Previous Events

After an abundant breakfast, the group left the hotel and went to Hauptplatz by the tram. From there, they took another tram which took the group to Postlingberg which is 30 minutes away from the centre. On the way, one could see the small villages near Linz and the countryside. In Postlingberg, the main attraction is a pilgrim church dedicated to Our Lady. On reaching the church, the choir animated a mass officiated by Can. Joseph Sultana. They performed: ‘Locus iste' (Bruckner), ‘Allelulia' (Gabrieli), ‘O Sacrum Convivium' (Bartolucci), ‘Sanctus' (Zardini), ‘Ave Maria' (Arcadelt). During the communion, Philip Attard played Mozart's ‘Ave Verum' on the saxophone. From on top of Postlingberg a magnificent aerial view of Linz was seen. After this excursion, the group returned to the city centre for lunch. They had the possibility to stroll through their open market where the local produce is on sale. In the afternoon, Silvana Sultana, Stefan Attard and Jonathan Sciberras, together with the cameramen of CVC communications, met the Linz09 Artistic Director, Martin Heller. He gave an interview to the television crew about the fact that this year Linz is the European Cultural City . In the evening, Schola Cantorum Jubilate had its first formal concert in Austria . This was held in the Old Cathedral of Linz which is managed by the Jesuits. Two friendly monks waited for the Maltese group and were very collaborative for the success of the concert. The concert started at 7.30pm. The pieces performed were ‘O Bone Jesu' (Palestrina), ‘Adoramus Te' (Palestrina), ‘Christus Factus' (Debono), ‘Jesu Dulcis Memoria' (Portelli), ‘Locus iste' (Bruckner), ‘O Sacrum Convivium' (Bartolucci), ‘Nadurawk ja Ħobż tas-Sema' (Caruana). While these mentioned pieces were a cappella , the following were accompanied by Alex Vella Gregory on the piano/organ ‘Ave Verum' (Mozart), ‘Jesu Joy of Man's desiring' (J. S. Bach). Marouska Attard interpreted: ‘Sliema' (Portelli), ‘Oh had I Jubal's lyre', from ‘Joshua' (Handel) and ‘Quia respexit', from ‘Magnificat' (Bach). Then it was time for saxophonist Philip Attard's performance. He interepreted ‘Adoration' by Borowski and ‘Allelulia' by Mozart. Both pieces were arranged by C. W. Johnson. The congregation appreciated the concert and had positive comments. As soon as the people left the church, the monks invited the choristers to get to the organ loft to look at the organ which was built by Bruckner himself and on which he used to play. Apart from the thrill of seeing this unique organ, the view from the organ loft was impressive. As a surprise, Rev. Hans Brandl played the organ and Rev. Werner Hebeisen played the harp. To celebrate such an experience, the group went to Hauptplatz and dined in one of its restaurants.