I first visited Malta in January 2013, stepping in at very short notice to perform Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 [BWV 1047] in the Valletta Baroque Festival. (Incidentally, one of the violinists in that orchestra recalled that I could ‘jump in’ at short notice on that notorious piece, and she put my name forward to record that iconic concerto at very short notice as part of the Ansbach Bach Festival).

After my first visit to Malta in January 2013, I had the pleasure to return in January 2015 to perform Handel’s Messiah, and I returned again twice in March 2018 for a varied programme of music for natural trumpet and cornetto with the Valletta International Baroque Ensemble.

It was great to perform Purcell’s King Arthur in Valletta in January 2024 with Vox Luminis; this was a revival of the very first project I ever participated in with Vox Luminis (Snape Maltings, June 2017), and it was again narrated by Simon Robson (I used to teach his son the trumpet). I also had the pleasure of recording this piece with Vox Luminis in Antwerp in 2017, and the rest, as they say, is history!

Also, to add to all these links, I met some people from Ramsey Music Society, from the Isle of Man (where I grew up), on the flight to Malta! I performed in their concert series in December 2018, and they were visiting Malta to attend the festival.



The performance of Purcell’s King Arthur took place at the Teatru Manoel (Manuel Theatre) on Sunday 14 January 2024. It was exciting and vibrant, with many lovely touches. The singers of Vox Luminis brought Simon Robson’s flawless and elegantly-rendered narration to life. One of the singers pulled out a box of Cisk (local beer) and handed out cans during the drinking song ‘Your hay it is mow’d’, even passing one up to the high balcony above the stage where Will Russell (second trumpet) and I were situated. A nice touch! It was wonderful to play with our friend Koen Plaetinck (timpani and percussion) again after our Christmas Oratorio tour in Belgium last December.

I love visiting Malta at this time of year. It makes for a lovely break from the cold weather at home (it was roughly 10°C warmer in Malta than in the UK) and it was great to go out without a coat, and feel the warmth of the sunshine on your arms in the middle of winter! I hope to visit this lovely island again soon.