Acerca de

While one would expect these to be the opening words of a fairytale, they happen to be perfectly true in the case of the St Paul Metropolitan Orchestra.  This is our story...

 

2015.  Upon the passing of the late Grandmaster, Don Adrian Busietta, the Chapter General of the Sovereign Hospitaller Order of St John of Jerusalem, Knights of Malta, had duly elected HIRH Prince Sandor Habsburg Lothringen, Archduke of Austria and Prince of Tuscanny as his successor.  Chev Mro Mark Agius, then Secretary General of the Grand Priory of Malta and Maestro di Cappella of the Order, was asked to prepare the music for the Solemn Ceremony of Investiture which would be held in Malta in May, 2015.  An ensemble of twelve musicians was duly brought together specifically for the ceremony and performed with credit on the day, receiving high praise from both national and international dignitaries in attendance.

​

Fast forward a few days, Mro Agius received an email from the Prince Grandmaster asking for the name of the ensemble that had performed at his investiture ceremony... for record purposes.  Reasoning that St Paul was both the patron saint of Malta and of music and that one name would be as good as another, Mro Agius sent a reply saying that it was St Paul Chamber Ensemble, little realizing the significance that choice was to have!

​

Fast forward a few more days and Mro Agius received a phone call, this time on behalf of the musicians who had participated in the event, expressing an interest in performing together again should the opportunity arise.  An opportunity did indeed present itself in the form of the National Celebrations of the 450th Anniversary of the Great Siege of Malta, in 1565, the following September, where once again in collaboration with the Sovereign Hospitaller Order of St John of Jerusalem, a musico-literary evening was presented with the participation of poet Charles Mifsud, who read excerpts of his epic poem Ġrajjiet l-Assedju 1565 (Stories of the Great Siege 1565).

​

This was followed by a Christmas concert, in December, by which time the ensemble had already been augmented to twenty-two musicians and a vocal ensemble of eight lyrical soloists.

​

The rest, as one says, is history.  One performance led to another, each strengthening the orchestra core and allowing for a repertoire which would increasingly challenge the musicians and singers to improve their technical prowess.  For the next four years the orchestra would perform with a complement of forty-five musicians, collaborating regularly with the Sovereign Hospitaller Order of St John of Jerusalem as well as various parishes and Local Councils, organizing fund-raising recitals with proceeds going in aid of various charities, including id-Dar tal-Providenza, Ghana Mission Foundation, ALS Malta Foundation and Fondazzjoni U, and establishing itself as one of Malta's foremost musical ensembles along the way, bringing together some of the finest musicians and singers our island has to offer.

 

The desire to perform more technically demanding works and explore new genres, not to mention the ever-growing request by musicians to join its ranks, gradually brought about the most significant mile-stone in the orchestra’s relatively young history: the decision, in 2019, to turn symphonic, thus bringing its complement to sixty-three musicians and seeing the orchestra rebranded as the St Paul Metropolitan Orchestra.

 

Highlights over these years include the recital of Joseph Sammut’s Canticles of St Luke, at St John's Co-Cathedral, in March 2017, the premiere of Mark Agius’ highly acclaimed Messa da Requiem, also at St John's Co-Cathedral, in March 2018, a Royal Command Performance in September 2018, the Grande Serata Italiana in June 2019, Joseph Sammut's technically gruelling Messa da Requiem e Resurrectio et Vita, in November 2019, and The Magic of Dreams, an extravaganza of music, light and magic at the Mediterranean Conference Centre in February 2020.

 

In November 2018 the orchestra was invited to perform in Poland as part of the celebrations of the 100th anniversary of Poland's independence and the 100th anniversary of the Greater Poland Uprising.  This concert tour included two performances of the Agius Messa da Requiem in Poznan and Kepno respectively, as well as as a recital of sacred works at the Arts and Cultural Centre in Kalisz and a workshop of orchestral appreciation at a school for students with special needs in Slupia.
 

In July 2019, the SPMO, together with its resident choir, Anacrusis, embarked on a community service project, consisting of a series of performances featuring popular pieces from opera classics and other popular classical works at the foyer of Mater Dei Hospital. These performances, which were highly appreciated by patients, visitors and staff alike, were brought to an abrupt end by the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, which saw the orchestra cancelling the rest of its schedule for 2020, with its last performance being at Mater Dei Hospital on the 29th February 2020. Nevertheless, an earnest request for further performances at Mater Dei has been made and SPMO looks forward to proceeding with its commitment as soon as it is allowed to do so.

​

In the meantime, refusing to be discouraged by the pandemic, the SPMO embarked on a series of initiatives which included virtual recordings of the Maltese National Anthem and the sacred hymn Nearer my God to Thee, the latter in collaboration with the St Monica Vocal Ensemble. A series of videos featuring soloists from the SPMO was also created, leading eventually to the establishment of the SPMO Chamber Ensemble and the launching of the monthly SPMO Classical Evenings.

​

Thus the story continues to unfold and we look forward to going back to what we love doing most... performing to our beloved audiences, taking music where it matters, and touching more lives with the gift of Music.