The Choir and Orchestra “Collegium Musicum” Costa del Sol was founded in 1975 by a few music lovers who were based on the Costa del Sol and it has grown year on year. The aim is to enrich the life of the international community of the Costa del Sol through the enjoyment of making and listening to good music.
Delyth Bressington is the musical director since 2021 after the sad passing of Annemarie Philipps.
Collegium Musicum was founded in 1975 by Anna-Maria Kater. Anna-Maria started a small group to make music at home and soon afterwards began to give small concerts in the churches of Mijas and Marbella. Her great love for classical music and for making music with like-minded people made their mark on the Costa del Sol. We are very grateful to her for starting Collegium Musicum. Anna-Maria passed away on 17th September 1993, one day before the 80th birthday.
Groups by the name of Collegium Musicum existed from the beginning of the 17th Century to the mid-18th century in Germany and Switzerland and again in the 20th century in Germany. It means that a musical part of the population of a region gets together (mainly amateurs but with some professionals) with the purpose of enjoying singing and playing together.
The Collegium Musicum became the forerunners of all civic concert life. The most famous “Collegium Musicum” existed in Hamburg under Georg Philipp Telemann and in Leipzig under Johannes Sebastian Bach.
The word “Collegium” means “Get together” in Latin and has nothing to do with the Spanish word “colegio” although they come from the same root.
Contrary to what the name of the group suggests we are not a college nor a school!
Annemarie Philipps (originally from Bremen in Germany) took over the baton as Musical Director in 1992. She was a member of Collegium Musicum since 1978, first as a singer and a violin and viola player, and than as the Musical Director. Sadly Annemarie passed away in September 2021.
With the blessing of Annemarie, Delyth Bressington took over as Musical Director as well as being the President of Collegium Musicum. She joined Collegium Musicum in 2004 and played viola in the orchestra and she was also the rehearsal pianist & accompanist. She also specialises in arranging music to suit the needs of the group. Delyth is from Wales, is a Music Graduate of the University of Wales and spent many years teaching Music in secondary schools before moving to the Costa del Sol in 2003.
Annemarie Philipps: 1992 – 2021
Francisco Tomás Pujol: 1991
Octav Calleya: 1990-1991
Miguel Sanchez-Ruzafa: 1986-1990
Detlev Gummelt: 1984-1986
Willem Retze Talsma: 1982-1984
Reuel Lahmer: 1975 – 1982
Bev began her violin studies at the age of 5. After graduating from Middlesex University with a degree in Jazz Studies with voice as her first study she began writing her own material. Following a series of successful solo gigs in Berlin in 2007 Bev joined the No.1 UK classical chart act Mediaeval Baebes and went on to tour extensively throughout the world performing and writing songs for 3 studio albums. Bev released her debut album Barefoot in Your Kitchen in 2012 and her vocals and violin have featured on many soundtracks for dance-theatre pieces for composer Frank Moon and celebrated choreographer Arthur Pita. Since 2018 Bev has been running Songs in Unexpected Places, a series of her original solo voice and violin shows in unusual spaces which are kept secret until the day of the performance. A new series of this project is being planned for 2019/20 in line with her second solo album.
Charlotte studied Harp & Piano at the Royal Danish Conservatoire in Copenhagen. After graduating she played with the Danish Radio Orchestra for 1 year before joining the Göteborg Theatre and from 1985 to 2010 she was the Harp Soloist at the State Theatre of Saarbrücken, Germany where she also taught at the University. Latterly Charlotte has worked in the USA, teaching at the Arizona State University and she has given solo recitals in many different countries, including Brazil, China and Japan.
Born in Columbia, Juan Carlos studied in the Conservatoire of Cali in Columbia and then moved to Cologne where he studied singing. After completing his studies in Vienna he was engaged as a soloist by several opera theatres in Germany, and he has given many concert performances in Seville, Amsterdam and Linz amongst others. Juan Carlos is now based in Frankfurt & Giessen where he also teaches singing.
Phillip graduated from Bath Spa University with a BA Honours degree in Music specialising in performance. He went on to complete a Post Graduate Diploma in performance studies at The Royal College of Music, London. Phillip’s stage experience includes leading roles in various operas and musicals and has vast soloist experience in works such as The Messiah, The Creation and The Christmas Oratorio. Phillip has sung throughout the UK, Germany, Spain, Netherlands and his Gibraltar and now combines full-time employment with a busy schedule of coaching and musical direction and performing.
Alinka is a graduate of the Franz Liszt Music Academy, Budapest and the National Opera Studio, London. After receiving her Master’s degree in Hungary Alinka was awarded the Weingarten Scholarship to attend the Birmingham Conservatoire where she was the winner of the Mario Lanza Opera Prize. On the concert platform, she has performed in Italy, France, Hungary and the UK as well as twice before with Collegium Musicum.
In 2014 Alinka sang the role of Donna Anna Don Giovanni for Miskolc National Theatre in Erkel Theatre, Budapest as part of the Primavera Festival, Hungary. She also sang in a charity gala with Bryn Terfel arranged by British Youth Opera in London. Alinka recently sang the title role in Händel’s Agrippina at Iford Festival and in the summer, she performed Donna Anna Don Giovanni with Miskolc National Theatre representing Hungary in Pilsen, Czech Republic as part of the European City of Culture 2015 Opera Festival.
Siân was born in Cardiff; and studied at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. She graduated in 2009 with a distinction for her Masters and a bursary from the International Opera Awards al- lowed her to continue her studies at the Flanders Opera Studio. She has performed many operatic roles around Europe, a highlight of which was Mozart’s Queen of the Night from Die Zauberflöte. She was invited to become an Emerging Artist at Scottish Opera with whom she made her debut in 2011. Siân has sung with leading orchestras across Europe and has featured on BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio 3, Radio France and Radio Nacional de España con- ducted by Harry Christophers accompanied by the Granada Symphony Orchestra. As well as per forming, Siân is a highly-regarded singing teacher and directs a ladies’ chorus in the West of Scotland, where she now lives.
Alexander was born in Sofia, Bulgaria where he completed his studies at the Superior Conservatoire, graduating with the highest qualifications. Until 1990 he was the sub-principal of the Bulgarian Radiotelevision Orchestra and since then he has been the principal French Horn player of the Malaga Philharmonic Orchestra. Alexander has been a guest with the Bonn Chamber Orchestra and has appeared as a soloist in various chamber music concerts.
Luis was born in Málaga. He started to study singing in 2007 with Francisco Heredia and is now studying at the Conservatoire of Music in Málaga. He has been a member of the Opera Choir in Málaga since 2007 and has sung solos in the Cervantes Theatre of Málaga in productions of “Jenufa”, “La Marsellesa” and “Zamarrilla, Bandolero”. He won 3rd prize in the Singing Competition of Young musicians of Marbella Crea 2014.
Anthony is a native of Gibraltar who studied music at Bath Spa University specialising in performance. Anthony has taken part in many operatic productions as a soloist and also in various concert performances as alto soloist including Handel’s ‘Messiah’, Mozart’s ‘Coronation Mass’ & ‘Requiem’, Karl Jenkins ‘The Armed Man’, Vivaldi’s ‘Gloria’, Pergolesi’s ‘Stabat Mater’, Purcell’s ‘Ode to St Cecilia’s Day’ and Monteverdi’s ‘In Ecclesis’.
His recital performances have included works by Elgar, de Falla, Britten and Carl Davis. Anthony has been teaching singing for a number of years and has always had a keen interest in helping develop young singer’s vocal techniques; currently he is a singing tutor at the Gibraltar Academy of Music and Performing Arts.
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