Valletta's La Valette Band is crossing over to Gozo for a very special event - this time not a traditional band march but a concert of sacred works and funerary music, Aurea Passio, at the Aurora Opera House, on Saturday 7 March at 8pm.

Although civic bands are primarily secular, sacred works and music with religious significance have always formed the backbone of their repertoire. It is often in these sacred compositions that composers and conductors have demonstrated their true artistry and secured lasting recognition. In this respect, La Valette Band of Valletta has long been a forerunner.
Aurea Passio - the Golden Passion, celebrates this musical legacy. But it also takes one step further, the legacy collaboration and historic relationship between the civic bands of the two capital cities - Valletta's La Valette and Victoria's Leone Band, which owns and runs the Aurora Opera House. The event itself forms part of a two-year long cultural programme with which the Aurora Opera House is marking two golden jubilees - the 50th birthday of Aurora in 2026 and the 50th of opera in Gozo in 2027.
The evening will be led by principal conductor Dominic Darmanin with special guest participation from critically acclaimed Italian conductor and composer Antonino Oddo and the Aurora-and-Leone's own Colin Attard, both of whom will be conducting La Valette band in compositions of their own.