Marking 100 years since the birth of Oreste Kirkop, one of Malta’s greatest tenors

Who will carry the onus of organising the centennial commemoration of the birth of one of Malta’s greatest tenors?

Oreste Kirkop was born in Ħamrun on July 26, 1923. He died on May 10, 1998, aged 74.

I would suggest a concert by the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra with the participation of upcoming young classical singers and choirs.

Oreste Kirkop

Kirkop was not only a tenor but a film star having starred in Michael Curtiz’s Paramount Pictures production of Rudolf Friml’s operetta film The Vagabond King, released in August 1956.

The courtyard of the Manoel Theatre enjoys a wall sculpture as a reminder of Kirkop. A bust monument was erected in one of Ħamrun’s squares and a street named after him in San Ġwann.

I recall Peppi Azzopardi’s narration in a docu-film written by Elaine Bugeja and Norman Vella in the Where’s Everybody? series of Bijografiji on TVM in 2012. He truly deserves such honours.

So what are we waiting for?

Anthony Saliba – St Paul’s Bay

From the online comments

Robert Abela gets green light to uproot indigenous trees from ODZ villa

And people clap and cheer because they were told that they will be receiving, soon, a €100 cheque tax refund the government had already taken from them earlier. The ignorance that prevails in this country is unmeasurable. – Norbert Testa

The stench is institutionalised. – K. Pace

Trees apart, probably he is waiting for the ‘tax refund’ cheque to demolish the existing property and rebuild it! – Joseph Galea

Before the last election, we were promised swathes of green across Malta and Gozo. Does anyone know by when they should be ready? – John J. Borg

The Abelas have no problem in behaving as the royal couple of Malta, expecting all to bow to their wishes. Rules are for the ordinary people not for the Labour elite. – Adrian Borg Cardona

Now we know what our PM thinks of the environment. – Joseph Micallef

No prime minister, you shouldn’t buy an illegally built ODZ property. You shouldn’t have had it legalised. By right it should have been demolished. This ODZ villa is a monument to sleaze and a stark witness of how our institutions favour wrongdoers. – J. Kerr

While most have to fork out €250-300K for a matchbox, others have the “luck” of buying detached villas for €600K. Such is life for the elite and privileged in the establishment. – J. J. Micallef

It would be a better idea as leader of the poor and workers’ party to give some personal money to those who sleep outside and go for food in the food kitchens. Joez Borg

It would have been news if they had said no. – M. Cassar