Palestrina 500

Laudate Pueri Choir (director: Rev. Can. George J. Frendo, leader: Prof. Maria Frendo)

At St George’s Basilica, Victoria, Gozo

The Laudate Pueri Choir of St George’s Basilica launches its 50^th anniversary celebrations by paying tribute to one of the greatest ever sacred music composers, Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, on the 500th anniversary of his birth. The launch of the Choir’s special anniversary year could not be more fitting, for it was this very choir that introduced Palestrina’s choral music to the Maltese Islands. In this concert, the Laudate Pueri Choir, under the direction of Rev. Can. George J. Frendo, will perform sacred motets by Palestrina alongside works by his contemporaries and influences. During the concert, the Choir Leader, Prof. Maria Frendo, will share reflections on the eminent composer.

The Laudate Pueri Choir

The Laudate Pueri Choir was founded in 1976 on the initiative of seminarian Joseph Farrugia, later Archpriest of St George’s Basilica, Victoria, though its roots lie in a much older tradition of sacred music in Gozo. Dedicated to the cultivation of sacred polyphony, the Choir has earned a strong reputation as an interpreter of both classical and contemporary works, and is the first and only Maltese ensemble to perform as an all-female SSAA choir.

Over the years, it has appeared in Italy, France, England, New York, and more recently Vienna. The Choir has collaborated with prestigious ensembles such as Cappella Musicale Pontificia ‘Sistina’, performing with them at St Peter’s Basilica during the 2014 Epiphany Mass presided by Pope Francis. In 2007 it also participated in the Papal Mass for the canonisation of Dun Gorg Preca celebrated in St Peter’s Square.

The Choir has premiered numerous works by Joseph Vella and performed major choral and operatic repertoire at Teatru Astra. It also co-founded the Victoria International Arts Festival, Malta’s longest-running festival. Last July, it performed Mgr Giuseppe Farrugia’s Requiem Mass at the VIAF closing concert to mark the centenary of Mgr Farrugia’s death.

Prof. Maria Frendo

Maria Frendo is Associate Professor in the Department of English at the University of Malta. She lectures on Chaucer, Milton, Dryden and Pope, T.S. Eliot, Romantics, Metaphysical Poetry, The Lyric, English Literature and Music, and Contemporary British Drama. She is Associate Editor of CounterText and a member of the Futures of Literature Network. She is also a professional musician, performing both as a pianist and a soprano. She has recorded for DECCA and GEGA labels, and performances have taken her to major venues in Europe and North America. She is co-organiser of the Victoria International Arts Festival, and curator of the Joseph Vella Archive at Il-Ħaġar Museum and Cultural Centre. For eight years she was also Deputy Chair of the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra. She was appointed to the National Order of Merit in 2012.

This concert is free, but seat reservations, by sending an email to events@heartofgozo.org.mt, are recommended.