Joseph Chetcuti Hails “Indispensable” EUFSC Aid in Making New TV Contest Brillanti a Reality

Local TV personality Joseph Chetcuti, known for his many successful TV productions, including Nies ta’ Veru, Tiramisu and Arani Issa, is launching his latest endeavour – a brand-new television competition, co-sponsored by the European Foundation for Support of Culture (EUFSC), that shall be targeted specifically towards Malta’s artists and performers, with the first season set to focus on Maltese musicians of every type and calibre.

 

Asked about his motivations behind this programme, entitled Brillanti, Chetcuti said that “for the last 25 years that I’ve been working on television, I’ve had the dream to create a professionally-produced platform for youth who, just like I was at their age, have a desire to become brilliant, to become stars, and are only looking for the chance to show it”.  

 

“We have many seriously talented artistic people here in Malta”, he added, “with the only problem being that there aren’t the platforms that can provide them with recognition on a national level, that can allow the public to see that music is also an art form, a technique, and a way of living that makes you whole and that colours your life. This is what we are aiming to provide”.

 

Set to air primetime on ONE TV from April 2022, filming for this new programme is already underway, with almost half of its scheduled 13 episodes reported to be completed. As mentioned, the programme’s initial season will be focusing on music, with all singers and musicians, with instruments ranging from the classical to the modern, being invited to apply.

 

Following a series of auditions, which attracted more than 100 applicants and which, in Chetcuti’s words “showed that there is a strong desire from Maltese artists for these types of opportunities”, the contestants were whittled down to 23 candidates, which include among them pianists, guitarists, clarinettists, violinists, trumpeters, tenors, and sopranos, to mention a few. These will then be further thinned down during the series’ second phase, which will see a total of 13 contestants selected to participate in the semi-finals.

 

The semi-finals themselves will take place over 6 different stages, with contestants being put through a series of challenges designed to test the limit of their abilities and force them out of their comfort zone. Among other things they will be asked to perform together in small groups, interpret traditional Maltese music with their instrument, and present modern pop music as well as film scores.

 

Ultimately, 5 of these artists will be chosen to proceed to the final round, which will be held at the Manoel Theatre in Valletta, and will see one winner walk away with €10,000 in cash, along with the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to travel abroad and perform in concert alongside an international orchestra. The 1^st runner-up will receive a €2,000 award, while the 2^nd runner-up will be awarded €1,000. The programme will also present a special ‘Premju Brillanti’ award for the person for whom music has played a truly life-changing role in the course of their lives.

 

The prize fund, along with the programme as a whole, will be co-sponsored by the EUFSC, and Chetcuti hailed the importance of the organisation, stating that “we’re very grateful to the EUFSC for helping us give Maltese artists this chance, as well as for all their support with the programme as a whole”.

 

“Groups like the EUFSC and people like Konstantin Ishkhanov who leads the Foundation are not just important nowadays, but indispensable, in my opinion”, he said. “When you take the decision to pursue a career as a musician, especially here in Malta, you know that you’re going to be taking a risk, and that it will probably be a difficult road when it comes to finances. So to all those who are brave enough to insist on following their passions nonetheless, foundations like the EUFSC are priceless. They help all those who wish to better themselves, and they are also extremely beneficial for Malta as a whole as well, since they are helping to raise the level of culture and music and the arts in Malta. The presence of entities like the EUFSC are priceless for us because they can help make our dreams come true.”

 

Each of the competition’s rounds will be presided over by a specially-selected judging panel of industry experts and professionals, including renowned Maltese soprano Nicola Said, famed local music critic Albert Storace, and the distinguished British pianist and conductor Wayne Marshall, among others. Every one of the semi-final rounds shall also be featuring a special guest judge, who will be an expert on the respective programme’s category.

 

“My dream is that in the year following the first series there will be so many people going out to but instruments and start learning them that we will bring about a shortage of violins, pianos, and other instruments across Malta and Gozo” Chetcuti said when asked about his goals for the programme. “I believe it will happen because I am sure that this programme will be able to endow music with a touch of colour and excitement that it deserves. This is not just something I’m hoping for, but a goal that I am explicitly working towards.”

 

Brillanti will begin airing on ONE TV from April 2022.