Jacob Abela

SCHOLAR DESCRIPTION

Jacob Patrick Abela is currently studying violin and composition at the Royal Irish Academy of Music, an associate college of the Trinity College Dublin University. He began his composition studies, counterpoint, and musical theory at a young age under Ray Sciberras, and studied violin under Mario Bisazza and Reggie Clews. He is currently tutored by Michael D’Arcy for violin and Jonathan Nangle for composition. Jacob holds an Associate Diploma in violin performance and a Licentiate Diploma in Composition from the London College of Music. He has won several competitions, including the Commonwealth International Composition Award (CICA) 2022 and the Classic Pure Vienna Competition 2022. He is a scholar of Universal Edition.

Many of Jacob’s compositions have been premiered in recent years, including 'Raw' at the Young Composers Mentorship programme 2022; 'Kaleidoscope' at the Royal Overseas Hall, London 2022; 'Waltz' at the Malta Youth Orchestra Soiree, Malta 2023; 'Theme and Variations for piano' at Whyte Hall, Dublin 2024; and 'Winds of Malta' and 'Fanfare' by the Birmingham Contemporary Group in 2024. He co-authored the music relay 'Symphony' for the Commonwealth Resounds in 2023.

Jacob has performed in ensembles and orchestras both locally and abroad, including BISYOC in Germany (2022), the Malta Youth Orchestra tour in Florence (2024), and the Erasmus Orchestra concert in Dublin (2024). He is a recipient of the Malta Arts Scholarship and a BOV Joseph Calleja Scholar.