Kristian Schembri

SCHOLAR DESCRIPTION

Kristian Schembri is a Maltese composer, conductor, and percussionist, based in the USA since 2019. His music has been performed by ensembles such as the Cleveland Chamber Symphony, the Brno Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra, and recorded by ABLAZE and PARMA Recordings. Known for his versatility and eclecticism, Schembri’s catalogue of works ranges from chamber music to micro-opera, choral music, wind band, and orchestral symphonic pieces. Schembri worked for nine years as a percussionist with the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra and is the co-founder of the award-winning viola-percussion ensemble Duo Schembri-Gallagher, which was recently featured at the American Viola Society Festival (Colburn School, LA) and at Accademia Musicale Chigiana (Siena). He has performed in some of the world’s most renowned venues, such as Carnegie Hall, the Kimmel Center, Berliner Philharmonie, Musikverein Vienna, Jiangxi Arts Center, and Severance Hall. He is the recipient of multiple prizes, including the Joseph Vella Composition Award from the University of Delaware, a laureate of the American Prize for Excellence in the Arts, and the Donald Erb Scholarship and Carl G. Lampl Memorial Award from the Cleveland Institute of Music.

Schembri has served as an Instructor of Theory and Composition at Case Western Reserve University and the Cleveland Institute of Music. He is the founder and conductor of the Schola Cantorum for the Catholic Ministry at James Madison University.