The MPO Internship Programme – nurturing musical talent
First-hand experience is a key part of training for any aspiring young musician. Encouragement towards a professional, musical career is also crucial. This is only the tip of the iceberg of what the MPO Internship Programme promises.
28 interns have now benefitted from the programme since it kicked off in 2016. Every year since then, a call for interns is issued by the MPO, open to musicians who are members of the Malta Youth Orchestra (MYO). Promising candidates are selected through auditions, panelled by all section leaders from the MPO, the MYO Artistic Director and a creative consultant. In itself, this too prepares the prospective interns for auditions that might come their way in the future.
Indeed, as the MPO is also responsible for the training and professional development of the next generation of Maltese musicians, providing such experiences incentivises the emergence of upcoming talent. Successful candidates have access to opportunities which enrich their careers, including one-to-one mentorship with relative section leaders, masterclasses with world renowned tutors, chamber music opportunities and performing alongside the MPO.
In a recent interview for Encore magazine, current members and alumni of the Internship Programme shared some insight as to the different values interning with the orchestra continued to equip them with. Teamsmanship, the responsibility of being an orchestral musician as well as the consistency and dedication required to keep quality of performance at its highest during long rehearsal hours were mentioned by the immensely motivated young musicians full of energy.
During the 2020/2021 Concert Season, the MPO had five interns within its ranks: Kurt Falzon, Daniel Xuereb, Clara Galea, Michael Cutajar and Jean Pierre Cassar. With the MPO reaching 5.2m unique followers in three months, the interns also had the opportunity of being a part of an ongoing digital transformation. Shifting to audio-visual recordings of around 17 productions which had over 384,000 views as well as a number of ongoing audio-visual recitals recorded professionally for digital distribution – is a hearty learning experience in itself.
As auditions for the MYO close on 12 July, the potential of emerging talent surfacing and developing, being further nurtured through the Internship Programme, continues to feed into the orchestra’s objective of ‘preparing today’s musicians for tomorrow’s orchestra’.
