Emerging composer and sound designer graduates from London music school

Mark Ciantar, an emerging composer and sound designer, has graduated with first class honours in a bachelor of arts degree in music production and sound engineering from London’s Point Blank Music School. His studies were supported by the Malta Arts Scholarship Scheme.

The young man is already making a name for himself in both traditional and interactive media, from theatre stages and gallery spaces to the ever-expanding world of indie video games.

“I have always had a keen interest in music and the way it’s used to tell and support stories,” Ciantar says. “It’s definitely ingrained in the way I process the world and everything I encounter.”

While studying playwriting and working as a performer and sound engineer in the performing arts, he encountered the work of acclaimed Maltese theatre-makers Simone Spiteri and Luke Saydon. This introduction reshaped his understanding of how music could be used narratively alongside textual and visual elements.

I have always had a keen interest in music and the way it’s used to tell and support stories

“Something clicked,” he recalls. “I was directly inspired to further my skills and develop a narrative approach to music and composition.”

That early foundation eventually led to his studies in London, which provided him with the technical and theoretical backing needed to elevate his artistic output.

Ciantar says his distinction came not just from hard work, but also from critical financial backing.

“It was only through the Malta Arts Scholarship Scheme, funded by the Maltese government, that I was able to continue my artistic development,” he says.

“This financial support allowed me to focus on my studies and portfolio projects to graduate at the top of my class.”

A still from the short film Olea by Trevor Borg.

While still a student, Ciantar was tapped to score Olea, a large-scale audio and video installation by artist Trevor Borg, presented as part of the 2024 Malta Biennale. In the same year, he penned and composed the original children’s theatre piece The Trial of Nina, commissioned by the ŻiguŻajg arts festival, with fellow practitioners Gianluca Mifsud and Sara Gauci.

Now, while focused on theatre and gallery-based work, Ciantar is also carving out a niche in the world of interactive sound. He’s currently composing and co-developing Decay of Opulence, an upcoming indie video game produced by the US-based studio Manic Games.

The project is allowing him to explore non-traditional audio programming methods and experiment with immersive, dynamic soundscapes.

“This is definitely the project closest to my heart right now,” he says. “I’ve really enjoyed pushing the boundaries of what’s expected from indie projects of this scale.”

A promotional picture for video game Decay of Opulence produced by Manic Games.