Charles Camilleri is one of the country’s most prolific composers of the 20th century, and is credited for bringing Maltese, and, more widely, Mediterranean music to an international audience.
The orchestra was founded in April 1968, following the disbandment of the “Commander-in-Chief” orchestra of the Malta-based British Mediterranean Fleet, before serving as the resident orchestra of Valletta’s Manoel Theatre until 1997. The ensemble regrouped as the National Orchestra of Malta before expanding to a full-sized symphony orchestra in 2008, taking on its current mantle as the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra.
Despite the difficulties faced by cultural institutions over the past two years, the MPO has remained active and relevant during this time, embracing a Digital Transformation strategy which has attracted over 32 million unique viewers across 46 countries around the world.
This recent tour followed the MPO’s last visit to the continent in 2018. When asked about these latest performances in the context of the orchestra’s continuing development, CEO Sigmund Mifsud said: “We mention the importance of touring for our orchestra on numerous occasions. More pertinently during this tour, as some audience members who had attended our past performances in places like Berlin and Vienna remarked upon the orchestra’s development. This further underlines our belief that the challenges and opportunities of performing in prestigious platforms on tour enhances the quality of our musicians.”
To learn more about the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra, including details on upcoming performances,
visit their website here.