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Musical exchange programme between the Collegium Musicum Choir and the GMEC choir of North Cyprus The Collegium Musicum Choir has taken part in a musical exchange programme with a children’s choir in North Cyprus from August 26 to September 3. Mro. Turgay Hilmi, German cultural attaché in North Cyprus and Dr. Mro. Dion Buhagiar, choirmaster of the Collegium Musicum Choir organised this twinning during March this year when Mro. Hilmi himself was in Malta and had the opportunity of listening to the choir during Sunday mass at St. John’s Co-Cathedral. The Maltese choir was hosted in the town of Kyrenia on the northern coast of Cyprus. It had a very intense agenda which included daily rehearsals with the Girne Musical Education Centre (GMEC) children’s choir and the Antalya State Opera and Ballet Orchestra that came from Turkey on purpose for the occasion. The Collegium Musicum choir was also able to enjoy the beautiful scenery of the region and some historical places of interest such as the castles of Kyrenia and St. Hilarion, the ruins of Salamis, Othello’s tower and the city of Famagusta, and the capital city Nicosia on excursions organised by the Cypriot hosts.
A press conference was held on August 29 at the Dome Hotel in Kyrenia together with Dr. Erdil Nami, the President of the Chamber of Commerce. An article was published in the local newspaper “Kibris” in which the programme and objectives of the singing tour were outlined.
On August 30 the Maltese and Cypriot choirs were invited to the residence of the President of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) Mehmet Ali Talat in Nicosia. After a brief address by Mro. Turgay Hilmi, the President expressed his pleasure for this cultural exchange and his disappointment for not being able to attend the concert as he was going to be in Turkey. Dr. Mro. Buhagiar then gave a brief speech in which he thanked the President for the hospitality of his country and showed his pleasure for being invited to give the upcoming concert. At the end of this cordial meeting, the two choirs sang some songs a cappella including “Kibrism”, a Northern Cypriot song.
The concert was held on August 31 in the refectory of the beautiful gothic-style abbey of Bellapais, which has recently been restored, and hosted under the distinguised patronage of the Prime Minister of TRNC, Ferdi Sabit Soyer and other prominent guests. The concert was conducted by Mro. Dion Buhagiar. The Requiem by Gabriel Fauré was sung by both choirs, accompanied by Anita Vella Bondin, Soprano, and James Vella Bondin, Baritone and the Antalya State Opera and Ballet Orchestra. Baritones James Vella Bondin and Joseph Lia then gave two solo performances, namely “Pietà Signore” by Alessandro Stradella and “Lord of Abraham” from Elijah by Felix Mendelssohn respectively. The second part of the concert consisted mainly of Negro Spirituals. The Collegium Musicum sang the spirituals “Deep River”, “Go down Moses”, “Roll Jordan Roll”, “Where you there” and “Nobody knows…” and Dion Buhagiar’s “Ave Verum”. The Children’s Choir sang “Git on Board” and “When the Saints go marching in”. Both choirs sang together “Steal Away”, “He’s got the Whole World”, “Siyahamba”, “Panis Angelicus” by César Franck and “Kibrism” composed by the Turkish-Cypriot composer Kamuran Aziz. The performance was recorded and televised the next day on local television stations. The concert was a great success and very much appreciated, and was very well attended.
The Collegium Musicum Choir had made contacts with the Holy Cross Catholic Church in Nicosia where it sang during the English Mass on Sunday, September 2 which was celebrated by Fr. Umberto Barato ofm of the Franciscan Order. The choir sang Dion Buhagiar’s “Missa Brevissima Facillima Per Annum” and other hymns a cappella and accompanied by organ.
The exchange programme was reciprocated by the GMEC children’s choir, which visited Malta from September 6 to September 10. The concert was held at Mdina Cathedral on September 9 with a similar programme as that of the concert held in North Cyprus, this time conducted by Mro. Turgay Hilmi. Dr. Romina Morrow accompanied the choir on the organ.
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