Malta International Choir Festival 2015
Saturday 31st October 2015 at 6.00pm & 8.00pm
Sir Temi Zammit Hall, University of Malta, Msida MSD 2080, Malta
Tickets: €15 | maltachoirfest.com
David's setting of the medieval carol There Is No Rose will receive its world premiere at the Grand Concert of the Malta International Choir Festival on Saturday 31st October, performed by the National Youth Chamber Choir of Great Britain under the direction of Ben Parry, having been announced as the winner of the festival's composition competition.
There Is No Rose was composed in January 2013 and combines a lyrical approach to melody with a gentle, tonal harmony in a mostly-homophonic texture to create a simple musical poem, reflecting the delicate simile in the text that forms the basis of the carol. In addition to the premiere in Malta, There Is No Rose has been programmed by several other choirs for the upcoming Advent and Christmas seasons, and a recording of this piece, along with several of David's other choral works, is currently in production for release in late 2016.
The Malta International Choir Festival Composition Competition saw entries from 14 different countries from all over the world. Composers were offered the opportunity to enter a sacred choral work for unaccompanied voices (SATB, up to two voices per part) no longer than 7 minutes with complete freedom in choice of text and language. Entries were judged by an international jury of Vytautas Miškinis, Paweł Łukaszewski and Christopher Muscat, with Rev. John Galea presiding.
This year's festival - the 22nd since the festival began in 1989 - runs from the 29th October to the 1st November 2015 and is being organised by the Malta Tourism Authority. In addition to the Grand Concert there are various competitive and non-competitive events for choirs of all varieties from around the world to take part, and highlights of the programme include the Choristers' Street Parade, concerts and services in many of the beautiful Maltese churches, workshops on choral technique, composition, conducting and chant, and the awarding of the prestigious Grand Prix of Malta to the competition winners.