Maltese baritone Joseph Lia and Russian organist Irina Rozanova will be giving a highly interesting concert this evening.  The programme includes works by Handel, Bach, Stradella, Pasquini, Durante, Mendelssohn, Messiaen, Franck and Maltese composers Joseph Fenech and Joseph Vella.

Joseph Lia graduated in Music from the University of Malta. Supported by the MGSS, he is furthering his vocal training at the famous St Petersburg State Conservatoire. He is fast making a name for himself, winning competitions both in Russia and Finland and taking part in opera productions in Italy, Russia and his native Malta. He is also an accomplished recitalist, mastering the lieder and oratorio repertoire, earning glowing reports from critics. Joseph has performed in venues of note, namely, the Rachmaninov Hall, the St Petersburg Capella, the Glazunov Hall, and others. He has also sat on the adjudicating panel for the prestigious Shostakovich Competition for two consecutive years and has coached the Gatchina Choir for the 45^th Montreux Choir Competition during which the choir won the coveted ‘Best Interpretation’ Prize. He is fond of his native country and seeks to promote Malta and Maltese composers in his recitals in Russia and, lately, also Rome, with the concert series Musica Melitense.  He is co-founder and international PRO of the newly-formed Malta Art Music Association and with organist Irina Rozanova he is currently recording a CD with the IM Lab Label (St Petersburg) of compositions by Maltese composers.

Irina Rozanova graduated with distinction in pianoforte performance from the prestigious St Petersburg State Conservatoire, specializing also in organ and harpsichord. She is currently furthering postgraduate studies at the famous Tchaikovksy Moscow State Conservatoire, under the tuition of the legendary Aleksey Parshin. Irina is the recipient of numerous competitions, namely, the Bulgarian International Festival-Contest, International Competition ‘Marcello Galanti’ (Rimini), and Organo Duo Competition (Moscow), amongst others. She has also followed master classes given by leading organists, to include Christopher Stembridge, Thierry Escaich, Theo Jellema, Philippe Delacour, and Kati Hämäläinen. Irina has performed extensively, both as a soloist and in various chamber combinations. Apart from her native Russia, she has also toured Finland, the Netherlands and the UK, to include Westminster Cathedral. Her repertoire includes the classic and the modern.  In 2011, together with violinist Ilya Ioffe and cellist Konstantin Kucherov, she recorded a CD of music by Marcel Dupré. She has recorded Boccherini’s Stabat Mater with soprano Nadia Drobysheuskaya and is currently working on another CD with baritone Joseph Lia of music by Maltese composers.