On 26 November, the Royal Over-Seas League is presenting a showcase of musicians in a Gala concert for the

Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, at the Teatru Manoel. The well-known and well-loved Duo, Glen Inanga and Jennifer Micallef will be performing as well as other young Commonwealth musicians. Marie Benoît interviewed Jennifer Micallef who is very enthusiastic about the forthcoming concert.

Jennifer Micallef and Glen Inanga, as their fans know only too well, lead a very hectic and fulfilling life as musicians. I asked Jennifer what she had been up to since they played in Malta a year or so ago. “Glen and myself have been doing some very interesting things. We have been to New York where we were invited to perform on two consecutive nights and also to give a Masterclass to pianists and Chamber music students. We had a fantastic time since the concert hall was situated on Lake Luzerne so we also had time to go swimming and sailing on the lake. The concert was a complete sell-out – the audience seems to have really enjoyed it.”

In August the Duo was asked to take part in a unique project. For the first time ever, the Royal National Ballet (Covent Garden) and the Kirov Ballet got together to perform “some fantastic choreographed pieces.” A piece was composed especially for Glen and Jennifer and the ballet dancers to perform together.

“It was truly an amazing feeling to know that we had these wonderful dancers dancing and performing steps to our music,” says Jennifer. The music composed was for two pianos, violin and viola with three dancers on stage. The project was so successful that all those involved including Jennifer and Glen are going to be performing it once again in Covent Garden on 17 and 18 of November. So if you happen to be in London do go and see them!

The Duo have just played a concert in Surrey a couple of weeks ago. In Jennifer’s words: “The programme included Rachmaninov, Ravel and Scaramouche and a couple of days after this concert Glen and I flew to the Cayman Islands.” Quite a breatheless existence which they clearly thrive on.

Jennifer and Glen are artistic directors of the Cayman Arts Festival “whereby we are organising an array of events including Jazz, Cross-Over Music, Gospel, Drama and Exhibitions. We had to go this time since we had to organise the last few logistical details before the Festival takes off on 8 February.”

Any other exciting news I want to know, as if this is not enough. “Whilst we were in the Cayman Islands we got an email from Sotheby’s in London asking us to do something very special. Only a few months ago, Beethoven’s Grosse Fugue for 4 hands was unearthed after having been lost for over 100 years. Now this piece is being auctioned and Sothebys have asked us to perform the piece in front of journalists and distinguished guests before it goes off to auction. Glen and I will be coming straight back to London to perform this piece on 28 November.” Exciting news indeed both for the Duo and Sothebys.

Glen and Jennifer will also be performing on 30 November at St Andrew’s Hall to commemorate the newly refurbished Hall at the Royal Overseas League. Jennifer explains: “The concert is in London (Green Park) and we will be performing a similar programme to that of Malta two days previously.” (See the programme below)

And their musical year will end on 11 December when they will be performing live on BBC Radio 3. (If anyone wants to tune in and listen to them the website address is: www.bbc.co.uk/radio3. The performance will kick off at 1pm.) What are they playing? “The programme is varied,” says Jennifer “and will include Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess. Ah yes! And on 12 December we will be performing for students from various schools with a commentary by Chris D’ Souza. He is a fantastic presenter and we have worked with him in the past on other projects.”

Other award winning young musicians from the Commonwealth will be playing on Saturday 26 November at the Manoel Theatre.

The duo will play Mozart’s sparkling Sonata in D for Two Pianos and Gershwin’s popular An American In Paris. Exciting young musicians Andrew Aarons, piano (Toronto, Canada), Amy Dickson, saxophone (Australia) and Joyce Moholoagae, soprano (Soweto, South Africa), complete the line-up. More about them next week.

The concert, in celebration of CHOGM 2005 in Malta, is presented by the Royal Over-Seas League, the pre-eminent non-governmental organisation supporting outstanding young Commonwealth classical musicians. All of the musicians featured in this concert are prize or scholarship winners of the ROSL Annual Music Competition, which is now in its 53rd year.

In addition to the Micallef-Inanga Piano Duo’s performances of Mozart and Gershwin, the programme contains a heady mix of music. Andrew Aarons will perform Liszt’s virtuosic Concert Paraphrase of the celebrated quartet from Verdi’s Rigoletto, Amy Dickson plays Hard Fairy by rock/jazz-influenced British composer Graham Fitkin and Joyce Moholoagae completes the bill with a selection of arias by Verdi and Puccini, as well as traditional songs from her native South Africa.

Tickets at Lm10, Lm8, Lm5, LM3 are available from the Manoel Theatre booking office. Phone: +356 2124 6389 fax: +356 2123 7240

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www.teatrumanoel.com.mt