Malta International Organ Festival 25

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Opening Concert – Stabat Mater

20 November • 7:30 PM • St Paul’s Shipwreck Parish, Valletta

The Malta International Organ Festival opens with a poignant sacred programme featuring the full Stabat Mater by Domenico Abos and selected movements from Giovanni Battista Pergolesi, both of whom studied under Francesco Durante in Naples. This rare pairing of Maltese and Italian Baroque masters of the Neapolitan School is brought to life by the Ukrainian choir of the Kiev Baroque Consort, joined by the Malta International Organ Festival String Ensemble and continuo organist Ramona Zammit Formosa under the baton of Italian conductor Nancy Milesis Romano. A beautifully textured opening in one of Valletta’s most historic churches.

Shostakovich, Predecessors & Contemporaries – Solo Organ Concert

28 November • 8:00 PM • St Augustine Parish, Valletta

In honour of the anniversary of Dmitri Shostakovich, acclaimed Russian organist Svetlana Berezhnaya presents a powerful solo recital exploring the musical landscape that shaped, and was shaped by the legendary Soviet composer.

The programme weaves Shostakovich’s own compelling works with pieces by his predecessors and contemporaries, offering a rare glimpse into the rich artistic and emotional depth of 20th-century Russian music. Performed on one of Valletta’s most expressive instruments, this concert promises a stirring journey through intensity, irony, and resilience.

Pipes and Reeds: Organ & Saxophone Concert

5 December • 7:00 PM • Onorati Oratory – Jesuits’ Church, Valletta

A spellbinding evening of instrumental dialogue unfolds as German organist Ralf Borghoff and Italian saxophonist Cesare Travagin craft a vibrant sound world where Baroque colours meet modern improvisation.

The programme is an imaginative mix of original compositions, jazz-influenced works, and spontaneous improvisations, including Jean-Michel Michał’s lyrical Adagio dolcissimo from Back to Bach, and striking excerpts from Pierre Genin’s Spanish-themed Variations and Bolero. Interspersed throughout are moments of pure organ meditation, cantabile lines, and fully improvised duos, trios, and finales, making this concert a rare, genre-defying journey through texture, rhythm, and tone.

Experience the organ and saxophone as you’ve never heard them before: as partners in a creative conversation that feels both ancient and utterly new.

Grand Finale – Organ & Orchestra

7 December • 7:00 PM • Basilica of St Dominic & Our Lady of Porto Salvo, Valletta

The Malta International Organ Festival closes in full symphonic splendour with German conductor Johannes Skudlik and celebrated organist Winfried Lichtscheidel, in a programme that journeys from the Baroque to contemporary brilliance.

The concert opens with Handel’s festive Ouverture from Music for the Royal Fireworks, arranged for organ, before moving into the lyrical and noble sound world of Rheinberger’s Organ Concerto No. 1 in F major, Op. 137, a Romantic masterpiece for organ and orchestra. Vivaldi’s iconic Winter from The Four Seasons appears in a vivid organ transcription, followed by Duruflé’s brilliant and virtuosic Toccata, Op. 5, a towering 20th-century showpiece for organ. The evening then concludes with the energetic and rhythmically charged Organ Concerto No. 3 by contemporary composer Naji Hakim. A thrilling finale of colour, virtuosity, and modern Mediterranean flair.