F’Kull Belt Hemm Kantuniera
The Performers
See also: Event Write-Up
Toni Attard (actor)
Caroline Calleja (piano)
Claire Massa (mezzo soprano)
Godfrey Mifsud (clarinet, bass clarinet)
Sarah Spiteri (violin, viola)
Marcelle Teuma (actress)
Toni Attard
- Toni is currently reading for a B.Communications (Hons.) degree at the
University of Malta for which he is writing a dissertation
about "The fusion of theatre and audiovisual
media in live performance."
"After quitting drama school and performing in all kind of odd productions, I realized that what I wanted from theatre was more than just the thrill of performing with different people in that six week process and then scavenging for more productions in order to have enough play titles to fill my curriculum vitae. After joining Aleateia I realized that I had no scavenging work to do and transformed my previous hunting time into training sessions that gave me the possibility to create with a group of peopl, who happen to be my greatest friends. So there we are, 10 crazy people every single week doing crazy things on the wooden floor for a crazy audience. Crazy not from a sad neurotic state (well maybe!) but craziness for the thing we love doing most - theatre."
Aleateia theatre group have recently participated in the Cairo International festival for experimental theatre. The group is currently working on a new performance to be premiered in May during the Malta International Drama Festival.
Born in 1980,
Caroline Calleja was the
first-prize winner of various competitions including the Bice Mizzi Vassallo
Competition (1995 and 1997), the Young Musicians’ Competition (1997), the
EPTA National Piano Competition (1998) and the Tchaikovsky Piano Award
(2000). She started her musical education at the tender age of four studying
the piano under the guidance of Monica Anastasi. Her musical talent became
evident from a very early age and her studies led her to obtain the LRSM,
LTCL, ATCL and ALCM diplomas. In 1996, she represented Malta in the European
Music Competition for Youths in Dublin, Ireland. At the age of eleven
Calleja also took up harp studies under the tuition of Donata Mattei. She
has been teaching harp at the Johann Strauss School of Music, Valletta for
the past three years and is also the principal harpist of the National
Orchestra of Malta.
Caroline Calleja has worked closely with internationally renowned musicians. At the Dartington International Summer School in Devon, England, she had the opportunity to study with William Howard (piano) and Patrizia Meier (harp), while at the Accademia Musicale Chigiana in Siena, Italy she attended piano masterclasses given by Michele Campanella. Calleja has specialised in Russian piano repertoire under the guidance of Marina Evseeva at the Moscow State Conservatory, Russia, where she also attended masterclasses by Yuri Lisitchenko, Mikhael Voskresensky, Nikolay Lugansky and Sergei Glavatskih.
In 1998 Caroline Calleja pursued her studies at the Conservatoire National de Region de Lyon in France, where she studied piano and harp performance with Herve` Billaut and Christophe Truant respectively. Consequently, she was awarded Medaille d’Or in piano and Diplôme de Fin d’Etudes Mention Trés Bien in harp. Calleja has just graduated Bachelor of Arts (Honours) First Class in Music Studies from the University of Malta, where she majored in Piano Performance. She is currently reading for her Master of Music degree in Piano Performance at the University of Malta under the tuition of Michael Laus.
Caroline Calleja has made numerous concert appearances both in Malta and abroad. As a concert pianist, she has given a number of recitals at the Manoel Theatre, St. James Cavalier, the Embassy of the Russian Federation and the Mediterrnaean Conference Centre. She has also performed at the Conservatoire National Superieur de Musique and Salle Molière in Lyon. In November 2000, Calleja made her debut as soloist with the National Orchestra of Malta, performing Mozart’s Piano Concerto in B flat major K.450 at the Manoel Theatre to great public acclaim. Last September, she performed Charles Camilleri’s Piano Concerto No.1 ‘Mediterranean’ with the National Orchestra at the Mediterranean Conference Centre. Caroline Calleja is highly active in chamber music ensembles both as pianist and harpist. Recent performances include Schumann’s Piano Quintet in E flat Major Op. 47 and Shostakovitch’s Piano Quintet in G minor Op. 57 as well as a recital with internationally acclaimed clarinettist Philippe Cuper. Calleja is very much in demand both as accompanist and as répétiteur for opera productions.
Claire
Massa graduated from the University of Malta with a BA (Hons)
in Music Studies and a PGCE in the teaching of music. Massa has attended
masterclasses in voice and courses in music education in the United Kingdom,
Italy, Hungary, Switzerland, studying with Eva Andor and Giovanna Canetti,
and Juliette Bisazza.
Massa is a regular performer in vocal concerts. Her repertoire spans from Handel's 'Messiah' to the operas of Mozart and Rossini, German Lieder to the French romantics and impressionists and the more demanding twentieth century works. Her performances include 'Mercedes' in Bizet's Carmen, Mozart's Requiem, Stabat Mater by Pergolesi, Stabat Mater by A. Tucapsky, 'Dixit Dominus' by Handel, 'Gloria'by A Vivaldi among others. She has also given recitals in St John's Co-Cathedral, N1dina Cathedral, the Manoel Theatre, St James'Cavaller and the President's Palace in San Anton. Claire has recently recorded two CDs: War Requiem by Prof C. Camilleni and Stabat Mater by G. Abos under the direction of Prof J Vella.
Godfrey
Mifsud started his musical studies at an early age. He made
his public debut playing Charles Camilleri’s ‘Concertino’ on television with
the Malta National Orchestra in 1997. In the same year he performed the work
first in Helsinki, Finland and then at the Opera House in Sarasota, Florida.
In 1998 Godfrey participated in a CD recording with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Brian Schembri, in aid of the Richmond Foundation. In the same year he performed Carmelo Pace’s ‘Concerto’ together with the Malta National Orchestra and later on that year he played Weber’s ‘Concertino’ with the Moscow State Symphony Orchestra. In 1999 he performed with the Orchestre Con Corde in Malta and Belgium under the direction of Alain Roelant. Also that year Godfrey premiered the new works Space Wanderer and Sarajevo’99 by Charles Camilleri in Malta and London respectively.
Born in Malta in 1978, Godfrey has been studying the clarinet with Ronnie Debattista and receives consultation lessons from the British clarinet virtuoso and professor David Campbell. Together with David he performed at the 1999 World Clarinet Congress in Ostend, Belgium and participated in a recording of Camilleri’s Clarinet music. In 2000 Godfrey performed at the Aberystwyth Arts Festival, held in Wales, where he was invited again as a featured artist in July 2001. In August 2001 he performed works for clarinet and wind band by Cahuzac in Linz and Oftering, Austria. Last February Godfrey played in a recital held at the US Ambassador’s Residence in Malta in the presence of the US Ambassador and the President of Malta where amongst other works he premiered the new composition ‘Dirge: 11.09.01’ by Charles Camilleri – tribute to the September ’01 disasters. Since 1995 Godfrey has performed regularly with chamber ensembles such as Etnika and ISSA and also for the last three years he has been an active member of the Vallette Clarinet Quartet and has performed with it extensively both in Malta and abroad.
Godfrey holds a degree in music from the University of Malta and currently is a clarinet teacher at the Johann Strauss School of Music, Valletta. His repertoire includes the standard repertoire for clarinet but his main interest is in contemporary music.
Sarah Spiteri started her musical
studies in Malta, where she obtained her Licentiate of the Trinity
College. In 1990, having won the Bice Mizzi Vassallo Music Competition, she
continued her studies in Lyon, France. Spiteri also
followed a number of international master classes, namely at the Accademia
Chigana, Siena, following courses both in violin technique with Boris Belkin
and in computer music with Giorgio Nottoli and Riccardo Santoboni.
In 1991, Spiteri joined the Borealis String Quartet, with whom she gave a
series of concerts in Milan, hosted by the Associazione Musicale Milanese.
Together with the Borelais Quartet, Spiteri recorded 2 CD'S featuring works
by Charles Camilleri, Nicolo Isuard and P. P. Bugeja. In 2000 SPiteri,
founded the Jubal Ensemble, consiting of various combinations of musicians
from duos to string ensemble, with whom she performs extensively.
Last year proved a very fruitful year for
Spiteri, as apart from performing with the Jubal Ensemble, she also formed
the Trio Solaris with Godfrey Mifsud (clarinet) and Eric Azzopardi (piano)
with whom she performed in Tunisia. This was followed by other concerts in
Malta. She also recorded the War Cantata, a work by John Cremona and Charles
Camilleri, which received excellent reviews from the critics.
Having graduated with honours from the University of
Malta in Theatre Studies,
Spiteri is now reading for a Masters Degree specializing in the phenomena of
improvisation both in Music and Theatre, with special reference to the works
of John Cage and The Living Theatre.
Marcelle Teuma
has been involved in Theatre for the past 18 years. She
has a diploma in acting from MTADA and a certificate from the Webber Douglas
Academy of Dramatic Art (London, 1990). She holds a degree in Theatre
Studies and Philosophy and a Postgraduate Certificate in Education
(specializing in Theatre) from the University of Malta. She has taken part
in a number of theatre productions interpreting roles by playwrights such as
Dario Fo, Lorca, Michael Frayn, Max Frisch, Strindberg, Pinter, Pirandello
and Francis Ebejer. In the early 90s she co-founded an experimental theatre
group and performed original Maltese texts which were also presented at the
Mediterranean Biennial Festival for Experimental Theatre held in Malta in
1990 and 1993.
Marcelle Teuma teaches drama in State schools; she is also a tutor at the Mikelanġ Borg Drama Centre.
Marcelle is a member of the central coordinating team of Inizjamed. She represents Inizjamed at the International Association which organizes the Biennial Arts Festival for Young Artists from Europe and the Mediterranean. She has participated in important meetings held in Barcelona, Rome, Bologna, Sarajevo and Malaga. She also lead a group of Maltese artists to represent Inizjamed at the X Biennial which was held in Sarajevo in July 2001. Another group of Maltese artists will also be taking part in this Biennial in June in Athens.
(March 2003)
