The Malta Philharmonic Orchestra
Founded in 1968, the Malta Philharmonic Society was originally comprised of a number of musicians who formed part of a chamber orchestra.
Since its formation, the Orchestra has gone through a series of changes. In September 1997, the orchestra became an independent body and was officially named The National Orchestra of Malta with its first resident conductor being Joseph Vella. A decade later, the orchestra was expanded to a full-size symphony orchestra and performed for the first time as the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra in 2008 on the occasion of Malta’s entry into the Eurozone.
The orchestra toured for the first time during the 2001-2002 season when they performed at the City Hall
in Brussels under the direction of Michael Laus
, while in Sicily it took part in a five-performance production of Mozart’s Cosi fan tutte
Over the years, the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra
has performed with prominent conductors and musicians in both concerts and operas including Miriam Gauci
, Joseph Calleja
, Andrea Bocelli
, Jose Carreras
and Kate Aldrich
among many others. The orchestra’s calendar of events entails symphonic concerts at the Manoel Theatre
, the Mediterranean Conference Centre
as well as other various venues and opera productions both locally and internationally.
During the Spring and Summer seasons, the orchestra performs light popular repertoires for dedicated summer concerts. The orchestra also leads educational programmes for children including workshops and creative talks on various music-making topics promoting the art of classical music.