I wish to express my appreciation for a truly professional presentation staged by a group of young people with great love and enthusiasm for opera. I am referring to the group called MiniGig Opera. It was our young soprano Charlene Portelli of Rabat who encouraged me to attend the concert on Saturday 9 July at Mdina… and I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. It came as a big musical surprise, as I watched a perfect operatic show put on by these young talented opera singers.

Their performance, accompanied by orchestral backing coming from loudspeakers on an old highly decorated Mini included a really beautiful and simple choreography, attracted the attention of passers-by and a sizable crowd soon gathered. The enthusiastic applause that greeted these talented young opera singers was really deserved. They created a one-hour programme with enthusiasm that showed appreciation for one of the noblest of art forms – opera.

‘MiniGig Opera’ shed a new light on opera repertoire. Their adventurous rendering and performance managed to attract an audience that are not normally theatregoers or perhaps with little opera experience. Their message was clear ‘ opera is beautiful... if you do not appreciate it, you are missing out on an important field of the art world’.

I also wish to add that these young opera singers should have more opportunities and encouragement from everyone, especially the department of culture. Malta should be more proud of them.

Peter Paul Ciantar

RABAT