When did you first start playing music and what drew you to wards the piano in particular?



Since I was a child I always had an inclination towards the arts in general. I loved drawing in pencil and developed affection for Maltese drama and local song festivals. My very cultural family nurtured these inclinations. Even as a little boy, I would create melodies on a toy keyboard and fashion rhythms on a toy drum – in fact I still have a small scar on my face from a drumming session, when a drumstick didn’t quite hit the right place!

The need for artistic expression was constant on my life although as a child I was not sure which medium was the most appropriate for me. During my school days I always participated in plays or sang in the choir. I also remember wanting to try out the music teacher’s keyboard. However I was a very shy boy and therefore I would hide these desires. It was also around this time that I realised that the pianoforte is my true passion.



What did your musical studies entail?



I started studying music seriously when I was 14-years-old by taking piano and theory lessons with Ms Fay Griscti Davies. Then in 2003 I decided to read for a Bachelor of Art degree in Music at the University of Malta. Here I met, and studied with top local professors such as Mro Dion Buhagiar, Prof. Michael Laus, Mro John Galea and Prof. Joseph Vella. My specialisation area was music composition, which I studied under Prof Charles Camilleri. I graduated in 2006. My three years at the University of Malta helped to expand my musical knowledge greatly. I learnt more about Eastern cultures and traditional Mediterranean music and this caused my music composition to evolve. I especially gained awareness on a variety of musical cultures and I feel that I matured as a musician and composer. During this period I also attended piano courses at Chetham’s School of Music in Manchester. I went to Manchester twice and during these intensive master class courses I took lessons with the composer Ronald Stevenson and the pianist Colin Stone.



What can you tell me about your career in the musical field?



When I was about 15 years old I started to perform in various concerts. I performed in concerts at the University of Malta organised by the local representatives of the Associated Boards of the Royal Schools of Music and by the Society of Arts. I also performed at the Manoel Theatre during musical evenings and in 1996 I even travelled to Italy. Although I enjoyed studying and preparing works by popular composers, I always felt the urge to create my own works and so this growing passion led me to compose my own pieces. Eventually with the encouragement of my piano teacher, I ended up performing my own works on the platform.

One experience which comes to mind is when I was 18-years-old and I performed one of my earliest compositions Gypsy Dance, at the Sir Temi Zammit Hall at the University of Malta. As soon as I concluded my performance, the whole auditorium stood up and burst into a big applause that still rings in my ears. I will never forget that moment; that moment always gives me the courage I need to move on and not give up.

When I was 21 years old I realised that I must start working and earning some sort of income. I knew that this wasn’t what I really wished however I felt that this was a necessary sacrifice which would allow to eventually devote my life fully to music. It is very hard to make a living from music. However in the following 12 years I never abandoned my true love and I continued performing, playing the piano in hotels and at weddings, both as a soloist and as an accompanist. During this period I also started to compose songs and to write my own lyrics.

This led me to collaboration with local popular singers and in 1998, my song, ’Il Boghod Mid-Dlam performed by Debbie Scerri was placed third in the Malta International Song Festival. In the same year I also won first place in the festival “Fl-Ghaqda l-Melodija”. Nonetheless, in 2003 I decided to quit my job and finally devote my life to music. This was a very big step to take however I was sure of my decision. Today I entertain in local top hotels, wedding masses and receptions, and I also teach piano.



How does music affect your everyday life?



It demands a lot of discipline to practise every day. However, if I don’t practise for even a mere three days I feel the change. Different ideas come to my head at random and I must always be ready to note them down in some way. On a wider level, because of music, I have occasionally, to a certain extent suffered from financial hardship. I had to personally finance my piano courses abroad and therefore I wish that more master classes were held in Malta.

At the moment it is essential to go abroad to study music as only like that can one find the opportunity to meet extremely experienced musicians. I also enjoy listening to music and reading about musicians and music. Music does affect my life, but on the other hand music is my life and therefore devoting hours to music never seems like work. I think that music is a medium through which an artist reaches his inner soul to achieve spiritual strength. Music is energy for my soul.



How do you think should music be thought at schools?



I think that the best musical pedagogy is allowing children to discover the sounds alone, and then encouraging them and guiding them to develop and expand their own ideas. Even if the beginning it all sounds like noise, allowing young children to be creative and imaginative is very important for their individual development.



Have you been influenced by other composers and who are the composers who have influenced you the most?



I always believed that every composer has his own language through which he may communicate and I really admire those people who sought to this for their own self, without necessarily seeking fame and glory. I do not have one particular favourite composer as I reckon that every era has produced valuable people who contributed towards the culture of music. Bach, Mozart, Schubert, Beethoven, Bartok and Stravinsky were all great people who did not fear to be their true selves and to show the world that they were ahead of their time in the way they thought and composed. I also admire 20th century composers who fused the east and the west hence globalising music composition.



What are your future plans and dreams?



I definitely hope to keep producing music and to expand my compositional skills. I wish to teach more and also to keep playing for and entertaining crowds. I will also be participating in the Malta International Song Festival this year with the song Lil Din L-Art a song dedicated to my country, which will be sung by Debbie Scerri, and Int Mill-Gdid which will be sung by Aldo Busuttil. When my music is played at music festivals I never feel like I am selling out and adapting my music just to please a crowd. Rather I feel that I am raising the ante and improving the quality of local music.







Jason Xuereb was born on 6 October 1972. To relax, he enjoys reading about composers and their life. His website is www.freewebs.com/jasonxuereb