After a week confined at home with family, a regrettable overindulgence in seasonal recipes, All I Want for Christmas playing through supermarket aisles since mid-November, and a healthy dose of end-of-year melancholy, I was convinced that nothing could possibly revive my Christmas spirit. I was quite wrong.
The Malta Youth Orchestra’s Christmas Concert, held on 30 December at St Agatha’s Auditorium in Rabat, offered a collection of festive dances — from all-time Christmas classics to less familiar repertoire — capable of disarming even the most resolutely cynical listener. The matinee opened with selections from Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker Suite, an inescapable presence in Christmas programming, yet none the less enjoyable for it. The Youth Orchestra then performed Dvořák’s Slavonic Dance No. 8, celebrated its national roots with excerpts from Charles Camilleri’s Malta Suite, and concluded the programme with a waltz and two polkas by Johann Strauss II.
While the orchestra’s interpretative maturity and assurance may still be developing, the thoroughness of the performance’s preparation was evident throughout, matched by the impressive level of technical skill displayed by the young players. Since its establishment in 2004, the MYO has served as a key training platform for Malta’s emerging orchestral musicians, offering professional-level performance opportunities and masterclasses, as well as the chance to work with local and international conductors and to play alongside expert tutors from the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra. The MYO has performed to acclaim both in Malta and abroad, and the annual Christmas Concert has become a beloved highlight of its season.
In this edition, MYO’s yearly event coincided with another festive milestone: the launch of the Junior MYO, Malta’s youngest orchestral ensemble. Dedicated to musicians under the age of sixteen, this project aims to address a gap in musical education on the island, providing young players with professional aspirations the opportunity to experience ensemble performance firsthand.
The Juniors made their introduction to the sound of John Williams’ Harry Potter theme, before delighting the audience with a suite of Christmas favourites arranged by John Bullock. After a tentative start, the orchestra quickly came into its own, playing with such spirit, focus, and professionalism that many adult ensembles would envy. The only person on stage who appeared to be enjoying himself even more than the players themselves was their conductor, Roderick Bugeja Calleja, whose infectious, youthful enthusiasm fitted perfectly among his young colleagues. The launch of the Junior MYO proved a clear success, and the orchestra received a heartfelt and thoroughly deserved welcome from the audience.
A particular mention must go to Michael Laus — principal conductor of the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra, founder of MYO, and associate lecturer at the University of Malta — who has taken the Junior MYO project to heart, personally championing its establishment and development. His longstanding, hands-on commitment to musical education places him in the lineage of conductor pedagogues such as Leonard Bernstein and Benjamin Britten. In a musical community as close-knit as Malta’s, the opportunity for students and young orchestral players to work under the guidance of the national orchestra’s principal conductor is a great privilege, yet genuinely accessible.
Occasions such as this Christmas Concert remind us that, while Malta’s musical ecosystem may be small, its very compactness can also prove a strength, fostering a level of dedication, care, and continuity that larger scenes often struggle to sustain. It is through the commitment of institutions — and the efforts of passionate individuals willing to invest time and resources in Malta’s musical future — that excellence is cultivated, with results that speak for themselves.
P.S. Like the Grinch, I leave this concert with a heart three sizes larger. Happy New Year to our dear readers — and, above all, to our young musicians, whether young in years or in spirit.
