Vanessa Mangion (above) has been appointed as the new Chief Executive of the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra. Maestro Paul Abela, Dr Mario Frendo, and Umberto Nicoletti Altimari shall be making up the Orchestra’s artistic team to handle its artistic direction, while Mangion can focus on its administrative aspects, the government said.

Vanessa Mangion has been working in the public service for the past 23 years under various administrations. During this time, she worked within the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage, the Ministry for Tourism as Assistant Director (Corporate Services), the Ministry for Finance as Director (Corporate Services), and within the Manoel Theatre as Senior Manager (Operations), amongst others. Before joining the public service, she spent some time working in the private sector with a renowned law firm, specializing in the field of financial services.

Mangion holds an Executive Masters in Business Administration in Public Management and a B.A. (Hons.) in History. She also has experience within the voluntary sector where she is active, has obtained several recognitions, and has even published papers related to History and the financial field of our country.

Maestro Paul Abela studied conducting, composition, and orchestration under Professor Charles Camilleri before graduating from the Berklee College of Music in Boston, USA, where he stayed to continue his musical training. He has composed several works that range in genre from semi-classical to jazz, musicals, music for films and theatre, and even contemporary music.

Abela also spent more than 20 years teaching music at the Malta School of Music. Throughout his service to the cultural sector, he has been given several recognitions.

Frendo is a musician and Senior Lecturer within the Department of Theatre Studies within the School of Performing Arts at the University of Malta. His research has been published in numerous international publishing houses.

He works with several international festivals and founded, amongst others, the Malta International Arts Festival. He has a B.A. in Music and Theatre Studies, a Masters in musical composition under the guidance of composed Charles Camilleri, and a Ph.D from the University of Sussex.

Umberto Nicoletti Altimari was born in Rome and studied the History of Music. He worked with Rai, with the Festival dei Due Mondi in Spoleto together with Gian Carlo Menotti, with the Corriere della Sera as a music critic, and with the Academia Nazionale di Santa Cecila where he worked with some of the best musicians and music directors. He also worked as a consultant with the Festival Internazionale di Arte e Musica Sagra in Rome and published many articles in specialized magazines.

Between 1994-2004, he directed an agency that represents lyrical artists and also worked on the texts of major performances.