Founder & Director
Hailing from the city of Vittoriosa, Sr Beniamina, baptized Marion, is the eldest amongst 5 daughters and a son born to Carmelo and Ines née Calleja. The Portelli family had to take refuge in Siggiewi during the ravaging years of World War II.
Sr Beniamina started her religious life with the Augustinian nuns at the age of sixteen years. The beginning of her musical studies goes back eleven years earlier, that is, when she was only five years old. Sr Beniamina pursued her studies with Sr Teresina Saliba and conducted her finals and LRSM under the guidance of Ms Bascetta.
Being a strong believer in the constant need to pursue educational activities, Sr Beniamina attended various courses both abroad and in Malta. Worth mentioning are: the Vatican City in connection with choral singing (1953); Derbyshire regarding professional music teaching (1964); Harrogate for choral direction (1983); the London Royal Schools of Music with Mr A Kelly (1985); Edinburgh and London with EPTA (1993) and an LLCM for choral direction for which she was awarded the Society of Music Medal, having been the first successful candidate worldwide.
In the early 1950s, Sr Beniamina spent a year teaching music in Rome. On her return to Malta, she was immediately involved in music teaching. Being an enthusiastic and energetic person, she tried to broaden her students’ horizons by encouraging their involvement in a wider musical spectrum. She began to organize end-of-year concerts so that the students could experience different dimensions of music, such as dancing, choral singing and the setting up of an accordion band.
This has been recognized by institutions and authorities alike. In September 2000, the Mosta Local Council conferred upon Sr Beniamina “Gieh il-Mosta”, an honorary tribute, and in November of the same year, she was awarded the Society Music Medal by the Council of Arts, Manufacture and Commerce. On 13 December 2003 at the Grandmaster's Palace in Valletta, the then President of the Republic Profs. Guido de Marco, decorated Sr Beniamina with “Midalja ghall-Qadi tar-Repubblika”, a medal which is part of The National Order of Merit, in appreciation of her incessant efforts to promote music and the establishment of the renowned St Monica Choir.
Through her teaching, local music is indebted to Sr Beniamina for having had such students as composer Ray Agius, virtuoso pianists Mark Darnford and Stefan Cassar who also teaches music in France, John Attard who teaches music in Austria and Fr Aurelio Mule’ Stagno who obtained a distinction in all his examinations and is presently studying abroad. Others include Claire Massa, Simone Attard and Maureen Galea who graduated from the University of Malta. Claire is an established contralto solosit whilst Simone, a teacher at the Johann Strauss School of Music, is very much sought after both for choral teaching and direction as well as a musician. Maureen is pursuing her studies in the United Kingdom after having been awarded a scholarship in Florence.
Read more about this topic: St Monica Choir, Sr Beniamina Portelli
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