Feel the Magic project

The long-awaited final concert of the Vocal Masterclasses in the Feel the Magic series was held on Saturday, November 20, 2021, at the Astra Theatre in Victoria.

In front of a sizeable audience that is currently permitted under Health Authority protocols, a good number of lyrical singers performed a pleasant selection of operatic and profane excerpts after intensive days of coaching and preparation by Professor Claudia Sasso.

Twelve singers took part in these masterclasses. They were accompanied on the piano by Dr John Galea, the principal conductor of the Chorus Urbanus, and artistic director of ‘Feel the Magic’. Chorus Urbanus also sang two choral excerpts from the operatic repertoire: ‘O Signore dal tetto natìo’ from I Lombardi Alla Prima Crociata (Verdi) and ‘Barcaruola a due voci’ from L’Elisir d’Amore (Donizetti), the latter also featuring Prof. Sasso as Adina. 

Finally, it was the turn of Soprano Sasso to sing four arias in a warming voice that truly deserved the loud applause of the audience, along with a standing ovation. The arias performed by Prof. Sasso included eponymous excerpts from the coloratura repertoire: ‘Les oiseaux dans la Charmille’ (the Doll Song) from Les Contes de Hoffmann (Offenbach); ‘Der Hölle Rache’ from Die Zauberflöte (Mozart); ‘Ah! non credea mirarti’ followed by the caballetta ‘Ah! non giunge’ from La Sonnambula (Bellini) and ‘È strano… Sempre Libera’ from La Traviata (Verdi).

These heavyweight arias were interpreted in a very professional way that acknowledges Prof. Sasso’s full credentials of technical expertise and bravura.

The concert ended with the innovative initiative where, for the first time in the history of local vocal masterclasses, a scholarship award was offered by a choral organisation as part of its commitment to improve polished vocal technique.

The winning lyric singer of the evening was tenor Angelo Muscat, a former member of the Chorus Urbanus, who won a scholarship to the St Cecilia Conservatory in Rome in conjunction with Chorus Urbanus Productions and Feel the Magic project 2019-21.

The selection of the winning candidate was communicated by Prof. Sasso herself to the audience gathered in the theatre. At the end of the evening, Gozo Minister Clint Camilleri, who is so keen to promote the progress of artists in the field of music, congratulated all the participants and Chorus Urbanus Productions for this learning initiative that continues to promote training of Maltese talent abroad.

All participants were presented with a diploma of attendance for this first edition of Feel the Magic of Vocal Masterclasses.

Feel the Magic 2019-21 is sponsored by the Malta Council for the Arts and the Gozo Cultural Support Programme within the Ministry for Gozo. Special thanks go to the Astra Theatre Management, where this training took place throughout the week, from November 15 to 20.