In October, the eight-year-old-singer Martha Galea, who attends year 4 at Laura Vicuna Primary School, was chosen to represent Malta in the International Children’s Singing Contest Asteriks in Prilep, Macedonia.

Martha was accompanied by her family and her music teacher Ms. Mariella Cassar M.Phil. (Music) B.Ed. (Hons.) (Music).

Ms Galea competed with 36 other singers from different countries. She sang the song Il-Kanarin, composed by Ms Cassar and penned by Mr Carmelo P. Cassar. She was awarded Best Original Performance. Martha performed her Maltese song to a fully packed theatre and was accompanied on stage by four Macedonian young dancers. All songs were recorded on a CD, which was then distributed in music shops in Macedonia and other countries.

While in Macedonia, Martha was invited by other festival organisers to participate in their festivals in other countries; these include Poland, Italy, Albania, and Serbia. News and previews of the festival are broadcasted everyday on satellite TV. The satellite channel is called A1plus. The festival and the songs are broadcasted all year round. More information about the channel’s schedule can be found on their website www.a1plus.com.mk and http://www.a1plus.com.mk/programa.aspx.