The Malta Independent on Sunday
The magic of Vocal Aid
Roberta Micallef On 1 and 2 June, Stage Coach students will fill the Mediterranean Conference centre with magic of Vocal Aid 2018, a production that brings together all the students for a massive performance in aid of a charity. This year the proceeds will go to Hospice Malta, a charity close to the production team’s hearts. This newsroom spoke with Principal of Stage Coach Edward Mercieca and Event Coordinator Maxine Aquilina, who told us a little bit about the mechanics behind Vocal Aid 2018.
Maxine Aquilina is in charge of making sure that everything plays out smoothly; from production week to rehearsals, to dress rehearsals and ultimately the final performance. The production displays the talent of 800 Stage Coach students, whose ages vary from 4 to 16 years. One can only imagine the elaborate organisation that Mercieca and Aquilina along with the rest of their Stage Coach team go through, prior to and during the performance.
Vocal Aid brings together Stage Coach groups from different schools. Rehearsals take place during their weekly classes; however, in recent weeks they have also been rehearsing on Saturday’s and Sunday’s in order to be stage ready for the upcoming performance.
Each individual in the production team “pulls their weight in equal ways” Aquilina said, emphasising the fact that no one person has a specific role –everybody works together. With almost 500 students being on the stage in Act 1, the team has had to orchestrate the entire thing by dressing the students in their specific group colours and wristbands. Aquilina added that she absolutely loves the madness of it all. The curtain drops and her body goes into autopilot, somehow managing to organise 800 students into a seemingly effortless performance on stage.
Stage Coach has been doing Vocal Aid since 2004, learning from each performance. This year, the repertoire is a collection of both modern and old musical numbers. Each Vocal Aid production is different, as one would expect, however the magic that the children bring to the stage remains unparalleled. Mercieca and Aquilina both acknowledged the undeniable talent of their students – comparing it to magic. An enormous stage like MCC which is difficult to fill is no challenge for the students, they simply walk on stage and “the crowd bursts into spontaneous applause,” Mercieca said, all eyes are on them.
Mercieca voiced his pride in this project by calling it “a musical extravaganza”. Being one of the largest children’s choir in Malta, the production is a spectacle without frivolous things like costumes and props, just the children on stage – performing. The production has continued to challenge itself each year, improving on its already high quality. Mercieca owes this to Stage Coach’s capable artistic directors Denise Mulholland and Cathy Lawler, who also conduct the 46 year olds, which is a challenge in itself.
Mercieca said that a production like vocal aid is “all about the ethos”. Giving the proceeds to a charity like Hospice Malta teaches Stage Coach students the importance of giving back to society.
Attending Vocal Aid means a fun evening full of entertaining family friendly performances, all the while benefitting the incredible cause that is Hospice Malta. For tickets visit mcc.com.mt