faced especially in the last cou- ple of years as performers. With COVID-19 restrictions we have missed out on live con- certs, audiences, cultural life… That takes its toll on our artis- tic wellbeing, though we made sure to keep our instruments in shape for when the pandemic and life gets back to a sort of normal! Also it is quite a task having to juggle marital life, work, concerts and a beautiful little child! Both of you will be performing at the upcoming Opera in the City – The Three Tenors. How does that feel? It is so exciting and exhila- rating to be part of a concert that celebrates the art form in its most popular fashion. We are thrilled to be able to share the great masters and arias to a large open air audience. After all these long months it feels amazing to be part of this cele- bration of life and music! Can you tell us some more about the opera? What can audiences expect? The combination of music, dramatic narrative and big hu- man themes (life, love, death, passion, joy, anger ) make op- era universal .We have pre- pared a number of very well known arias and songs (Ital- ian, French, Russian, Spanish). There will be a few surprises for our audience. Opera in the City – The Three Tenors, will be held on Saturday 9th October at St John's Square in Valletta at 8:30pm. It is produced by the Valletta Cultural Agency, in collaboration with FTZ Com- munity Foundation. For more information, visit www.vca. gov.mt. For tickets, send an email to info@vca.gov.mt or call 21 242 018 Maltese tenor Alan Sciberras opens up about his career ahead of Opera in the City Alan Sciberras alongside his wife Sofia Narmania