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- Live Events | Renzo Spiteri
Music performances and interdisciplinary performances by Renzo Spiteri Live Events Music performances and interdisciplinary collaborations un/becoming Music/Contemporary Dance Duo Nordic Resonance Music | Experimental / Improvised Terra Verunt Contemporary Dance / Theatre Now Here | Nowhere Sound & Spoken Word Heiligenstadt Contemporary Dance Nordic Nights Music & Storytelling Silence Sounds & Spaces Music | Solo Percussion The Eyland Project Music | Folk/World
- Je Tiens La Reine | Renzo Spiteri
Commissioned composition for the contemporary dance work Je Teins La Reine by ŻfinMalta Dance Ensemble, Malta's National Contemporary Dance Company. Je Tiens La Reine Heiligenstadt – Another World Inside is a multi-disciplinary performance and contemporary solo dance work that celebrated Beethoven’s 250th anniversary. The work drew inspiration from Beethoven’s The Heiligenstadt Testament, a letter that Beethoven penned to his two brothers in 1802, the topic being his despair at his increasing deafness. "The music rages, deliberately discordant at times, with Spiteri’s flawless technique and an innate affinity for exalting contemporary sounds, revealing layers of beauty. The work as a whole, which is Spiteri’s composition, is pulsating and introspective at the same time. Spiteri is masterful in his craft and artistry, creating a work that is as powerful as what it is trying to convey." Ramona Depares, www.ramonadepares.com Beethoven’s The Hieligenstadt Testament acts as a framework for Beyond Sense , the music that I composed for the solo dance piece, Hieligenstadt - Another World Inside. It is a revealing testament, a first-hand experience by Beethoven, but it is also a reality that human beings go through even presently. The music that is heard in one’s head is muted on the outside. A longing to reach to the outside transforms into despair, in the knowledge that, in most cases, this is a perpetual hinderance. The music is an expression of the tensions between an inner and outer self, a within and without. The experiential self is in a divide, where the within can hear the music, can feel what the inner world is all about and can negotiate with that reality. On the outside, the experience is of suffering, of loss and of fragility. My music for this project conveys the emotions, the tensions and releases of a being in this state of loss, of isolation and desire. It’s very rhythmic and unsettling at times and there’s an element of aggression that comes as a result of the desire to release tensions that are building inside a person who is experiencing suffering, despair and loneliness. I also used filtering processes as a reflection of the auditory frequencies that we start losing in different stages of our lives but which, naturally, are more aggressive in someone who is becoming deaf. The filtering of sounds at times leaves us with very muted sound textures and this is a concept that I sought to develop in two of the three tracks, ‘Within Without’ and ‘You Wrong Me’. The major source of inspiration was the testament itself. Over the countless times that I read this letter, different layers, thoughts and inspirations emerged. Through a continuous level of engagement with the writing, I knew that I needed to commit myself to giving this writing a new life, a new perspective that although coming from the early 1800s, is relevant in this present age. In my head, the letter started morphing into a score. And like a music score, the printed notes can only become alive through interpretation and performance. This is exactly how I felt about the Hieligenstadt Testament, sonically conveyed in the particular treatment and the sculpturing of words and phrases from the text as sound within an inner headspace. The music is born out of these thought processes and is a journey of struggles and of disquiet until, at the end with ‘A Dark Sense’, the music conveys a reflection on the idea of surrender, of filtering emotional conflicts as a solution that would ‘free me from a state of endless suffering’. Photos: Emma Tranter Project type Multi-disciplinary, contemporary dance Created by Music Composition, Production & Sound Design: Renzo Spiteri Choreography and light design: Francesca Tranter Dancer: Zoe Camilleri Orchestral score and original concept: Michelle Castelletti Voice: Antony Edridge Filming: Jean-Paul Caruana, Emma Tranter Acknowledgements Premiere performance part of The Three Palaces Festival Malta, November 2020
- Under Dark Blue Skies | Renzo Spiteri
A contemplative work commissioned by An Lanntair (Isle of Lewis), part of The Hebridean Dark Skies Festival 2021. Under Dark Blue Skies "Such a beautiful journey. [...] Every time I hear it the experience seems to change." Annalise F. "It’s lovely! So nice to listen with my headphones. Felt like I was bathing in icy audio. I love the delicate parts around 15:00. Chimes and water droplets. I was picturing the ice crystals we’ve had on our window in Helsinki - creeping up the glass as the sun goes down." Chris. B. Under Dark Blue Skies is an immersive and contemplative work inspired by periods of deep listening during certain times of the day. From the forewarnings of heavy rains to the still nights under clear skies, shades of dark blue often make me stop and listen to sonic events around me. For this composition I used a variety of sounds gleaned during winter on Shetland, from the most present to the minutest. Different atmospheric conditions, and the randomness of a plurality of sound events that reach my ears every time I am listening and recording, have inspired me to shape this composition. From lochs with creaking icy surfaces to windy nights, whooper swans and clacking pebbles, I sought to create a tapestry of sounds within which I interweaved sparsely employed delicate percussion instruments, vibraphone and electronics. I invite listeners to make themselves comfortable and, for twenty minutes, immerse themselves in this short journey under dark blue skies. Due to the nature of this work, the use of headphones/speakers/earphones is highly recommended. Under Dark Blue Skies was released in February 2021 and is available for streaming and download on all digital platforms including Bandcamp , Amazon Music, Apple Music, iTunes and Spotify. Project type Digital track Credits Created, recorded and produced by Renzo Spiteri at Orange Dot Studios, Shetland. Total time: 22:18 Cover photo: Renzo Spiteri Acknowledgements Under Dark Blue Skies was commissioned by An Lanntair as part of The Hebridean Dark Skies Festival 2021. Events Track released February 2021.
- Music in Malta | Renzo Spiteri
Audio production and sound design for the award winning exhibition Music in Malta: From Prehistory to Vinyl, a Fondazzjoni Patrimonju Malta production. Music in Malta: From Prehistory to Vinyl Project Info Located between Europe and Africa, the Mediterranean has always been a melting pot of artistic expressions and ideas from the continents bordering it. In the process of moulding their own identity, the Maltese Islands, situated right in the centre of the Mediterranean Sea, have absorbed various influences from these diverse cultures. The project Music in Malta - From Prehistory to Vinyl was an exhibition that covered the history of music in Malta from prehistory to the early twentieth century. Through a display of musical instruments sourced from Maltese private and public collections, and through the use of multimedia technology, and sound and narration transmitted through wireless audio guides, this exhibition explored the music and musical instruments that have weaved their way through the Island’s rich history. Project type Multimedia Exhibition and Documentary Produced by Fondazzjoni Patrimonju Malta , December 2018 - June 2019 Role in Project Member of the creative production team of the exhibition Field and Audio recordings, audio production and sound design Awards Production of The Year 2020, Malta Arts Award by Arts Council Malta Location Exhibited at Mdina Cathedral Museum (Malta) between 14 April and 16 June 2019 “An exhibition that celebrates the richness and diversity of music in Malta and its neighbouring countries merits that extra attention where the sonic aspect is involved. Together with the whole team, I am looking into making sure that each patron's experience will be enhanced with the particular treatment of sound, as the encounter with each section of the walk-through unfolds. The aim is to have different spaces charged with their own distinct identity and atmosphere and sound will surely play a very important role in the shaping of these spaces. Headphones, delivering sound-designed audio tracks, will weave the narrative of the exhibition in a particularly focused manner.” Renzo Spiteri, 2019 “Since its inception, Fondazzjoni Patrimonju Malti has always prided itself in being at the forefront of Malta’s exhibitions and their overall visitor experience. We have strived hard to reach uncompromising standards in the hope of putting the Maltese islands on the international map. Music in Malta – from Prehistory to Vinyl, FPM’s latest project, is to prove no different. With the use of multimedia technology this exhibition explores the music and musical instruments that have weaved their way through the Island’s rich history. Through wireless audio guides, sound and narration will lead you through this journey of musical artefacts. A feast for the senses, this exhibition hopes to evoke and provoke whilst remaining true to the context for which it was created." Michael Lowell CEO, Fondazzjoni Patrimonju Malti Production of The Year 2020 Music in Malta: From Prehistory to Vinyl Arts Council Malta's Il-Premju għall-Arti, are the national arts awards which celebrate the achievements of the cultural and creative sectors in Malta. The awards acknowledge excellence in artistic work premiered during the preceding year. Documentary A short documentary narrated by a series of short interviews by some of the team members behind the project; curator Dr Anna Borg Cardona, sound designer and composer Renzo Spiteri, as well as other music historians and musicians.
- Hal Saflieni Hypogeum Audioguide | Renzo Spiteri
A commission by Heritage Malta to score music for the visitors' audio guide of the Hal Saflieni Hypogeum, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum audio guide Project Info Creation of the visitors' audio guide for the Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Project type Audioguide Produced by Heritage Malta, 2007 Role in Project Field recordings, composition, audio production and sound design Location Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum, Malta In 2007, I was commissioned by Heritage Malta (the national agency for museums, conservation practice and cultural heritage) to score music for the visitors' audio guide of the Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Hypogeum is an underground burial complex which was in use between 4000 BC and 1500BC. Covering a remarkable 500 square metres, it is a unique monument, consisting of halls, chambers and passages hewn out of globigerina limestone. The complex is dug in three levels, with the site users digging deeper as space became limited. All the sounds heard during the introductory sequence and throughout the audio guide were recorded during a three-week period working and experimenting inside the Hypogeum. I had the opportunity to spend quite a few solitary nights enthralled by the mysteries that shroud this magnificent site. The unique space, the particular environment, the known and the unknown, chambers that vibrate and resonate so splendidly- these were all factors that have inspired me to put together this contemporary score. I have played the barest of ‘instrumentation’ using materials such as stone, clay, wood and voice in keeping with the particular soundscape that I wanted to create for this Hypogeum. The music heard at every stop of the guided tour has been recorded in that specific area. I felt that this would enhance the experience of each particular space. Part of the music of the audio guide is available on the CD SILENCE SOUNDS AND SPACES (2011) which also features music inspired by and recorded on site at the various archaeological sites spread across the Maltese Islands. This work also led to the creation of a solo percussion performance that toured the UK and mainland Europe. Photos: Gaby Giacchino shot at Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum, Malta.
- un/becoming | Renzo Spiteri
A solo contemporary dance work that explores a world where voices, bodies, and realities remain invisible until they generate enough force to be recognised. un/becoming World Premier Performance at Dance Festival Malta 2026 Renzo Spiteri & Nicole Chetcuti (Malta) Un/becoming explores a world where voices, bodies, and realities remain invisible until they generate enough force to be recognised. Fragile sounds — from friction to barely audible textures — suggest presences that exist beneath dominant noise. As the sonic world intensifies, the moving body explores the journey from contained gestures to physical assertion, tracing the moment when silence shifts into agency. The work follows an arc of emergence, dissolution, exposure, and the instability of presence. It reflects a wider atmosphere of individuals and communities negotiating visibility, reclaiming space, and moving between being overlooked and becoming impossible to ignore. un/becoming floats in uncertainty, inhabiting the in-between. Project type Multi-disciplinary, contemporary dance Created by Dancer: Nicole Chetcuti Music, composed and performed by: Renzo Spiteri Choreography: Nicole Chetcuti Dramaturgy: Renzo Spiteri and Nicole Chetcuti Acknowledgements Premiere performance part of Dance Festival Malta, July 2026
- Drift Into An Elsewhere | Renzo Spiteri
A contemplative sonic narrative that combines music, spoken word, soundscapes and field recordings of the natural environment gleaned from different locations in The Shetland Islands. Drift Into An Elsewhere Drift Into An Elsewhere is a contemplative sonic narrative capturing the deep connection between human emotion and nature through music, soundscapes and field recordings of the natural environment of Shetland. Drift Into An Elsewhere is a quiet, contemplative and meditative sonic experience. Working with percussion, electronics, soundscapes, spoken word and field recordings of the natural environment in Shetland, Renzo brings in his own unique sound to explore the deep connection between music, human emotion and nature. The compositions seek to capture and convey uplifting emotional musical narrative that embodies the themes of hope, resilience, community spirit, collective strength and a profound connection with nature. The creative process and the end product act as a sonic exploration of these themes, weaving a musical tapestry that celebrates life, that reflects the strength, resilience and unity demonstrated by Shetland islanders, either as individuals or communities, during and beyond challenging times of the COVID19 pandemic. The incorporation of sounds from nature from various outdoor locations around Shetland offer a unique and evocative layer, symbolising healing and renewal, creating a connection between the work and the broader themes of life's cyclical nature. Using soft, ambient, layered sounds, Renzo invites listeners to immerse themselves in this body of work and to be transported to an elsewhere, offering a reflective experience that crosses boundaries of music, improvisation and performance. Drift Into An Elsewhere was released in August 2024 and is available for purchase as a physical CD, and for streaming and download on all digital platforms including Bandcamp , Amazon Music, Apple Music, iTunes and Spotify. In February 2023, five Shetland-based artists were commissioned to create works that captured the experiences, during the first Covid lockdown, of people living in The Shetland Islands. The creation of these works was documented, resulting in the creation of a COVID memorial for Shetland - a book titled Mindin’ Tagidder - which formed part of Remembering Together, a nationwide project commissioned by greenspace scotland with funding from the Scottish Government, delivered by Shetland Arts Development Agency in partnership with Shetland Island’s Council. Below is an extract from the book that documents the creation of Drift Into An Elsewhere, Renzo's artistic contribution for this project. Photos: Gaby Giacchino shot at St Ninian's Tombolo (Bigton), Noss Sound (Bressay) and Lerwick. Project type Music album Credits Music & text by Renzo Spiteri, performed by: Renzo Spiteri: percussion, electronics, field recordings Annalie Irvine: violin Natalie Cairns-Ratter: violin Clare Rickets: viola Sophie Wishart: cello Billy Mail: voice on tracks 3 & 6 Osla Jamwal-Fraser: voice on track 4 Brett Culp appearing on track 1 by kind permission. Composed, recorded, mixed & produced by Renzo Spiteri at Orange Dot Studio Shetland, May 2024 Strings & additional percussion recorded at Mareel Recording Studio, Shetland; engineer: Tim Matthew Total time: 33:00 Acknowledgements Drift Into An Elsewhere is part of Shetland's Remembering Together project, funded by Scottish government and delivered through greenspace Scotland, Shetland Islands Council and Shetland Arts. Events Album released August 2024.
- Community Voices | Renzo Spiteri
A participatory arts project that invited the contribution of people to share their life experiences in The Shetland Islands during the challenging pandemic period. Community Voices Memories & Stories of Island People At the height of the COVID pandemic, the world became acutely aware that social restrictions were affecting people in different ways, and there were cases in which people were not feeling or experiencing the support within a community environment. Between November 2020 and February 2021, we devised a project through which people in The Shetland Islands could share life experiences of the pandemic and post-lockdown period. The result of this process was the creation and launch of the participatory arts project Community Voices: Memories and Stories of Island People. Through an open call for participation, people of all ages and from diverse backgrounds were invited to submit first-hand narratives of their lives, stories and perceptions in creative ways, through spoken word, audio recordings, visual arts and writing. Lived experiences are a powerful way of communication and Community Voices was intended to act as a platform through which people could portray the social and emotional effects brought about as a result of the pandemic. People were invited to use the following questions as a point of departure: ~ What losses and gains have you experienced and felt the most? ~ Remoteness, rurality, isolation, loneliness, community, resilience. How do any or all of these words resonate with you in light of your life experience during the pandemic period? ~ Do you have a memory that is particularly related to the pandemic period? The resultant contributions were curated and edited by Renzo Spiteri to produce a 22-minute docufilm. Through the use of words, animation and film, Community Voices unveiled personal perspectives of pandemic and post-lockdown community resilience and human connection. Viewers of the docufilm discover a greater consciousness and awareness of these lived experiences that will resonate with different viewers in different ways. The docufilm, which is specific to Shetland, also acts as a memorial that preserves a moment in time during an exceptional event in recent history, and delivers a strong message of hope for the future and of new beginnings. In January 2023, this project was one of 36 projects across the UK and Ireland to be shortlisted for Creative Lives Awards 2022. "What an amazing collection of voices, music and image." Project type Participatory Arts Contributors Melvyn Heath, Katrina Christie Loynd, Alex Purbrick, Claire Davenport, Heather Christie, Colin Smith, Michele Simms, Yolanda Bruce. Additional music & video; video editing: Renzo Spiteri Acknowledgements Community voices was delivered by Curious Pilgrims and supported by The Prince of Wales's Charitable Fund. Awards Shortlisted: Creative Lives Awards 2022 (UK) Events Docufilm launched 1st May 2022.
- Participatory Arts Projects | Renzo Spiteri
Projects, events and activities designed to provide opportunities for public engagement and participation through the arts. Participatory Arts Projects Projects, events and activities designed to provide opportunities for public engagement and participation through the arts. Often run in collaboration with other creative practitioners and organisations, these projects adopt a community-centric approach to reach out to people, promoting increased community spirit, engagement and interaction. Sonic Outreach Community Voices Drum Circle Workshops
- Beyond Sense | Renzo Spiteri
Music composed for the solo dance piece, Hieligenstadt - Another World Inside, commissiones by The Three Palaces Festival 2020, Malta. Beyond Sense Inspired by Beethoven’s The Hieligenstadt Testament, the music is an expression of the tensions between an inner and outer self, a within and without. The experiential self is in a divide, where the within can hear the music, can feel what the inner world is all about and can negotiate with that reality. On the outside, the experience is of suffering, of loss and of fragility. My music for this project conveys the emotions, the tensions and releases of a being in this state of loss, of isolation and desire. It’s very rhythmic and unsettling at times and there’s an element of aggression that comes as a result of the desire to release tensions that are building inside a person who is experiencing suffering, despair and loneliness. I also used filtering processes as a reflection of the auditory frequencies that we start losing in different stages of our lives but which, naturally, are more aggressive in someone who is becoming deaf. The filtering of sounds at times leaves us with very muted sound textures and this is a concept that I sought to develop in two of the three tracks, ‘Within Without’ and ‘You Wrong Me’. The major source of inspiration was the testament itself. Over the countless times that I read this letter, different layers, thoughts and inspirations emerged. Through a continuous level of engagement with the writing, I knew that I needed to commit myself to giving this writing a new life, a new perspective that although coming from the early 1800s, is relevant in this present age. In my head, the letter started morphing into a score. And like a music score, the printed notes can only become alive through interpretation and performance. This is exactly how I felt about the Hieligenstadt Testament, sonically conveyed in the particular treatment and the sculpturing of words and phrases from the text as sound within an inner headspace. The music is born out of these thought processes and is a journey of struggles and of disquiet until, at the end with ‘A Dark Sense’, the music conveys a reflection on the idea of surrender, of filtering emotional conflicts as a solution that would ‘free me from a state of endless suffering’. Beyond Sense was released in November 2020 and is available for streaming and download on all digital platforms including Bandcamp , Amazon Music, Apple Music, iTunes and Spotify. "The music rages, deliberately discordant at times, with Spiteri’s flawless technique and an innate affinity for exalting contemporary sounds, revealing layers of beauty. The work as a whole, which is Spiteri’s composition, is pulsating and introspective at the same time. Spiteri is masterful in his craft and artistry, creating a work that is as powerful as what it is trying to convey." Ramona Depares, www.ramonadepares.com Project type Music Album Credits Created, recorded and produced by Renzo Spiteri at Orange Dot Studios, Shetland. Total time: 18:10 Cover photo: Renzo Spiteri Acknowledgements Beyond Sense carries the music composed for the solo dance piece, Hieligenstadt - Another World Inside commissioned by The Three Palaces Festival 2020, Malta. Events Album released November 2020.
- Silence Sounds and Spaces | Renzo Spiteri
A contemporary solo percussion performance inspired by prehistoric sites spread across The Maltese Islands. Silence Sounds and Spaces solo performance Silence, Sounds and Spaces is a contemporary concept project inspired by prehistoric sites spread across the Maltese Islands. What began as a commission by Heritage Malta (the Maltese national agency for Museums, Conservation Practice and Cultural Heritage) to score music to the visitors' audio guide of the Hal Saflieni Hypogeum (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), developed into the release of a music album , and the presentation of a series of solo percussion performances in Malta, the United Kingdom and mainland Europe. "Silence Sounds and Spaces is about creating a painting in notes and sounds through a transparent and simple score. The music is a tapestry of sounds overlaying each other, weaving ideas together." Renzo Spiteri Photos: Nick Critien shot at St James Cavalier, Valletta (Malta). Project type Music | Solo percussion performance Created by Created, performed and produced by Renzo Spiteri Events Premiere performance and CD launch: November 2011, St James Cavalier Centre for Creativity, Valletta (Malta). Other performances: Studio de l'Ermitage, Paris, France (November 2012), held in collaboration with The Embassy of Malta in Paris and the Cultural Diplomacy Fund Passionskirche, Berlin, Germany (November 2012), held in collaboration with the Embassy of Malta in Berlin and the Cultural Diplomacy Fund Chapel Arts Centre, Bath, UK (June 2012), supported by National Lottery Good Causes Fund Acorn Arts Centre, Penzance, UK (June 2012), supported by National Lottery Good Causes Fund John Moore Theatre, Worcester, UK (May 2012), supported by National Lottery Good Causes Fund European Graduate School Annual Conference, Malta (April 2012)
- Now Here Nowhere | Renzo Spiteri
A sound and spoken word multimedia collaborative project. Now Here | Nowhere A cross-artistic project that amalgamates sounds, spoken word and visuals, centring around the common terrain of the human and natural world, memory, time, love and lie/truth cycles. Now Here | Nowhere is a spoken word and music performance that takes on the shape of a personal journey, performed by three artists, three separate worlds that open up to each other to create emotional and artistic overlaps that centre around the common terrain of the human and natural world, memory, time, love and lie/truth cycles. The project is a product of reflections and resonances that stem and vibrate from the words of poet Giulia Privitelli. Renzo Spiteri, the project’s creative director, placed himself in between the poet’s poignant, powerful words and his personal interpretation of being lost in a ‘homeland’ that is no longer recognisable. Giulia writes that ‘words collide and break into letters, lines and dots, grains that ebb away’. So, beyond words, what are we left with? Through Now Here | Nowhere, Renzo sought to create a sonic world of spoken words and sounds to draw imagined places that exist in between light and darkness, in between life and death, in between hope and fear, in between sea and land. Audience Feedback “A huge well done once again to everyone... the performance was beautiful, touching and so inspiring.” "A performance from the heart of the Earth. Thanks to you all for the special moments put together so beautifully." "I saw your concert yesterday or I should rather say I experienced it. I just want to thank you for it. It was amazing! As a dancer and choreographer automatically I imagine movement to your piece and I am absolutely inspired by your work." “Experiencing you play has always been like watching an alchemist do his magic.” “Renzo with your experience and sensitivity I believe that your work can surely capture any one and take them into deeper realms; it took me to similar places yesterday but on a lighter level ... but still managed to capture me and show me certain truths and realities ... good or bad that is not the matter.” Photos: Lisa Attard shot at Valletta Campus Theatre (Malta) Project type Sound & spoken word Created by Sounds and percussion: Renzo Spiteri Guitar: Fabrizio Fedele Spoken word: Erica Muscat Text: Giulia Privitelli from Walking in Circles Visuals & light design: Renzo Spiteri Concept, artistic direction and creative production by Renzo Spiteri. 2019, Malta Acknowledgements The creation and launch of Now Here | Nowhere was supported by Arts Council Malta - Multi-Annual Support Grant (Malta Arts Fund). Events Premiere performance: May 2019, Vallletta Campus Theatre, Valletta (Malta).










