The prestigious Gold Medal Award was presented to Maestro Laus on Wednesday 14 December by H.E. President George Vella in a ceremony held at the Society’s premises at Palazzo de La Salle in Valletta.
During a private ceremony held at the Concert Hall of Palazzo de La Salle in Valletta on
14 December, the Malta Society of Arts (MSA) awarded its prestigious Gold Medal
Award for 2022 to Michael Laus, conductor, composer, performer, and Director of the
Malta National Orchestra for 25 years, for his outstanding achievements in the field of
music, both nationally and abroad.
The Gold Medal was first awarded by the Malta Society Arts in 1896, and past recipients
include such illustrious names as Sir Temi Zammit (1904), Robert Caruana Dingli
(1916), Emvin Cremona (1963), Oreste Kirkop (1997), Richard England (1984), Oliver
Friggieri (2003), Joseph Calleja (2007), Fr Marius Zerafa (2011), Harry Alden (2013),
and Carmine Lauri (2015), to name but a few.
Laus was awarded the Gold Medal in the presence of his family, friends, colleagues and
collaborators. The evening kicked off with an introduction by the Society’s President
Arch. Adrian Mamo, which was followed by a personal recollection about the Maestro by
Tony Cassar Darien. After this intimate look into Laus’ personal and professional life,
last year’s Gold Medal award winner Mariella Pisani Bencini interviewed this year’s
Awardee, during which the audience was regaled with memories and anecdotes from
his 40-year long career in the music industry so far.
Finally, the Gold Medal was presented to the Maestro by His Excellency George Vella,
President of Malta, who expressed his appreciation of Laus’ long and illustrious career
in his speech. President Vella mentioned Laus’ invaluable contribution to the classical
music scene in Malta and to the establishment and achievements of the Malta National
Orchestra. The evening was marked by various musical interludes performed by
Marcelline Agius on the violin, Ester Garcia Salas on the viola, and Nora Karakousoglou
on the cello.
In comments after the ceremony, Laus expressed his surprise at the news that he was
awarded the Gold Medal by the MSA. “It is an honour for me to receive this award, and it
motivates me to continue doing my job with dedication,” he said. “Even though working
in the music industry can be challenging at times, my wonderful colleagues at the Malta
Philharmonic Orchestra and at the University of Malta are a constant source of joy for
me and keep my energy and motivation levels high. Hopefully, I will have the pleasure
to continue working with them for many years to come,” he added.
Laus is the Resident Conductor of the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra, has directed
orchestras and operas all over the world, and worked with world-famous soloists. He is
an Associate Professor at the University of Malta and is the founder and director of the
National Youth Orchestra, as well as the Goldberg Ensemble. Some career highlights
which are close to his heart include conducting two concerts in the presence of the late
Queen Elizabeth II, and of Italian President Giorgio Napolitano, conducting the Slovak
Philharmonic for the Expo in Hamburg, and working with composer Arvo Pärt on his
compositions.
