During the Lenten period, The Oratories at The Jesuits Church Foundation are offering a cultural programme that brings together art, academia, and spirituality. The programme provides special focus on women as we celebrate female contributions to history, music, and religion.
The first event for March is a special musical collaboration with Opera Nova on Thursday, 6th March at 7:30pm. The evening will be dedicated to German lieder, with sopranos Dorothy Bezzina and Mardy Farrugia and tenor Tom Armitage accompanied by Elaine Mercieca. The programme includes works by Schubert, Schumann, and Strauss.
The Oratories will also present a lecture on Saturday, 8th March at 5pm as part of International Women’s Day by Prof. Valerie Visanich. The lecture, titled ‘Reframing the Gaze: Women’s Representations & Contestations in Popular Culture’, will discuss representations of women in contemporary culture. Another event will follow on Thursday, 13th March at 6:30pm with a lecture on Catherine de Medici, the powerful 17th century Queen of France, by Prof. Céline Borello from the University of Le Mans. This lecture will be in French, but slides will be presented in English.
On Sunday, 16th March, between 3pm and 6pm, the Oratories will be open for guided visits by Pietre Vive. This is a unique opportunity to explore the Oratories from an artistic and spiritual perspective. The tours are free, and no booking is required, however, the guided visits are offered on a ‘first come, first served’ basis.
On Thursday, 20th March at 7:30pm, an event will be held with The Visions of St Mary Magdalene de Pazzi, combining literature, theatre and spirituality. St Mary Magdalene de Pazzi was a 16th century Italian Carmelite mystic whose visions were documented by her fellow sisters. Actress Sharon Bezzina, under the direction of Joseph Galea, will reinterpret one of her visions relating to Christ’s Passion in a site-specific performance. The evening will be introduced with a short talk by Rev. Prof. Charlo Camilleri O.Carm. Although the event is free, numbers are limited, so booking is encouraged by sending an email to [email protected]. This event is in Maltese.
The final event of the month will be on Thursday 27th March at 7:30pm with a voice, flute and harp recital. Alexandra Scicluna (mezzo soprano), Clara Galea (flute), and Anne Marie Camilleri Podestà (harp) present a programme of meditative French music that includes rarely heard works by Nadia & Lili Boulanger.
All of the events on the programme are held at the former Jesuit Oratories in Valletta, and are free of charge, but donations are welcome. Apart from the cultural programme, regular liturgical services are held at The Oratories. For further details, check out the social media pages of The Jesuits’ Church Foundation.