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Archives Alive 2026 — Mdina Cathedral Archives

International Seminar

Benigno Zerafa at the Cathedral of Malta: Music and the Arts in Eighteenth-Century Mdina

Thursday, 5 November 2026 · 3:00pm – 7:00pm · Aula Capitolare, Saint Paul’s Square, Mdina

Fully booked · Registration closed

International Seminar — Registrations now closed (fully booked)

We are pleased to announce that our International Seminar and Official Book Launch, Benigno Zerafa at the Cathedral of Malta: Music and the Arts in Eighteenth-Century Mdina (1726–2026), is now fully booked!

Thank you to everyone who registered and for the wonderful interest shown in this special event celebrating the musical and cultural legacy of Benigno Zerafa.

We look forward to welcoming all registered participants on 5 November 2026 at the Aula Capitulare, Malta Metropolitan Cathedral, Mdina.

#BenignoZerafa #InternationalSeminar #BookLaunch #MdinaCathedral #ArchivesAlive

This project has been funded through the Voluntary Organisations Project Scheme (VOPS) managed by the Malta Council for the Voluntary Sector (MCVS), supported by the Ministry for Inclusion and the Voluntary Sector (MIV).

About the Seminar

Benigno Zerafa at the Cathedral of Malta: Music and the Arts in Eighteenth-Century Mdina
(1726-2026)

Academic Hybrid International Half-Day Seminar

This international half-day hybrid seminar explores the rich artistic, musical, liturgical, and devotional culture of eighteenth-century Malta through the lens of Mdina Cathedral and its wider ecclesiastical, social, and Mediterranean contexts. Bringing together both local and international scholars from the fields of musicology, art history, liturgical studies, cultural history, theology, and heritage studies, the seminar will examine how sacred sound, visual culture, ritual practice, and institutional patronage shaped religious experience in Baroque Malta.

Particular attention will be given to the role of music and devotional practice in the creation of sacred soundscapes, as well as to the influence of the Order of St John in shaping artistic identity, spiritual authority, and cultural expression.

The proceedings of the seminar, including additional scholarly contributions, will be published and distributed to participants on the day of the conference.

Organised by the Metropolitan Chapter

Featured Speakers

Prof. Dinko Fabris

Prof. Dinko Fabris

Keynote Address · University of Basilicata

Dr Lorenzo Fiorito

Dr Lorenzo Fiorito

MED.E.A.

Programme

OPENING

3:00pmMgr Dr Joseph Bajada, President of the Metropolitan Cathedral Chapter — Welcome Address
3:10pmProf. Petra Caruana Dingli, Chair of the Archives of the Metropolitan Cathedral — Introductory Address
3:20pmProf. Dinko Fabris, University of Basilicata — Keynote Address

SESSION 1

Chair: Can. Prof. Nicholas Joseph Doublet, University of Malta

3:50pmMgr Prof. Hector Scerri — Examples of Liturgical Music Terminology and Related Lemmi in Domenico Magri’s Notizia de’ Vocaboli Ecclesiastici (1669): An Analysis
4:10pmSamuel Azzopardi — Visible Justice: The Courts and Tribunals of Notabile in the 18th Century
4:30pmDr Anna Borg Cardona — Musical Instruments in the Mdina Cathedral and Benigno Zerafa’s Contribution
4:50pmDiscussion and Questions
5:00pmCoffee Break

SESSION 2

Chair: Prof. William Zammit, University of Malta

5:30pmChristopher Muscat, Maestro di Cappella of the Metropolitan Cathedral of Malta — Insights into the Concert
5:40pmDr Lorenzo Fiorito, MED.E.A. — Benigno Zerafa in Naples: Maestri, Pedagogy and Daily Life at the Conservatorio dei Poveri di Gesù Cristo
6:00pmMgr Dr Edgar Vella — A Sacred Space Vested in Opulence: Significant Embellishment Projects within the Cathedral of Malta during the 18th Century
6:20pmMgr Joseph Galea-Curmi, Auxiliary Bishop of Malta — Concluding Address
6:40pmQuestions and Discussion
7:00pmRefreshments · Palazzo de Piro