Malta International Organ Festival
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      • Petra Veenswijk
      • Kristina Vilotševa
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      • Brendan Ball
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      • Maurice Clerc
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      • Luca Magni
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      • Martino Pòrcile
      • Giuliana Maccaroni
      • Hugo Agius Muscat
      • Julian Mallek
      • Zita Nauratyill
      • Joseph Lia
      • Wayne Marshall
      • Aare Tammesalu
      • Andres Uibo
      • Mark Vassallo
      • Daniel Zaretskiy
      • Dominika Zamara
    • Artists 2016 >
      • Piret Aidulo
      • Geoffrey Alvarez
      • Dominique Aubert
      • Heribert Breuer
      • Roberta Bugeja
      • Dion Buhagiar
      • SIlvia Di Falco
      • Giesme Choir
      • Diego Cannizzaro
      • Joseph Caruana
      • Marco D'Avola
      • Philippe Emmanuel Haas
      • Yfke Hoogevee
      • Joseph Lia
      • Yaroslav Mikulkho
      • Alexandra Orlova
      • Elena Sartori
      • Christian Schmitt
      • Aare Tammesalu
      • Andres Uibo
      • Erwin Wiersinga
      • Daniel Zaretskiy
    • Artists 2015 >
      • Aare Tammesalu
      • Adriano Morea
      • Andres Uibo
      • Ciricino Micheletto
      • Daniel Zaretskiy
      • Denis Kasparovitch
      • Diego Cannizzaro
      • Erwin Wiersinga
      • Evgenia Krivitskaia
      • George Devdariani
      • Gianluca Libertucci
      • Gianpiero Cristaldi
      • James Ham
      • Joseph Caruana
      • John Aquilina
      • John Galea
      • Joseph Lia
      • Maria Lyudko
      • Mari-Liis Uibo
      • Olga Makarina
      • Roberto Rigo
      • Simone Vebber
      • Vladimir Suzdalevich
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      • Alfred Fenech
      • Anastasia Bogacheva
      • Dion Buhagiar
      • Dmitry Banaev
      • Elena Yaskunova
      • Francesca Farrugia
      • Graziella Debattista
      • Irina Rozanova
      • Malta Police Band
      • Vladimir Shliapnikov
      • Wayne Marshall
  • Venues
    • St Francis of Assisi Church, Valletta
    • Our Lady of Victories, Valletta
    • St. Paul's Anglican Pro- Cathedral, Valletta
    • Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish Church, Fontana Gozo
    • Annunciation of Our Lady Parish Church, Balzan
    • St. John's Co-Cathedral Oratory, Valletta
    • St. Cajetan Parish Church, Hamrun
    • St Julian's Parish Church, St Julian's
    • Gozo Cathedral, Cittadella, VIctoria, Gozo
    • Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish Church, Balluta
    • Jesus of Nazareth Chapel, Xagħra, Gozo
    • Annunciation Parish Church (Rotunda), Mosta
    • St. Paul's Metropolitan Cathedral, Mdina
    • St John of the Cross Parish Church, Ta'Xbiex
    • St. Augustine Church, Valletta
    • St Nicholas Parish Church, Siġġiewi
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    • Our Lady of Ta' Pinu Sanctuary, Gozo
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20th November till 7th December 2021

St. John's   Co-Cathedral, Valletta

About the Organ

Picture
This organ is one of the finest pipe-organ in the Maltese Islands. Built by the Italian firm Mascioni in 1960, in collaboration with organ consultant Ralph Downes, it is not just the largest pipe-organ in the Maltese Islands, but it  is reknowned for its particular timbre and tonal character. Yet its value is not limited to its tonal assets - the construction and mechanisms of the organ are a work of art in themselves, and were all handcrafted by Mascioni. The organ has 3 manuals and pedals and its 33 stops speak from 4 distinct locations - the Great, Pedal and Positiv are located in the two historic organ cases, a 'choir' section is located behind the main altar, and the Swell is behind the choir stalls on the right side of the main altar. The organ was overhauled by the Mascioni firm in collaboration with Ing. Robert  Buhagiar in 2011. All the original mechanisms of the organ were retained and restored.

History

Picture
St. John's Co-Cathedral was commissioned in 1572 by Jean de la Cassière, Grand Master of the Order of St. John.] It was initially named, in the Italian common language of the time, as Chiesa Conventuale di San Giovanni Battista. The church was designed by the Maltese architect Girolamo Cassar, who was also responsible for the construction of many important buildings in Valletta. It is held that Cassar went to Rhodes to bring a plan of an already existing church with the exact role of St. John's, that was by then converted to a Mosque, to use it as a model for the present Con-Cathedral. However Cassar still took decisions over the final design and made modifications, and thus being the sole architect of the Con-Cathedral. Once St. John's was completed in 1577, it became the new conventual church of the Order instead of St. Lawrence's Church in the Order's former headquarters Birgu. Construction of the oratory and sacristy began in 1598, during the magistracy of Martin Garzez, and they were completed by Grand Master Alof de Wignacourt in 1604. 
​
For the first century of its existence, the church's interior was modestly decorated. However, in the 1660s, Grand Master Raphael Cotoner ordered the redecoration of the interior so as to rival the churches of Rome. Calabrian artist Mattia Preti was in charge of the embellishment, and effectively completely transformed the interior in the Baroque style. In 1748, Grand Master António Manoel de Vilhena built annexes on the side of the cathedral. 

St. John's remained the conventual church of the Order until the latter was expelled from Malta with the French occupation in 1798.] Over time, the church grew to equal prominence with the archbishop's cathedral at Mdina. In the 1820s, the Bishop of Malta was allowed to use St John's as an alternative see and it thus formally became a Co-Cathedral 

Picture
  • Home
  • Register
  • Programme
    • Programme 2021
    • Programme 2020
    • Programme 2019
    • Programme 2018
    • Programme 2017
    • Programme 2016
    • Programme 2015
  • Artists
    • Artists 2020 >
      • Lisa Bini
      • David Boldrini
      • Felicitas Brunke
      • Jason Camilleri
      • Franco Cefai
      • Ansgar Gescher
      • Lukas Hasler
      • Joseph Lia
      • Elizaveta Lobanova
      • Luca Magni
      • Wayne Marshall
      • Natalia Rakhmatulina
    • Artists 2019
    • Artists 2018 >
      • Gail Archer
      • Dmitry Banaev
      • Giacomo Benedetti
      • Alesandro Bianchi
      • Diego Cannizzaro
      • Reggie Clews
      • Marco D'Avola
      • Dina El
      • Sandro Gori
      • Jurgen Grima
      • Petr Ilyash
      • Stefano Molardi
      • Marco Lo Muscio
      • Olga Makarina
      • Mariella Mochi
      • Sergio Orabona
      • Neils Pfeffer
      • Irina Rozanova
      • Christian Schmitt
      • Daniela Tremaroli
      • Simone Valeri
      • Petra Veenswijk
      • Kristina Vilotševa
    • Artists 2017 >
      • Brendan Ball
      • Riccardo Bianchi
      • Ka Bo Chan
      • Franco Cefai
      • Maurice Clerc
      • David Davies
      • Marco D'Avola
      • Semjon Kalinowsky
      • Luca Magni
      • Gaulitanus Choir
      • Taras Baginets
      • Martino Pòrcile
      • Giuliana Maccaroni
      • Hugo Agius Muscat
      • Julian Mallek
      • Zita Nauratyill
      • Joseph Lia
      • Wayne Marshall
      • Aare Tammesalu
      • Andres Uibo
      • Mark Vassallo
      • Daniel Zaretskiy
      • Dominika Zamara
    • Artists 2016 >
      • Piret Aidulo
      • Geoffrey Alvarez
      • Dominique Aubert
      • Heribert Breuer
      • Roberta Bugeja
      • Dion Buhagiar
      • SIlvia Di Falco
      • Giesme Choir
      • Diego Cannizzaro
      • Joseph Caruana
      • Marco D'Avola
      • Philippe Emmanuel Haas
      • Yfke Hoogevee
      • Joseph Lia
      • Yaroslav Mikulkho
      • Alexandra Orlova
      • Elena Sartori
      • Christian Schmitt
      • Aare Tammesalu
      • Andres Uibo
      • Erwin Wiersinga
      • Daniel Zaretskiy
    • Artists 2015 >
      • Aare Tammesalu
      • Adriano Morea
      • Andres Uibo
      • Ciricino Micheletto
      • Daniel Zaretskiy
      • Denis Kasparovitch
      • Diego Cannizzaro
      • Erwin Wiersinga
      • Evgenia Krivitskaia
      • George Devdariani
      • Gianluca Libertucci
      • Gianpiero Cristaldi
      • James Ham
      • Joseph Caruana
      • John Aquilina
      • John Galea
      • Joseph Lia
      • Maria Lyudko
      • Mari-Liis Uibo
      • Olga Makarina
      • Roberto Rigo
      • Simone Vebber
      • Vladimir Suzdalevich
    • Artists 2014 >
      • Alfred Fenech
      • Anastasia Bogacheva
      • Dion Buhagiar
      • Dmitry Banaev
      • Elena Yaskunova
      • Francesca Farrugia
      • Graziella Debattista
      • Irina Rozanova
      • Malta Police Band
      • Vladimir Shliapnikov
      • Wayne Marshall
  • Venues
    • St Francis of Assisi Church, Valletta
    • Our Lady of Victories, Valletta
    • St. Paul's Anglican Pro- Cathedral, Valletta
    • Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish Church, Fontana Gozo
    • Annunciation of Our Lady Parish Church, Balzan
    • St. John's Co-Cathedral Oratory, Valletta
    • St. Cajetan Parish Church, Hamrun
    • St Julian's Parish Church, St Julian's
    • Gozo Cathedral, Cittadella, VIctoria, Gozo
    • Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish Church, Balluta
    • Jesus of Nazareth Chapel, Xagħra, Gozo
    • Annunciation Parish Church (Rotunda), Mosta
    • St. Paul's Metropolitan Cathedral, Mdina
    • St John of the Cross Parish Church, Ta'Xbiex
    • St. Augustine Church, Valletta
    • St Nicholas Parish Church, Siġġiewi
    • Xewkija Parish Church, Gozo
    • Our Lady of Ta' Pinu Sanctuary, Gozo
  • Masterclasses
  • Competition
    • Competition 2021
    • Competition 2019
  • Contact
  • News
  • New Page