The Aurora Opera House in Victoria, the seat of the Leone Philharmonic Society in Victoria, is this year celebrating its 50th anniversary with various events, the first of which will be a tribute to its historic contribution to cinema heritage.
Aurora Resounds, an evening of film music by the Leone Band and conductor Colin Attard, is being held on January 24 at 8pm. Besides masterpieces from the history of film, the event will feature a display of cinema machinery, memorabilia, archive footage and interviews.
The Aurora administration is also calling on all those who have a story to share about the Aurora, to establish contact and contribute to an extraordinary collection of stories being compiled about the place, its people and its guests. Stories are welcomed in writing on teatruaurora@leone.org.mt or by appointment on+356 7904 5779.
The former Royal Talkies
The Aurora Opera House, established in 1976, carries the name and the legacy of a former Aurora (1963), the outright foremost cinema on the island.
The first Aurora itself carried the torch of a former Royal Talkies, the first ever talkies in Gozo, opened on January 5, 1931. It ran silent movies shows every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday for four years, until Two Hearts in Waltztime became the first ever talking movie screened on the island in January 1935.
To the Aurora are credited the glorious days of cinema in Gozo. As cinema technology became more advanced and sophisticated, the Aurora stopped functioning as a cinema in 1997. Yet, with two pairs of fully functioning projectors, the theatre stands as a sanctuary of cinema heritage on the island.
First of many events
Aurora Resounds is the opening event of the 2026-2027 50th anniversary special season celebrating the 50 years of Aurora (1976) and opera in Gozo (1977). It is organised by the Leone Philharmonic Society and the Aurora Opera House, supported by the Cultural Heritage Directorate within the Ministry for Gozo and Planning. Entrance is free of charge. Reservations are recommended.
Other events in the season, for which tickets are already out on sale include the opera La Traviata, on October 17. Tickets are available from +356 7904 5779 or www.teatruaurora.com, or teatruaurora@leone.org.mt.
