Gillian Zammit began her vocal training in Malta with Antoinette Miggiani and Paul Asciak and went on to study in Italy with Carlo Bergonzi and Victoria de los Angeles.
Gillian’s operatic repertoire ranges from Baroque to 20th Century opera, and she has worked with many established artists including Joseph Calleja, Eugene Kohn, Emma Kirkby and Placido Domingo.
Gillian is also highly regarded as a recital singer with a varied repertoire of Lieder, Spanish and French song having performed Richard Strauss’ ‘Four Last Songs’ and Berlioz’s Les Nuits d’Ete amongst others. She is also a respected exponent of Baroque music and performs regularly with the Valletta International Baroque Ensemble (VIBE) with whom she has performed in Paris, Madrid, Berlin and Brussels. Gillian is a regular artist in the Valletta International Baroque Festival and has also performed at the Utrecht Early Music Festival in Holland with Cantar Lontano and Marco Mencoboni.
She released her debut solo CD entitled ‘The Love Songs of Paolo Tosti’ with pianist Lucia Micallef which was signed up by UK record label Claudio Records. A more recent recording is ‘Kantilena’ a Cd of art songs and lieder with harpist Britt Arend and cellist Frank Camilleri under the auspices of the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra and Parma Recordings. Gillian has performed in Germany, America, UK, France, Armenia, Holland, Spain and Romania.
Gillian is also very involved in music education and is the musical director of the Joseph Calleja BOV Children’s Choir as well as being the founding musical director of the St. John’s Co-Cathedral Foundation’s Children’s Choir. She also trains local based singers in Baroque technique within the Abos Project for Festivals Malta.
Born in Scotland, trained Glasgow University and Royal College of Music, London.
Directing credits include Peculiars/Club/The Three Sunsets/Rubbish/Hush (TMYT); Pagliacci/Elisir d’amore/Orphee/Dido & Aneas (Teatru Manoel); Elisir d’amore/Lucia di Lammermoor for Belle Ile-en-Mer Opera festival; Ernest and the Pale Moon/Miscast, an A-Typical Cabaret (The Shrinking Violets); The 25 th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Teatru Salesjan); It Teatru tal- Miskin (Saydon Studios); Valeriana, The Titan’s Rock (Festivals Malta).
Co-founder of The Shrinking Violets and Artistic Consultant of the newly launched Opera Nova Project. Recent productions include new musical, Il-Kazin tal-Imqarbin (Saydon Studios) and the musical Dear Evan Hansen (FM Theatre Productions).
Nicole is a performing arts management professional and flautist with extensive experience in both artistic performance and cultural administration. She holds a Master’s Degree in Performing Arts Management from the Accademia Teatro alla Scala in Milan and a Master’s Degree in Flute Performance from the University of Malta under the tutelage of Dr Rebecca Hall and Prof Michael Laus.
Nicole has served as Principal Flute of the Malta Youth Orchestra and, as an Academy Intern second flute and piccolo with the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra. She has performed in numerous symphonic concerts, including The Rite of Spring and The Planets, as well as in the operatic production of Tosca.
In addition to her orchestral work, Nicole has taught flute at various band clubs and local orchestras and worked as a tutor with the Malta Youth Orchestra, nurturing the next generation of flautists. Her performances have taken her across the Maltese Islands and abroad, including the Czech Republic, the United Kingdom, France, Spain and Italy. She participated in masterclasses held by Andrea Kuypers, Othonas Gkogkas, Catherine Zarzo Mooney, Alan Weiss, Robert Winn, Marina Piccinini, Gareth McLeornon, Lisa Nelson, and Snježana Pavićević. She also did two Erasmus exchanges, one in Spain at Conservatorio Adolfo Salazar and at Falmouth University in Cornwall, UK.
As part of her studies at the Accademia Teatro alla Scala, Nicole was selected to join the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City for the 2024–2025 season, where she worked in the Marketing and Press Departments. There, she contributed to marketing strategy, cross-promotions, press relations, and audience development initiatives, while also assisting the Education Department with events and outreach programmes.
Photo: Muriel Steinke┃Met Opera
Nikolai Azzopardi is a Producer, Actor and Theatremaker based in Malta with experience working with the leading companies related to video production and theatre-making on the island.
Being raised in the industry and having worked in it professionally for years, Nikolai’s experience includes being a Producer, Performer, Writer, Director, Stage Manager, Event Organiser, Production Manager and Head of Production. Simply put, he is someone who will get the job done.
Nikolai co-founded Misfit Productions, an online media company. There he fulfilled the role of Head of Production wherein he conceptualised, produced and often participated in a variety of entertaining videos. Most notably he oversaw the productions of The Late Night Show with James Ryder.
Nikolai has completed the B. Theatre (Hons) course from the University of Malta which included an Erasmus experience at the University of the West of Scotland wherein he joined in for the BA Performance course. Additionally, he has earned a distinction in Grade 8 Individual Acting from Trinity College.
Some notable productions Nikolai has worked on, on or off stage, include Blood Brothers, Odd Head’s Residency, Comedy Knights, Drago – It-Tvenvin ta’ “Tornado Tony” and various pantomimes.
In this pivotal stage of his career, Nikolai now seeks to infuse the theatre scene with fresh and captivating productions that resonate with audiences on a profound level. He has done this by launching Nikolai Azzopardi Productions, most know for its 2024 production of The Great Dictator. This ambition, combined with his innovative vision, sets the stage for a thrilling artistic journey.
