The Honorary Patronage of the Medina Foundation for Music is awarded to musical artists who have distinguished themselves through their dedication to music and contribution to its development in Malta. In this small way, the Foundation expresses its appreciation to these artists and sets them as role models for upcoming musicians, be they amateur or aspiring music professionals, primarily by highlighting the hard work and dedication which ultimately led to their achievements and recognition.
Dame Marie Therese Vassallo (March 2018)
From a very early age, Marie Therese Vassallo studied violin, guitar and singing with her father, Maestro Frank Vassallo. She later took up the piano. In 1985, she was awarded two scholarships by the French Government and consequently furthered her studies in vocal technique and interpretation in Nice, France, at the Academie Internationale de Formation Musicale. In Nice, Ms Vassallo was awarded two diplomas and she was invited to give various recitals. In 2002, Ms Vassallo was awarded a London College of Music Diploma while in 2004, she was awarded a Licentiate from the same College.
Mro Joseph Sammut (March 2017)
Joseph Sammut comes from a musical family. His grandfather was an able double-bass player and his father Vincent worked as a bassoonist at the Royal Opera House of Malta, while also being a cellist with the Orchestra of the Commander in Chief of the Royal Navy, a professional classical orchestra attached to the British admiralty in Malta. When Joseph was six years old, he received his initial musical training from his father. Some years later, he started studying the bassoon.
In 1944, when he was only eighteen, Joseph Sammut joined the Commander in Chief Orchestra, becoming its first bassoon player.