OUR PHILHARMONIC BAND
ABOUT US
The Soċjeta’ Filarmonika L-Unjoni is a registered voluntary organisation established way back in 1880 by Mro. Vincenzo Camilleri together with the help of his sons Ferdinando and Gavino. The main purpose of the establishment of the Society was to provide music education to the villagers, children and adults alike, and subsequently to provide music entertainment in the various relevant occasions.
Throughout its existence the Soċjeta’ Filarmonika L-Unjoni had the honour of engaging some of the finest musical directors of the island. Worth mentioning are Gavino and Ferdinando Camilleri, Prof. Gaetano Grech, Mro. Orlando Crescimanno, Mro. Joseph Abela Scolaro and Prof. Charles E. Zammit. As from the year 2010, Mro. John D. Zammit is the Musical Director of the Society’s Band.
Annual Appointments
Apart from its commitments during the village feast and musical services held annually in various localities around Malta and Gozo, the Soċjeta’ Filarmonika L-Unjoni has been hosting an annual symphonic concert as from the mid 1980’s. It was an initiative of Prof. Mro. Charles E. Zammit, musical director at the time, to start holding an annual symphonic concert in an established theatre. This initiative served to boost the reputation of our Society and, at the same time, offered its musicians the opportunity to expose their talents in a setting which, at the time, was more associated with orchestras rather than village bands. We are proud to say that we were one of the pioneering philharmonic societies to hold symphonic concerts in some of the main theatres around the island such as the Catholic Institute Theatre Metanoia Theatre in Luqa, the Mediterranean Conference Centre and the Teatru Manoel.
Visits Abroad
In November 1997 the L-Unjoni Band travelled to Amalfi, Italy where, apart from taking part during the feast of St. Andrew, it held a concert in a Church in the town of Scala and also played in Sala Nervi at the Vatican during an audience with Pope John Paul II.
In December 2018, our Band was invited to hold a concert at the Palazzo Reale (Palazzo dei Normanni), the building that houses the Sicilian Regional Assembly (ARS). This concert was held at the Sala Gialla under the patronage of the President of Parliament Gianfranco Miccichè. During its visit the committee and band members had also a courtesy visit at the Municipio of Palermo where they were received by LeoLuca Orlando, the Mayor of Palermo.
Recent Projects
The year 2004 proved to be a memorable one for our Society. On April, 24, the L-we hosted a musico-literary academy at the Luqa Parish Church and, under the baton of Prof. Mro. Charles E. Zammit, performed two musical works composed by the late Mro. Joseph Abela Scolaro; Hymnus in Divum Andream Apostolum and the Vexilla Regis. For the same occasion our Band collaborated with the Chorus Urbanus, directed by Mro. John Vella and also with tenor Brian Cefai and baritone Alfred Farrugia.
Worth also mentioning is the concert held on 1st April 2017, again at Luqa’s Parish Church, entitled ‘Tristis Est Anima Mea’, which featured sacred music from different eras, with the participation of the Coro Bel Canto.
Another thematic successful concert was held on 21st April 2018 at the courtyard of the San Anton Palace which focused on music penned for the film industry. This concert, entitled ‘Movies at the Palace’, attracted an audience of over 700 persons. Another similar concert, entitled ‘Movies in Concert’ was held at the Mediterranean Conference Centre in 2019, with the audience reaching 1,400 persons.
Other Aspects of Our Society
part from the musical aspect that our Society proudly passed on to all generations, innovative
Apart from the musical aspect, our Society is also one of the organisers of the village feast held in Luqa in honour of St Andrew the Apostle. Our Society has a number of sub-committees to help in organising these outdoor festivities such as the St Andrew’s Fireworks Factory, the Street Decorations Team and Youth Section. Apart from these the Society has a group of female enthusiasts, a Media Team, a Kids Club and a also its radio station, Radju Sant’ Andrija which is active during the month of the village festa.
