During the first months of 2026, Festgħana invited participants training for Għannejja Ġodda (New Folk Singers). The project was led by Alexander Vella Gregory, with the participation of Karol and Jorge Aquilina of Nofsillejl.
On the first evening of Festgħana, audiences will hear some of the participants who trained in għana tal-fatt perform a selection of verses from the large body of għana tal-fatt collected during the 20th century.
This project was carried out in collaboration with Spazju Kreattiv, the Port Region, the Western Regional Council, and RIDT.
About the Team:
Alex Vella Gregory
Alexander Vella Gregory was born in Malta in 1984. He studied piano with Paul Borg and Joanne Camilleri, and obtained a Fellowship of the London College of Music (FLCM) diploma in 2013. In 2002, he won the Ian Tomlin Napier/Malta Music Scholarship which enabled him to pursue a B.Mus(Hons) degree in composition at the Ian Tomlin School of Music, Edinburgh Napier University, where he graduated in July 2006 with honours. Alexander is active as a composer, performer, and teacher. His works have been performed in Malta, London, Berlin, Paris, Edinburgh, Vienna, Frankfurt, Prague, Lisbon, Finland, Armenia, Bulgaria, and the USA. His works are published by United Music Publishers. Alexander is also an active researcher and has worked with the Notarial Archives Resource Centre in Valletta (Parallel Existences, Kite Publications, 2018) and The Lost Voices Songbook (Filfla Records, 2021). Recent research projects include Ritwali (2021), a research project on ritual in Malta, and Minn Fuq l-Ispalla (2021), a project on rhyming verses within the festa ritual in Malta, in conjunction with the Department of Maltese within the University of Malta. He is currently working on a research project with the Notarial Archives Foundation on recycled 16th century liturgical manuscripts at the Notarial Archives in Valletta. In 2022 he also published his first volume of poetry, titled Codex Melitensis, with Klabb Kotba Maltin through a grant from the National Book Council. Alexander holds a PhD in Music Composition with Edinburgh Napier University focusing on city narratives using Valletta as an example, and is an Assistant Professor at Triagon Academy. Alexander is also the Artistic Director and a founding member of the Cappella Sanctae Catharinae, Malta’s only male choir, as well as Artistic Director of The Oratories cultural programme at the former Jesuit Church in Valletta since 2022. He is a Trustee of the Ian Tomlin Malta Edinburgh Music Scholarship Fund, and a visiting lecturer with the University of Malta.
Karol Aquilina & George Aquilina
Karol and Jorge Aquilina are Maltese guitarists who continue a long family tradition rooted in classical, flamenco and Maltese folk music. At the centre of this lineage is Jorge Aquilina, who grew up performing alongside his father, the renowned guitarist Carmelo Aquilina Nofsillejl. From an early age Jorge appeared with his father in venues across Malta, performing a repertoire that ranged from Mediterranean folk songs to Maltese għana and prejjem guitar traditions.
Over the years, Jorge developed a distinctive style that blends classical technique, flamenco influences and the expressive accompaniment required for Maltese folk singing. His work has been instrumental in preserving and transmitting the guitar styles associated with għana, while also expanding their musical possibilities through careful study and performance.
Jorge has passed this knowledge on to his son Karol Aquilina, representing the third generation of the Aquilina musical lineage. Together they perform as a duo, presenting programmes that combine Maltese folkloric music with classical and flamenco repertoire. Their performances highlight
Photo by Chelsea Muscat