Photos: James Scicluna, XIK Pictures
Photos: James Scicluna, XIK Pictures
In a truly concert unlike any other, Schola Cantorum Jubilate choir director Marouska Attard, steps out from the conductor’s role, onto the stage as a soloist, offering the audience a rare opportunity to experience her artistry from a different perspective.
Audience will be invited to join the performers on stage, and what is usually a known as a massive theatre, instantly becomes an intimate space for a truly unusual and immersive staging. From this elevated viewpoint, the audience will encounter the theatre from above, discovering the space from a fresh and unexpectedly reversed angle as it becomes part of the performance itself.
Marouska Attard will be accompanied by pianist Irina Fedcenko in a programme that spans early to late Romantic lieder and mélodie vocal repertoire. The selected works include music by Brahms, Rossini, Dvořák, Strauss, Poulenc and Barber, alongside compositions by the Gozitan composer Prof. Joseph Vella, creating a rich dialogue between international repertoire and local musical heritage. Adding a further dimension to the evening, selected writings by prominent contemporary Gozitan authors will be interpreted by actor Paul Portelli. Through his distinctive style and imaginative delivery, Portelli will bring the texts to life, weaving spoken word seamlessly into the musical programme.
Marouska Attard has been synonymous with Schola Cantorum Jubilate since its inception, having served as its conductor from the very beginning. She holds a Master’s Degree in Music, specialising in Choral Conducting from the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Music, and a Postgraduate Certificate in Music Education from the University of Malta.
As a soloist, Marouska brings a wealth of performance experience, having appeared in concerts at St John’s Co-Cathedral, the Manoel Theatre and Spazju Kreativ. Her operatic and concert repertoire includes roles such as Belinda in Dido and Aeneas, Dimitri in Fedora, performances in Brahms’ Liebeslieder Walzer and Henze’s Moralities, one of the Three Ladies in The Magic Flute, as well as appearances in Britten’s Noah’s Flood and The Little Sweep.
Driven by a deep passion for vocal artistry, Marouska has attended numerous workshops with leading figures in the field, including Teresa Cahill, the late Robert Tear, Yvonne Kenny, Prof. Jerzy Artysz, Prof. Thomas E. Bauer, Daniel Lichti, Deborah Harrison-Rossner, Claire Massa and the late Juliette Bisazza Zanni. She is currently an active chorister, voice leader and soloist with Malta’s National Choir, Kor Malta.
Irina Fedcenko, born in Ukraine and trained in Lithuania and Portugal, brings with her extensive experience as a soloist, accompanist, and music educator based in Malta.
For this evening, the traditional theatre setting is reversed. The audience will be seated on stage, alongside the performers, facing the empty auditorium. From this vantage point, listeners experience the theatre as performers do, observing the space, its scale, and its atmosphere from within.
An intimate setting where music and literature unfold without distance, and where the relationship between stage and audience is subtly reshaped.
With a career spanning over four decades, Paul has performed extensively in theatre, film, and television, both in Malta and internationally, and is a founder-member of Theatre Anon. His work includes leading roles on stage, international touring productions, acclaimed directing projects, and appearances in major film and television productions.
For this evening, he will interpret contemporary literary works, weaving spoken word into the musical programme and adding a further expressive layer to the performance. His readings unfold alongside the music, shaping a shared theatrical space where literature, sound, and audience meet on stage.
Entrance is free of charge, but booking is required due to limited seating. Interested attendees may reserve a seat via www.scjchoir.com. For further information or queries, please contact SCJ Admin at info@scjchoir.com or via WhatsApp on +356 7945 0950.
1. Upon placing a reservation, a place will be secured. No physical tickets will be issued but patrons would be required to register at the door upon their arrival.
2. Only patrons with a reservation will be granted access to the event.
3. Kindly inform the organisers in case you cannot attend for the concert.
4. Patrons are kindly asked to arrive 20 minutes before the start of the concert.
Watching a concert is much more than getting tickets and taking a seat. It is a social event in itself, one which you’ll find yourself looking forward to going. So to make sure your evening is complete, here we help you prepare yourself for a theatre night.
Coming to the Aurora for a concert, there are some questions people usually ask. Here we try to answer the basic ones concerning accessibility. Everybody loves being in a better state of preparedness, especially when it’s about a theatre night like this. Here you find how to get to the Aurora in the easiest manner.
Half the fun is getting there, they say. And that’s true for a theatre evening at the Aurora. In order to make sure you don’t miss anything, we invite you to look at the timing you need to manage. These few tips should answer quite a few questions you might have when planning your special night at the theatre.
One last thing or two before you come to the Aurora. You’re probably asking about what to wear, where to eat and how to complement your theatre night-out. Explore the facilities we have available for our esteemed audience and feel free to ask for more.
SINGLE PERFORMANCE
Saturday 28th February 2026
Starting at: 1930hrs
Doors open at: 1900hrs
APPROXIMATE RUNNING TIME
90 minutes (no interval)
LANGUAGE
Mainly Maltese
TEATRANJA – the conductor sings is a Schola Cantorum Jubilate production, supported by the Ministry for Gozo and Planning and Arts Council Malta.
Should you require further information, Matthew our Concierge will be very pleased to assist. However, for this specific occasion, no one better than Stefan can help you out. Contact info@scjchoir.com or +356 7945 0950.
