A New Year’s toast

The Gaulitanus Choir’s programme of events for the festive season reaches a climax on 1 January, when once more it will musically usher in the New Year with the sixth edition of A New Year’s Toast. This will be held at the Kempinski Hotel San Lawrenz, Gozo, on Sunday, 1 January at 7.45pm. Entrance for the event is free.

As always the chosen programme presents a festive musical repertoire intended to set a positive mood for the year’s start and to offer an ideal way to celebrate the New Year with oomph in a relaxed environment. Hence, some Christmassy numbers, such as the main excerpts from the oratorio The Story of Christmas by American composer Henry Alexander Matthews and a special medley compiled by Colin Attard entitled Ding, dong! The Christmas bells are ringing! will alternate with an extremely bouncy choral selection from Georges Bizet’s great and ever-popular opera Carmen. These vocal numbers will be juxtaposed with a few instrumental excerpts which, together with a few surprises, should further spice up the evening.

As always, the concert will prominently feature the Gaulitanus Choir, its soloists and some guest instrumentalists. Gaulitanus’ resident pianist Stephen Attard will accompany with the choir’s artistic-musical director Colin Attard conducting.

Coming back-to-back with the choir’s very recent and successful concert-tour in Lombardia, Italy, this annual fare, which is supported by the Kempinski Hotel, Bank of Valletta and Playpen, also rounds up the Gaulitanus Choir’s first phase of its 2017-2018 season.