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11 gozotoday | FRIDAY • 21 AUGUST 2026 CULTURE THE JP2 Memorial Festival 2026 for the month of August will host the prestigious CORDIA Quartet in a concert " THE FOUR SEA- SONS". The event will take place at St. Anthony of Padua Church in Għajnsielem, on Monday 24th August 2026 starting at 20.00hrs. With a name derived from the Latin Cordia (hearts) and pho- netical Maltese overtones of Kor- da (strings), the vision of Cordia Quartet is to create for its audi- ence the ambience of concord- ance in musical harmony and within the four different string instruments of the quartet. The four musicians that make the Cordia Quartet are: Jacob Portelli plays the violin. He stud- ied at the School of Music in Gozo with Joachim Atanassov. His love for music abled him to play the cello and the double bass then the viola and later on the harp. Jacob is graduated in Theology, obtaining a BA (Theo) Hons and a PGCE. David Lang studied music in Hungary at the Specialised School of Musical Art in Pécs, and in Austria at the "Mozarte- um" Academy of Music in Salz- burg obtaining a master's degree in violin performance. David was the leader of the Chamber Or- chestra "CIS" and the Salzburger Mozart Chamber Orchestra. He was a concertmaster and soloist of the Liszt Ferenc Symphony Orchestra in Sopron (Hungary). In Malta he was a member of the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra. He was a violin teacher at the Schools of Music in Malta and Gozo. Emese Tóth studied in Hun- gary at the Kodály Specialised Secondary School of Musical Art in Kecskemét and at the Ferenc Liszt Academy of Music in Bu- dapest. She obtained a master's degree as a violinist and violin teacher. She won a scholarship at the World Youth Symphony Orchestra in Interlochen (USA) and the 1st prize at the Weiner National Chamber Music Com- petition in Budapest in the String Trio category. She continued her studies at the Academy of Music in Graz and "Mozarteum" Acad- emy of Music in Salzburg. Emese was a violin and chamber music teacher at the Széchenyi Univer- sity in Gyor (Hungary). Later in Malta, she was a member of the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra. She was a violin teacher at the Johann Strauss School of Music and the Gozo School of Music. Frank Camilleri studied Cello under the direction of Mro Vale- riu Popovici and later with Si- mon Abdilla Joslin. He associated in cello playing with the London College of Music. Frank per- formed with several orchestras, like the Brno Philharmonic, the Mediterranean Youth Orchestra, and the Finland EU Celebrations Orchestra. Frank also performs as a soloist in various recitals. To- day he is a member of the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra. Together they have been in- vited to perform in numerous prestigious concerts in Malta and Gozo. The Cordia also performed abroad in New Delhi and Calcut- ta for Austria's National Day under the auspices of Maltese Ambassador for India. In London at Marlborough House in the presence of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II as part of the Com- monwealth Celebrations. The Quartet also performed during the Malta EU Presidency. While the classical repertoire remains the core of their music, they also play different genres like Waltz- es, Musicals, Jazz, Irish, Scottish and Jewish traditional song, Film soundtracks, contemporary pop songs and religious themes. This concert is also part of the Għajnsielem Summer Nights organized by the Għajnsielem Local Council. The venue is equipped with air-conditioning. A big thanks goes to the Minis- try for Gozo for supporting this event. The JP2 Memorial Festival 2026 will host the prestigious CORDIA Quartet he four musicians that make the Cordia Quartet are: Jacob Portelli plays the violin. He studied at the School of Music in Gozo with Joachim Atanassov. His love for music abled him to play the cello and the double bass then the viola and later on the harp. Jacob is graduated in Theology, obtaining a BA (Theo) Hons and a PGCE