Robert Galea continues to use his musical compositions in his work of evangelisation in Malta and Australia. Marie Benoît asked him about his recent stay in Australia and his new album and concert taking place in January at MITP.
Robert Galea the committed seminarian who also sings has just come back from Australia. “I spent a year there as part of my seminary formation for the priesthood. We are given a year away from the seminary to gain some pastoral experience and I decided to get as far away from home as possible – not because I have anything to run away from, but because I wanted to take the opportunity to step into some deep waters. Living in a place where I knew no one, a place where religion does not have much of a voice, and a place where I would have to drive for seven or so hours to play a concert – open space!”
Robert’s time was spent working in a country parish in Victoria which is about two hours away from Melbourne. “This in itself was a different reality to that of Malta. There the churches are empty, just frequented by a few of the sweet, pious elderly. I however could not see that as a threat, but an opportunity to reach out to the younger generation. True they found Mass too boring to even consider – they would not come to church so I tried to go to them.” So Robert found a job teaching at a college of over 1,500 kids aged from 13 to 18. He continues: “So I took my guitar along and would explain the lessons using the songs I wrote. I would also take the opportunity to talk to them about Jesus and how real He is to me. I loved every moment I spent on that campus.”
Apart from reaching out to the young through his musical compositions and his guitar playing, Robert also worked on some more music. He comments: “By some strange coincidences, or let’s say God-incidences, my music (from my début album Closer) got into the hands of the office organizing the 2008 World Youth Day (WYD) – an event taking place in Sydney next July which the Pope will host and which will attract over half a million youth from around the globe. They invited me to Sydney a couple of times to sing at a few events and eventually asked me to sing the international version of the WYD theme song along with a huge local pop star, Guy Sebastian, under the production of Sony/BMG. Needless to say this helped my credibility when working with the teens at the school.”
Robert, could not let the contacts and opportunities before him pass him by, so he took advantage of his situation and began the recording for what is now his latest album, What a Day. “This,” he tells me, “took a unique form – and thus began a project unlike my previous one. My debut album went considerably well, selling over 1,800 locally, though I wanted something more raw and more true to what I want to express.” After spending a few months in the studio this unplugged album has finally come to life. “My latest CD which I called What a Day is the fruit of my last few years of deep soul-searching. The 13 tracks in this album are a “declaration of my weakness and a celebration of the One I will one day learn to love completely… and What a Day that will be!”