Gibraltar Classical Music Society launches at City Hall

By Frankie Hatton

The Gibraltar Classical Music Society founded by local musicians, Phillip Borge McCarthy and Anthony Roper de Almeida, launched at City Hall last week.

The Society is founded on the belief that music is meant to be shared and enjoyed by all.

It is dedicated to providing opportunities for amateur musicians to showcase their talents and promote a vibrant classical music community.

Mr Borge McCarthy told the Chronicle the idea was to create a new overarching society or group which includes the two choirs ‘InCantus’ and ‘Harmonic’ who had their own committees.

“We agreed to join the two committees thereby creating the TGCMS,” Mr Borge McCarthy said.

“The choirs still maintain their own identities as performers and our aim is to raise the profile of classical music by performing separately or sometimes together as well as reaching out to schools, colleges in Gibraltar and elsewhere to open this kind of music and other styles of music to more people both young and old.”

“That way if you get one new member and spread the word then the mission of spreading the music and the organisation is accomplished.”

He added the Society hopes to perform and hold concerts to get more people involved.

“At the heart of the TGCMS is a passion for music that transcends skill level,” he said.

“Whether you're a seasoned pianist, a budding singer, or simply someone who appreciates the beauty of classical compositions, there's a place for you here.”

“As an official body we have an umbrella, so to speak, to bring artists together and hopefully they will be more inclined to accept our invitations to perform and collaborate with us in the future.”

“Whether they are instrumentalists, singers, not just choirs or contacts that we have performed with and gotten to know in the past.”

Their first concert will be held in the Alameda Gardens featuring music from modern American composer and educator Dan Forest and each choir will perform pieces on the night.

The Harmonics group perform alongside dancers so their piece ‘the Breath of Life’ will also include six dancers from ‘Movement Collective Gibraltar’.

The TGCMS is funded through ticket sales and sponsorships.

“To put on a concert is expensive and alas a single chair for instance to hire can be £20 so sales and funding are necessary but when people see what we produce and they enjoy it, it is worth every penny they pay for a ticket,” MR Borge McCarthy said.

The committee is comprised of Anthony Roper de Almeida, Samantha Bowling, Bettina Boselli Cary, Christine Vasquez, Cindy Walker, Lydia Griffiths and Phillip Borge McCarthy.

For more information visit their website: www.thegibraltarclassicalmusicsociety.com