Memories of the Opera House

The Opera house in Valletta although destroyed by enemy bombers in 1942 has many stories to tell. During its history as the leading theatrical venue in Malta and one of the most famous opera houses in southern Europe, this building was a fascinating and prestigious place to work.

We are inviting relatives and friends of those who worked in, all were associated with, the Opera house in Malta to send us their anecdotes and memories that have been passed down. So if you have a family member or if you know anybody that was in any way associated with this amazing Theatre then we would love to hear from you in the hope that you can share these anecdotes. We would also be interested in any photographs of performance or pictures of the building (both inside and out) that we could add to this gradually developing website. The e-mail address to contact us here -- and we look forward to hearing from you.

From: Maryann Axisa Conway and Frances Camenzuli Axisa. 

My mother Frances Camenzuli-Axisa, is still alive at 82 years of age, and she often tells me about my Grandfather Paulu Camenzuli singing and playing the piano at the Opera House in Valletta, this was his part time job, as he did carpentry. He use to have a room for himself when he finished singing and playing the piano if it got too late to go home he would spend the night there.
Do you have any information about him at all?.
The lived in Hamrun.
He married Margret Schembri.
The had 3 boys and 2 girls.
He died when he was 54 years old, in 1930.

Just some information for you to work on and add to your information of history of the Opera House and the people who used to sing and play in it, from his family, who in part live in Australia.

I am afraid that we do not have any photographs of my Grandfather too add along side our anecdotes for now at least, as maybe someone else in our family might have or some other people out there in the big wide world might do.

Although quite a lot of people in the family have said that my brother William Paul Axisa does look a lot like my Grandfather, he is one year older this year that he was, when he died, if he had black hair and a moustache even more so, I will send you a small photo of him if not today one day soon. My brother William is 55 years old this year, and my Grandfather Paulu Camenzuli was 54 years old when he died.

When he died in 1930 after he got Pneumonia my Grandmother Margerite Camenzuli came to the Royal Opera House in Valletta and the caretaker took her to his private room upstairs to collect his clothes as she didn't want to part with them. She had them until 1942 during the Second World War a bomb hit the families home in Hamrun, at 5 Sant Geatanu Street, and also 2 to 3 houses approx as well, and everything was destroyed.

I have heard that some of the family might have a surviving photo or two of him somewhere and one day we might be able to produce them for you.

He got Pneumonia because as he was walking home from the Royal Opera House in Valletta, to Hamun during the night/early morning in January in Winter, as there were no buses running at that time of the night, and also he had to go home as he had a job to go to sometime the next day to do some Carpentry, he passed by a poor man who was not covered up with something warm and he gave him is coat/jacket,  as Winter in Malta is very cold, and in turn he got Pneumonia and went into hospital in Floriana, and within a week or so he died, as they gave him a cold bath which gave him a chill, and in turn that contributed to him getting Pneumonia we suspect.

So you can imagine it happened so quickly that no one was prepared for that to happen.

My Grandmother never remarried, she had opportunities but no one could ever come close to my Grandfather and replace him.

also:

I have more information about my Aunty Maria Axisa nee Barbara, she was born 1st of August, 1910, Died 19th of May, 2007, in a nursing home in Australia, and she was nearly 97 years old. She was the oldest to survive the nursing care. She was there for 13 years.

 

She was 9 years old when she started as a seamstress under the stage of the Royal Opera House in Valletta Malta until she got married to my Uncle Robert Axisa, the date is yet to be confirmed. Approx 1939. Approx 1919 she started work at the Royal Opera House in Valletta Malta, it was approx 20 years she had worked there.

 

She had to work so young, as it was in those early days that the eldest child had to go to work to support the family, and 2 of her younger sisters went to finish school and got into Nursing.

 

She was 1 of of 27 Babies, there were 13 in total surviving.

 

She married my Uncle Robert Axisa on the 11th of November 1939 in Malta.

 

She had 4 Boys and 3 Girls.

 

She sewed all her children clothes (in these images of Maria Axisa she is wearing and demonstrating her fine work and design). Which she was a very capable person and being very creative in doing so, and it gave a lot of joy and support for the family with her skills as a seamstress, and also from her 20 years of experience as a seamstress working at the Royal Opera House in Valletta Malta which was an invaluable experience and resource that she had obtained.

If you have any memories of Margerite Camenzuli, her husband Paulu Camenzuli or of Sant Geatanu Street, ?amrun before 1942 please contact us and we will pass your message on to Maryann Axisa Conway and Frances Camenzuli Axisa

Bringing the former glory of the Opera House alive

Emmanuel Muscat from Malta is a fantastic model maker. His son, Rodrick, wrote to tell us about the work of his father, who specialises in Maltese buses but has built this incredible life-like model of the Opera House. Emmanuel's attention to detail is stunning. You can see the full splendor of his work here.

We look forward to more anecdotes we can publish here.