SIMON FARRUGIA

Simon Farrugia is a lecturer within the School for Educational Studies at the Malta Leadership Institute, where he teaches courses focused on education. He has directed and produced a television documentary series on world music and co-authored a book on Maltese historical anthropology, alongside several publications in music education and ethnomusicology. His most recent academic work is the monograph The Maltese Wind Band: A Musical Tradition and Its Practice Today (McFarland USA, 2023).

Simon is also actively engaged in filmmaking, with a particular interest in ethnographic and documentary film. His latest work, Sounds of Weeping: Funeral Marches in Maltese Society and Culture, co-directed with Professor Philip Ciantar, explores cultural expressions of mourning in Malta and was screened at the ICTMD World Conference 2025 in New Zealand.

He is a member of the RILM (Répertoire International de Littérature Musicale) Malta National Committee.

 Philip Ciantar is an academic member of staff at the Department of Music Studies within the School of Performing Arts. His area of teaching is ethnomusicology and related subjects. After earning his first degree from the University of Malta in 1991, he continued his musical studies at Durham University (UK), where he graduated with an MA in ethnomusicology (1996). In 2007, he graduated with a PhD in the same field from the University of Sheffield. His research interests lie in the areas of Mediterranean music studies, Andalusian music, and Maltese popular music. His publications include articles in a variety of journals and edited volumes, as well as entries in leading music encyclopedias. Among his publications are two single-authored monographs: The Ma’lūf in Contemporary Libya: An Arab Andalusian Musical Tradition (Ashgate 2012; Routledge 2016) and Studies in Maltese Popular Music (Routledge 2021).

 Mark Farrugia is a Musicology graduate from the School of Performing Arts at the University of Malta and holds a Master’s in Music Teaching and Learning from the same university. An Associate of the London College of Music (A.L.C.M.) in piano performance, he has participated in several concerts both locally and internationally. His contemporary classical compositions have been featured in short films and have led to collaborations with numerous artists from Malta and abroad, showcasing his versatility as a composer, pianist, and music arranger.