For principal flautist Rebecca Hall, the working environment of the MPO is what sets it apart from other orchestras.
“The rapport of this orchestra is very different – my colleagues tell me this as well, and especially the young ones who come in and have worked with other orchestras before,” she said.
“We deliberately make an effort to ensure that the people who come here, because we’re an island as well, feel supported and nurtured” – something that was not always the case, she recalled.
“There was a time in the very beginning, when it was not always so comfortable to be a foreign player – especially if you were a young woman, it was a challenge. But over the years, we’ve really developed this nurturing capacity within the orchestra”, said Hall.
“We always have each other’s backs.”
Remarking that while the orchestra’s younger players refer to her as “mommy” – a nickname suggesting a maternal presence within the ensemble and a nod to her Canadian roots – Hall joked that although the accolade is “very sweet, I don’t want to be everybody’s mommy; I’ve got two kids of my own”.
The flautist was speaking to Times2 from a blizzard-struck Canada (“a real white Christmas”) over the orchestra’s festive break.
Hall grew up in the country’s Newfoundland province, Canada’s eastmost territory, before continuing her studies in Ontario and Baltimore, US.
Pointing to her strong Irish and English heritage and those cultures’ traditions of “sea shanties, making your own music, singing around the kitchen table and being part of choirs,” she describes a childhood filled with music.
Although her family originally thought she might become a singer – a mantle Hall’s sister has since taken up – when she started playing the flute at around the age of 11, “it was just much more of a natural fit for me”.
While singing is still “very close to my heart, it is not something I do professionally – which is probably a good thing for my colleagues,” she joked.
‘Handsome Maltese man’
Despite her natural affinity for the flute, there was a time when Hall had considered a different career altogether, even going so far as to begin the process of applying to law school, “but it just never felt to be a good fit”.
And although she toyed with the idea of teaching music in a classroom setting, Hall knew she wanted to perform. But opportunities for orchestral musicians back home in Newfoundland were lacking.
“There’s only one orchestra, a community part-time orchestra. So, there wouldn’t have been any employment opportunities there,” she said.
Hall returned to grad school in Baltimore, later taking up a teaching post at a conservatory and freelancing with an orchestra – a life she describes as “settled, but didn’t seem to be quite the perfect fit”.
But then everything changed when she met a “very handsome young Maltese man”, now her husband, following him to Malta and taking up a position in what was then the Manoel Theatre Orchestra – the forerunner to the National Orchestra of Malta, which would later become the MPO.
‘I’m really prepared’
Turning to her day-to-day life as a member of Malta’s philharmonic orchestra, Hall explained that as principal, she is responsible for solos and deciding on the style and sound of the section.
“You also have a big managerial role – so that’s ensuring, first and foremost, that the other people in your section are happy and comfortable.”
Highlighting the orchestra’s busy schedule, Hall emphasised the importance of preparing for concerts in advance, noting that for a concert in mid-January, she began preparations in December.
“I spend three or four hours listening to the music, then the same amount of time or more doing ‘karaoke’ – so, I put the headphones on and play along with a recording of the work, so I know exactly where my part fits. When I come into rehearsal, I’m really prepared,” she said.
‘We desperately need a concert hall’
Between personal practice and rehearsals, Hall is often “shattered” by the end of the day – something she says could be improved by the orchestra having a purpose-built concert hall.
“We practice at the Robert Samut Hall in Floriana, which is not designed for 100 players, so the decibel levels are far above what would be considered to be safe,” she said.
“We have to rehearse with earplugs in, and that way you don’t get a sense of the sound,” Hall explained.
“So, we desperately need a concert hall – not just because we are a good orchestra and people deserve to hear us in a venue with good acoustics, but because we’re damaging ourselves by practicing in the situation we’re in.”
‘The happiest woman on earth’
With the MPO’s repertoire eclectic, ranging from classical to rock due to the orchestra’s varied performance calendar, does Hall have a favourite composer?
“My early training made me fall in love with Mozart; his music is sublime, every line gossamer. Then Brahms would probably be my favourite for big Romantic pieces.”
Recounting a recent performance when an audience member on the front row spent most of the concert on his phone, an act she described as disrespectful to the musicians, Hall emphasised the importance of educating audiences and “bringing them on this journey”.
Reflecting on her recent trip to Canada, Hall recalled a moment early on Christmas Day when she woke early to a snowstorm outside: “I put the tree on, looked at the snow, and in that moment with my Canadian and Maltese families with me, I thought: ‘I’m the happiest woman on earth’”.
Read the previous interviews in the series by James Cummings here.