The St Joseph Band of Ghajnsielem has recently appointed Mro Frankie Debono as its new Musical Director, replacing Mro Sunny Galea who is retiring after 10 years of service to the Band.

The appointment was officially announced after an Extraordinary General Meeting, during which the bandsman, together with the committee and band commission discussed the way forward for the band.

Mro Debono will be assisted by Mro Anthony Galea who was also officially appointed as Assistant Director during the same EGM.

The committee announced that Mro Sunny Galea will be appointed as Honorary Musical Director of the society and a ceremony in his honour will be held in December.

Mro Frankie Debono was born on the 8th of December 1966 in Attard. He received his early music theory and practise with St Joseph Band under Mro Joseph Farrugia when he started practising both the euphonium and violin.

As a promising student, he joined the St Joseph as a bandsmen in 1982 while continuing his studies with Mro Farrugia and later with Mro Joseph N. Sammut.

In 1986 Mro Frankie Debono continued his studies in practice and theory at the ‘Johann Strauss School of Music’ and later at the School of Music in Sannat, Gozo. During the same period he took also private tuition with several musical teaches including Mro Sunny Gale and Mro Mons Martin Portelli.

The St Joseph Band promoted Frankie Debono as Assistant Musical Director in 2001. Four years later, in 2005 Mro Debono was also appointed Assistant Musical Director of Qala’s ‘Ite Ad Joseph’ band and a year later he was promoted as Musical Director of the same band.

His musical contribution in Ghajnsielem was not only limited to his work with the St Joseph Band. In 1993 he was the ‘Matestro di Cappella’ of the Our Lady of Loreto parish church.

Today, Mro Frankie Debono is also musical director of three other churches, the St Anthony’s Church (2001), Qala’s St Joseph Parish Church (2006) and St Paul’s Parish Church in Munxar (2007). Mro Frankie Debono is also the Musical Director of the Ghajnsielem Ensemble Orchestra

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