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This year, a special jubilee is being celebrated at Ta’ Pinu National Shrine. It is the 125th anniversary of the Calling of Our Lady to Carmela Grima and Frangisk Portelli. On Thursday the 19th June there will be an organ recital ‘Sing to the Lord a new song’ (Psalm 98,1).

For this occasion, a new organ was installed as the existing one was beyond restoration. The Johannus-Monarke organ comes from the Netherlands and is the product of designers together with musicians and sound engineers. Since 1980, Monarke have been developing electronic church organs. They started creating an affordable alternative to the costly pipe organ without compromising the sound.

The recital will commence at 7pm at the Ta’ Pinu National Shrine in Gharb, Gozo. Dr. Hugo Agius Muscat M.D., M.Sc., L.R.S.M. will perform various pieces during the soiree. Among the pieces to be performed will be Bach, Vierne, Boëllmann and Demessieux. The organist will also accompany Dorianne Portelli who will interpret Caccini’s ‘Ave Maria’. Dr. Agius Muscat is the organist at St. Paul ‘s Anglican Pro-Cathedral, Valletta and also choirmaster of the St. Paul ‘s Choral Society. The evening includes two pieces by another Organist, Robert Buhagiar, who was greatly involved in selecting and installing this new organ.

At the conclusion of the performance, there will be the official opening of the Hall, part of the Ta’ Pinu Complex. This Hall hosts a permanent exhibition with drawings by Emvin Cremona. These are the original paintings which were replaced by the mosaics, bearing the same images, and can now be seen in the church. The paintings were restored by Mr. Godwin Cutajar. In November 2001, his restoration work was recognised by the Forum Interart Gallery in Rome, and was awarded the ‘Gladiatore d’Oro.’ The preservation of this national heritage was possible thanks to the sponsorship of BOV. The hall will be opened by Mr. Chalmers, the BOV Chairman.

The evening is open for all to attend and the entrance is free. The event is being held with the collaboration of Schola Cantorum Jubilate.

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