This evening’s concert sees the close of the mini-series of Baroque concerts we organized within the larger framework of the Victoria International Arts Festival. Once more, this project has been most successful and patrons have enjoyed the variety of concerts put on and diverse aspects of Baroque music reflected in the programmes presented.

The closing concert this evening features one of Italy’s foremost organists, Gianluca Libertucci, who has held the prestigious post of organist at St Peter’s Basilica, Rome. Together with leading trumpeter Carmelo Fede, the programme promises to be a very exciting one with pieces by Clarke (to include the famous ‘Trumpet Voluntary’), Kerll, Vivaldi, Corelli, Haydn, Moretti and Handel, apart from a wonderful anonymous Spanish work.

Gianluca Libertucci is one of Italy’s foremost organists, with high-profile positions such as at St Peter’s Basilica, Rome. He graduated in organ performance and composition with full honours from the Conservatorio Benedetto Marcello, Venice, following postgraduate studies at the famous Conservatorio di Santa Cecilia, Rome. He has followed numerous master classes and has performed extensively both as a soloist and in chamber formations. Performances have taken him all over Europe, the U.S.A. and the Far East. He has also performed organ concertos with the Orchestra del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino and the orchestra of the Teatro dell’Opera, Rome. Gianluca has had the signal honour of being the first organist to perform on the new grand organ at the auditorium of the Istituto Musicale Vincenzo Bellini, Catania, and has also been the chief co-ordinator in the restoration of the prestigious eighteenth-century organ housed at the Benedictine Abbey of San Nicolò, Catania. He has also carried out restoration projects on organs at St Peter’s Basilica, Rome, and in 2002 was one of the organists who performed in an inaugural concert on the new organ at the Sistine Chapel. In 2008 he presided over the adjudicating panel that oversaw the prestigious Organ Competition Soli Deo Gloria that took place in the magnificent Catholic Cathedral, Moscow. Gianluca has recorded numerous CDs under the labels Edizioni Libreria Vaticana and Multimedia San Paolo, featuring music by Mgr Giuseppe Liberto, ex-maestro di cappella of the Cappella Musicale Pontificia Sistina.

Carmelo Fede graduated with full honours from the Istituto Musicale Pareggiato Vincenzo Bellini, Catania, and is also an award winner of numerous competitions. He has attended master classes with M. André, E.H. Tarr, B. Nilsson, G. Bodanza, P. Thibaud, T. Docksitzer and others. He followed postgraduate studies at the famous Conservatoire de Versailles, tutored by R. Delmotte and also graduated with distinction in Trumpet performance at the Conservatorio Statale Arcangelo Corelli, Messina.  Carmelo is very much in demand as a concert player and his performing career takes him to the major cities in Europe and the Far East. He is also an avid chamber music performer, equally versatile in the Baroque repertoire as well as the modern and contemporary, to include works by Poulenc, Hindemith and others. He has performed as a soloist with the Orchestra Sinfonica dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, Rome. Carmelo is Professor of Trumpet at the Istituto Musicale Pareggiato Vincenzo Bellini, Catania, and is the first Trumpet of the Orchestra del Teatro Massimo Bellini, Catania.

The concert will be held at St George’s Basilica and starts at 8pm. Don’t miss!!