Albert Buttigieg is the bass soloist for the 4th Gloria Music Festival.
He began his musical education at the Johann Strauss School of Music. He also studied vocal technique at the school, as well as at the Opera Studio under Professoressa Dobreva and is presently is under the guidance of Ms Juliette Bisazza Zanni. He has recently obtained his LTCL in Voice performance.
Buttigieg is a regular soloist in recitals and concerts. His performance experience ranges from baroque to contemporary, opera to song. Notwithstanding his varied experiences, sacred music strikes the chord closest to Albert’s heart with the most memorable being Bach’s St Matthew Passion, the Requiem masses of Haydn, Mozart, Verdi, Faure and Durufle as well Handel’s Messiah.
He is an active member of the Valletta International Baroque Ensemble (VIBE), with the most notable performance to date being the Monteverdi Vespers of 1610. He is also a founding member of Cappella Sanctae Catharinae, the only male choir on the island specializing in counter-reformation repertoire.
Stephanie Degiorgio Wismayer is the offical soprano soloist of the Gloria Music Festival.
Stephanie began singing at a very early age, studying with soprano Antionette Miggiani and later joining Amadeus chamber choir under tenor Brian Cefai in December 2002 where she sang her first solo part.
In Malta, Stephanie performed much of her oratorio repertoire in special concerts at Saint John’s Co-Cathedral, the Mdina Cathedral and the Mediterranean Conference Centre. For a Gala Concert at Manoel Theatre, she sang in an operatic programme, “Vincero! From Verdi to Verismo” alongside tenor, Brian Cefai, under the baton of British conductor, Paul Max Edlin. Stephanie was chosen by Anouchka Mukherjee to participate in an international opera workshop for select singers and was then invited by the Swedish vocal coach to participate in a series of concerts in Sweden. Abroad, she also performed in concerts in Cannes, Sicily, Poland, and Czech Republic.
Stephanie Degiorgio Wismayer performs regularly in collective and solo concerts and events. As a truly versatile soprano, her repertoire includes arias from popular operas, including some well known classics, as well as Sacred Music and songs in English from famous Musicals.
In April 2016 she was chosen to sing for the President in a recital.
Stephanie is currently under the tuition and artistic guidance of Juliette Bisazza who is also her mentor.
Graham Kirkland is the organist of the 4th Gloria Music Festival.
Graham was a student at the Northern School of Music Manchester, having been a junior exhibitioner there. He was a pupil of Kendall Taylor for piano and Maurice Clare for violin.
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In 1972 he was awarded the Special Graduate Prize and the Chadwick Cup for performances of piano music by Beethoven.
He was Director of Music at King William’s College from 1976, at Wrekin College Wellington from 1989, Head of Music at QE II High School from 1997 and, until retirement in 2008, Head of Music Service for the island.
He has performed concertos by Mozart, Beethoven and Grieg with the Isle of Man Symphony Orchestra, is an official accompanist for the Manx Music Festival and was the organist and choirmaster at Kirk Braddan.