The School of Practical Philosophy in Malta

Cappella Sanctae Catharinae, Malta’s only male choir, was formed in 2009 as a chamber choir specialising in Renaissance polyphony. The choir started off as a performance project tied to the concert series held regularly at the Church of St Catherine of Italy in Valletta. Following positive critical acclaim, the original members decided to make the choir a permanent group. Thye choir has already established itself in the Maltese cultural scene with a number of concerts to its credit.

The choir’s repertory concentrates mostly on Italian Renaissance and Early Baroque polyphony, especially the works of Palestrina, Victoria, and Viadana. The Cappella Sanctae Catharinae has performed in various venues across Malta including the Carmelite Church in Mdina, St Paul’s Anglican cathedral, and the parish church of St. Catherine in Zejtun.

In October 2010, the choir also collaborated with Gotterfunken, a German male choir based in Berlin.

Monteverdi's mastery stands for itself - a wonderful blend of vocal display and resourcefulness, both choral and solo, which allows the texts to blossom into heavenly sounds. Yet Monteverdi's mastery does not stand by itself. In England Peter Philips (1561-1628) and Richard Dering (1580-1630) remained loyal to the Roman Church and subsequently kept in touch with the developing Italian style. There is much in common in the vocal sound world of all three composers. Monteverdi's genius is shown all the more prominently in the company of the great and the innovative.

DISCANTVS an English choir directed by Bruce Ramell, with a repertory of predominantly sacred choral music, explored this idea in a concert delivered within the magnificent spaces of St. John's co-Cathedral, another contemporary of Monteverdi's musical innovations.

The concert was organized by The School of Practical Philosophy with the collaboration of the St. John's Co-Cathedral Foundation, and the kind support of the Malta Tourism Authority, the Malta Council for Culture and the Arts, Air Malta, Clear Dimension, Citadel Insurance, and the sisters, Nina and Lucia Bugeja. The chamber-organ was played by Ramona Zammit-Formosa.