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8 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 19 NOVEMBER 2025 CULTURE Pipes, power and a silent-film surprise: Malta International Organ Festival hits 12th edition FROM Thursday 20 November to Saturday 7 December 2025, churches and unexpected ven- ues across Malta and Gozo will host eleven concerts for the 12th Malta International Organ Fes- tival—a line-up that moves from Baroque favourites to 20th-cen- tury heavyweights, community events and, mid-festival, a one- night screening of Eisenstein's Battleship Potemkin with live organ-and-percussion score at Eden Cinemas on 26 November. Baroque Valletta: Malta and Naples in dialogue The series opens tomorrow on Thursday 20 November (7.30pm) at the Collegiate Parish Church of St Paul's Shipwreck, Valletta with Stabat Mater: Abos & Pergolesi. Ukrainian vocal en- semble Kiev Baroque Consort joins Maltese and Italian collab- orators in a Neapolitan-school conversation pairing Girolamo Abos with G.B. Pergolesi—two composers shaped by Francesco Durante. Gozo: historic instruments, village churches and a trumpet's call On Saturday 22 November (6.45pm), the Parish Church of St Margaret V.M., Sannat pre- sents One Europe in Music, a deep dive from the Tabulatu- ra Joannis de Lublin through Pachelbel, Froberger, Kerll, Muffat and Bach—ideal liter- ature for Gozo's baroque col- ours. A day later in Fontana, the Sacred Heart of Jesus Church hosts The Trumpet Shall Sound, setting hymn tunes and classical favourites alongside film music for the vivid pairing of organ and trumpet. From organ loft to silver screen: Battleship Potemkin with live score On Wednesday 26 November (8.30pm) the organ relocates to Eden Cinemas, St Julian's for Sergei Eisenstein's 1925 classic Battleship Potemkin, performed with a live score by C. Jarrett and Joseph Bibi Camilleri on percus- sion. Russian moderns, dancing organs Friday 28 November (8pm) brings a solo organ recital at St Augustine Parish Church, Val- letta—Shostakovich, Predeces- sors & Contemporaries—mark- ing 50 years since the composer's death and placing him alongside Prokofiev and Mussorgsky. The following night, Saturday 29 No- vember (7.30pm), the Basilica of Jesus of Nazareth, Sliema hosts Le Roy Danse – The Organ Be- tween Classical Music and Pop- ular Tradition, tracing the inter- play between courtly dance and popular rhythm from the 16th to 18th centuries. Community voices, quiet reflection and a personal tribute On Sunday 30 November (12pm), the Rotunda of Mosta welcomes a lunchtime commu- nity concert. The atmosphere turns contemplative on Monday 1 December (6.45pm) at Our Lady of Pompei, Marsaxlokk, with a solo programme titled The Light. The next evening, Tuesday 2 December (7pm) at St Mark's Church, Rabat, Sacred Arias pairs organ and baritone, and includes the world première of Marco D'Avola's Romanza a George, Op. 79, dedicated to George Lia (1949–2025). Organ meets saxophone: an unexpected pairing Friday 5 December (7pm) shifts to the Onorati Orato- ry, Jesuits' Church, Valletta for Pipes & Reeds – An Encounter of Sounds, teaming German or- ganist Ralf Borghoff with award winning Italian saxophonist Ce- sare Travagin. A symphonic conclusion on a grand instrument The finale on Sunday 7 De- cember (7pm) brings organ and orchestra together on the grand majestic organ of the Basilica of Our Lady of Porto Salvo and St Dominic, Valletta, with Jo- hannes Skudlik conducting and Winfried Lichtscheidel at the console for a programme cen- tred on Rheinberger's Concerto No. 1 in F, Op. 137, alongside Handel, Vivaldi and Naji Hakim. The Malta International Or- gan Festival 12the edition is supported by VisitMalta, APS Bank, Biz Consult Ltd, the Ger- man Embassy in Malta, the Italian Cultural Institute, and Festivals Malta. Full program and details from www.MaltaIn- ternationalOrganFestival.com