Programme

R. Hahn (1874 – 1947)                          7 Chansons Grises

C. Debussy (1862 – 1918)                    Prelude no. 11 (‘La dansee de Puck’)

                                                              Prelude no. 12 (‘Minstrels’)

H. Berlioz (1803 – 1869)                       Les Nuits d’été op. 7

Stanley Portelli is a lawyer by profession. He first started involving himself in music as choir member of Schola Cantorum Jubilate in Gozo, and the Co-Catherdal Choir in Valletta. Since July 2017, he formed part of the Monteverdi Project, today the Abos Project, which has the aim of training singers in ensemble work and Baroque vocal and musical techniques. His repertoire includes choral and solo pieces by Claudio Monteverdi, Orlando di Lasso, Bartolomeo Barbarino, and other sixteenth- to eighteenth-century composers. In the operatic sphere, he has performed in productions at the Manoel Theatre, Valletta. Stanley Portelli is currently studying with Soprano Gillian Zammit, and also attends the Opera Nova Project, where he has the opportunity to further his studies in classical voice and performance, and attending master classes with Hedwig Fassbender, Paul McNamara, Claire Debono, Joyce Fieldsend, and Tatiana Lisnic.

Christine Zerafa is a Maltese pianist who has appeared as a soloist and chamber musician in various international venues including the Royal Festival Hall, Wigmore Hall, Cadogan Hall, and Queen Elizabeth Hall, amongst others.

Most recently she was made an Associate of the Royal Academy of Music, an honour in recognition of her significant contribution to the music profession. A multi-award winner, Christine has frequently been invited as a visiting staff pianist at the Royal College of Music, and the Royal Academy of Music. She gained a Master of Music in solo performance from the Royal Northern College of Music where she studied with Norma Fisher and Paul Janes, after which she moved on to study with Andrea Lucchesini at the Scuola di Musica di Fiesole, Florence. She subsequently read for a Master of Music degree in piano accompaniment, which she completed with distinction at the Royal Academy of Music under the tuition of Michael Dussek, Malcolm Martineau and Ian Brown. She has recently completed her PhD at the Royal Academy of Music.