Albania to mark Europe Day with big chamber music concert

TIRANA, May 5 – The United Europe Chamber Orchestra will give on Saturday, May 7, on the occasion of Europe Day, a concert performing some of the best Albanian and foreign parts. Albanian Soprano Ardita Meni, violinist Suela Mullaj and renowned Italian violinist and conductor Massimo Palumbo participate in the concert scheduled to be held at the National Opera of Theatre and Ballet in Tirana.
UECO – United Europe Chamber Orchestra was formed in 2000 on the initiative of Italian conductor and musical director Massimo Palumbo and Albanian concertmaster Suela Mullaj. As the ensemble’s name implies, it is made up of representatives from various countries: Italy, France, Germany, Poland, Russia, Albania, etc. In combining various cultures and musical traditions the members of the ensemble demonstrate the adaptability and enthusiasm that have conveyed the orchestra to a level of quality comparable with the very best European chamber orchestras. UECO gave its debut performance in 2001 in the concert theatre of the Giuseppe Verdi Music Conservatory in Milan, and to date the orchestra has presented more than 200 concerts. It regularly performs within the framework of the symphonic season of the Milan Conservatory, while also participating in the cycle Masters of Sacred Music. In concerts throughout Italy and elsewhere in Europe the ensemble attempts to bring music to audiences of various generations, but particularly to young people.
Suela Mullaj is regarded as the most talented violinist from her country, Albania. She is the recipient of numerous prizes in international competitions and is a regular guest of many music festivals throughout Europe. At the age of only 14 years she performed Sibelius’s Violin Concerto and at 16 years she performed Tchaikovsky’s Concerto. She has also performed Brahms’s Concerto, all of Paganini’s concertos (with the Berlin Symphonic Orchestra), all of Haydn’s violin concertos (with the Vienna Chamber Orchestra), Bartok’s Concerto (with the Oslo symphony orchestra), Wieniawski’s Concerto (with the Seville Symphony Orchestra), etc. She has received positive reviews in numerous recognized music journals and newspapers.