When Malta Philharmonic Orchestra (MPO) CEO Vanessa Mangion watches the orchestra perform, she’s seeing more than just the concert.
“When I sit down for a concert, I know exactly what went into the whole concert, from where it started to the applause of the audience – there’s a huge satisfaction in that,” she said.
Behind the scenes, preparations involve everything from marketing to booking musicians, venues and even instruments – sometimes extending to shipping in Steinway grand pianos for concerto performances, she explained.
The CEO stressed such preparations were only possible due to the work of all the staff: “It’s all about team dynamics… and a lot of work goes into it,” she said.
And Mangion clearly believes that work to be worth it; pointing to the orchestra’s recent performance of Rufus Wainwright’s opera Hadrian at the opening of the Festival dei Due Mondi in Spoleto, Italy, she said the players received a standing ovation for more than five minutes.
“All the musicians had to study hard, so when you see that ovation it’s the peak of satisfaction”.
Mangion was speaking to Times2 for the third of our new interview series, Get to know the MPO, where we speak with members of the orchestra and its staff about their musical journey and role at the ensemble.
Describing her career as a “journey”, Mangion explained she spent 25 years in the public service, ending up as a director at the finance ministry. After the public service, she joined the Manoel Theatre as senior operations manager.
Mangion joined the MPO as CEO in April last year, but the appointment was not her first foray into the classical music world; she first got into music as a teenager, taking violin lessons at the former Johannes Strauss School of Music, now the Malta School of Music in Ħamrun.
She did not continue studying the instrument past adolescence, however, “something I now think was a bad decision”, Mangion reflects.
This early interest in the creative arts continued, however, with the CEO noting she retained “a passion for the performing arts, literature and history” — the latter of which she describes as “culture becoming a narrative”.
Mangion studied history at undergraduate level at the University of Malta before continuing with an MBA in public management.
‘Either you have a passion, or you don’t fit in’
Turning to her team’s work at the MPO, Mangion said her vision for the organisation was “for the administration to go in parallel with the artistic vision but not to be amalgamated into one”.
She described the administration team at the MPO as “very dedicated”, noting several were musicians too. “Either you have passion, or you don’t fit in,” she said.
“I’m in the right place… It’s become part of my life.”
Explaining the process that goes into producing a season of concerts, Mangion said that after the repertoire has been selected by the artistic team, she approaches proposed guest artists and venues to make necessary arrangements.
And there are other considerations, too; Mangion noted that for certain venues, particularly those outside, other factors were at play.
Echoing orchestra leader Marcelline Agius’ words in an earlier Times2 interview about the difficulties of playing outdoors, Mangion noted such environments could prove strenuous to older instruments due to heat and humidity concerns.
“It’s nice having open air concerts, and we have very beautiful venues for that in Malta, but there are logistical difficulties,” she said.
Other challenges included hiring Maltese musicians, she said, noting that while “we’ve got loads of talent here, we do encounter difficulties finding [Maltese] players”.
While acknowledging the orchestra had received some criticism for hiring musicians from outside Malta, Mangion noted “it’s normal,” however, pointing to Maltese musicians joining orchestras in UK cities including London and Liverpool.
Violinist Carmine Lauri, one of Malta’s most prominent musical exports, served as Co-Leader of the London Symphony Orchestra for almost 24 years before his departure in January.
‘Quality and internationalism’
Reflecting on highlights of her time spent in the orchestra so far, Mangion said she had been pleased to see audiences’ reactions to pre-concert talks organised for around 10 of the biggest concerts of the season.
“Audiences remarked it helped them appreciate the music more,” she said, adding the orchestra planned to schedule more talks for next season.
Other highlights include a performance filmed by international classical music-focused TV station Mezzo at St John’s Co-Cathedral, due to be aired next year, and the orchestra’s recent concert of music by George Gershwin, conducted by UK pianist and conductor Wayne Marshall.
Recalling Marshall’s “incredible” improvised extended cadenza – a typically virtuosic solo section of a concerto or other work – Mangion described the pianist as being in a “dream-like state; it was amazing”.
Turning to plans for next season, the programme for which is due to be announced next month, Mangion said the orchestra intends to “maintain the same level of quality and achieve more internationalism”, including a visit from around 25 members of an Austrian conservatoire orchestra.
Beyond its programming aspirations, the CEO said the orchestra and its management were resolute in continuing to push for wider appreciation and deeper understanding of classical repertoire.
“We want to show people that a symphony is not just a collection of notes, and the orchestra is not just a collection of players; they’re both living organisms,” she said.
“The orchestra needs to inspire, promote excellence and preserve culture”.
