Originally from Malta, Elena Muscat graduated from Edinburgh Napier University in 2022 with a first-class degree in BA(Hons) Music with a focus on Viola performance. During her time at the University, Elena maintained a strong connection to her roots and inspired by her own culture and history, incorporated her identity into her studies.
As part of her dissertation, Elena examined and transcribed a musical composition from the Mdina Metropolitan Archives, one of Malta’s principal archives which holds historical records dating back to the eleventh century! Moved by the rich history of the place, Elena applied for a role as an Archivist Assistant at the archive and took up the post soon after graduating. One of her first tasks consisted of creating an improved online research experience for music scholars, carefully uploading catalogues of music and composers. You can view Elena’s work on the current Mdina Metropolitan Archives website.
For the past year and a half, Elena has also been organising music related events for the public. This has given her the opportunity to put into practice all the skills that she learned during her time at Edinburgh Napier, including performance practice and event organisation.
“I combine artwork and music with historical evidence and information that has been overlooked over time. The majority of the music performed is selected from the archives. Because of this, the richness of the collection is highlighted, and the public becomes more familiar with Maltese composers.”
Elena recently welcomed a delegation to the archives which included one of her former lecturers, Professor Haftor Medbøe. She was eager to show him some exceptional manuscripts and masterpieces from the archives’ musical collection. These include a Maltese opera composed by Antonio Nani and other pieces by Luigi Vella and Giuseppe Caruana, as well as musical works from the former Maltese Maestros di Cappella Begnino Zerafa and Francesco Azzopardi which date back to the 18th century. Immersed in the archives of the Silent City, Elena and Haftor also dived into Italian compositions, and Elena was thrilled to show her former lecturer a manuscript of Monteverde's Ecce Panis Angelorum, and a rare printed music book by Andrea Rinaldi, a former Maestro di Cappella of the Syracuse Cathedral.
Elena has a strong bond with Scotland. She really appreciated Haftor accepting her invitation to visit the archives.
“I invited Professor Medbøe to visit in part because I wanted to share our Maltese heritage with someone who had given me so much. I think of Scotland as my second home because I've made incredibly supportive friends there, along with professors, housemates, and classmates. I was honoured to have given a brief overview of our ancestry, and I was grateful that he and the other professors accepted the invitation.”
What advice would you give to someone wishing to follow in your footsteps?
"Everything Happens for a Reason" is my belief. This encouraged me to keep going even when things in life were tough and important decisions needed to be made. I recall having to decide in March 2020 at the start of Covid whether to stay in Scotland or return home to my family. The professors provided me with amazing support, assuring me that despite being abroad, I will still be a part of the community. Even though everything was put on pause for the remaining months, I kept up my hard work against all odds, with online lectures and planning. In 2022, I returned to Scotland in order to prepare myself for my final submissions and Recital.
“For this reason, all of my lectures have influenced my personality, career, and desire to put in a lot of effort and strive for my beliefs. Students and lecturers both contributed significantly to this. I am who I am today as a result of everything mentioned above. I inspire other students to have hope for the future and to have faith in themselves. If one works hard enough, dreams can come true.”