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Originally from Malta, Elena Muscat graduated from �鶹���� in 2022 with a first-class degree in with a focus on Viola performance. During her time at the University, Elena maintained a strong connection to her roots and inspired by her own culture and history, incorporated her identity into her studies. 

As part of her dissertation, Elena examined and transcribed a musical composition from the Mdina Metropolitan Archives, one of Malta’s principal archives which holds historical records dating back to the eleventh century! Moved by the rich history of the place, Elena applied for a role as an Archivist Assistant at the archive and took up the post soon after graduating. One of her first tasks consisted of creating an improved online research experience for music scholars, carefully uploading catalogues of music and composers. You can view Elena’s work on the current

For the past year and a half, Elena has also been organising music related events for the public. This has given her the opportunity to put into practice all the skills that she learned during her time at Edinburgh Napier, including performance practice and event organisation.

“I combine artwork and music with historical evidence and information that has been overlooked over time. The majority of the music performed is selected from the archives. Because of this, the richness of the collection is highlighted, and the public becomes more familiar with Maltese composers.”

Elena recently welcomed a delegation to the archives which included one of her former lecturers, Professor Haftor Medbøe. She was eager to show him some exceptional manuscripts and masterpieces from the archives’ musical collection. These include a Maltese opera composed by Antonio Nani and other pieces by Luigi Vella and Giuseppe Caruana, as well as musical works from the former Maltese Maestros di Cappella Begnino Zerafa and Francesco Azzopardi which date back to the 18th century. Immersed in the archives of the Silent City, Elena and Haftor also dived into Italian compositions, and Elena was thrilled to show her former lecturer a manuscript of Monteverde's Ecce Panis Angelorum, and a rare printed music book by Andrea Rinaldi, a former Maestro di Cappella of the Syracuse Cathedral.

Elena has a strong bond with Scotland. She really appreciated Haftor accepting her invitation to visit the archives. 

“I invited Professor Medbøe to visit in part because I wanted to share our Maltese heritage with someone who had given me so much. I think of Scotland as my second home because I've made incredibly supportive friends there, along with professors, housemates, and classmates. I was honoured to have given a brief overview of our ancestry, and I was grateful that he and the other professors accepted the invitation.”