After the successful tour in the UK in September 2011, culminating in two memorable concerts in the London Cathedrals of St Paul and Westminster, the St Paul Choral Society (SPCS) will be taking its sound outside our shores for the second time and will travel to Austria where it has been invited to sing this September. London had offered excellent singing venues and the allure of its many entertainment, tourist and shopping attractions. The Choir had also participated in the festivities of Malta's National Day, together with members of the Maltese community living there.
SPCS choristers are now looking forward to their eight-day Austria venture where they are scheduled to perform in Vienna, Salzburg and Innsbruck. Led by Hugo Agius-Muscat, the director and founder of the SPCS, they have been rehearsing assiduously and are excited at the chance of singing in three beautiful cities. The Choir’s commitments will start at the Votivkirche on September 9, and at the splendid Stephansdom the following day, both located in the centre of Vienna. The Votivkirche (Votive Church) is a neo-Gothic structure built after the failed assassination on the Emperor Franz Joseph as a thanksgiving to God for sparing the Emperor’s life in 1853. Stephansdom – St. Stephen’s Cathedral – is a magnificent edifice which draws the crowds: a must see and, for a chorister, “a must sing”!
In Salzburg, the Choir will perform at the monumental Kollegienkirche – the University Church – one of the most magnificent Baroque churches in Austria, on September 12, and the following day they will travel to Innsbruck for their concert at the Dom St. Jakob – the Cathedral of St. James. Apart from the four singing commitments choristers will have the opportunity to visit various places of interest in the three cities which, for a music enthusiast, have definitely a lot to offer – the Sound of Music tour and the Salzburg Mozarteum to mention but two – and they are striving to make it an experience which they will not forget. The SPCS will be accompanied by its organist Elisabeth Conrad, an invaluable asset to the group.
The St Paul Choral Society was founded in May 1998 and made its public debut on All Saints’ Day with a Choral Evensong at St Paul’s Anglican Pro-Cathedral in Valletta. The choir meets and rehearses at the Undercroft of the Cathedral, from which it takes its name, and numbers some 60 members, a blend of seasoned choristers and young, budding singers whose infectious enthusiasm augurs well for the future of this vibrant group that has become one of Malta’s leading polyphonic choirs. The Choir has developed a distinctive reputation and an extensive and varied repertoire of sacred and secular polyphony. Maltese music is given the importance that it justifiably deserves. The Choir sings in English, Italian, Maltese, Latin, French and Russian and performs in different venues in Malta throughout the year, culminating in the Christmas concerts at St. Paul’s and Holy Trinity, enhancing the tradition that started with the building of the two Anglican churches in the 19th century. To date it has participated in over 180 events. In 2008, as part of its 10th anniversary celebrations, it issued a highly successful CD of Christmas music with the name O Gesù, Helwa Tarbija.
The choir rehearses every Wednesday from 7pm to 9pm. If you like singing and are considering joining a choir, please feel free to call in and listen to the rehearsals. You will be made most welcome. Prospective singers can also visit the choir website at www.spcs.info or through facebook at www.facebook.com/StPaulChoralSociety.