The School of Performing Arts is delighted to welcome Prof. Philip Ciantar as its incoming Director, effective Monday 2 October 2023, and offer thanks to outgoing Director, Prof. Stefan Aquilina for leading the school between 2019 and 2023. 

Prof. Ciantar, who is an Associate Professor in the Department of Music Studies, vouches to enhance and expand the School’s connection with the community while increasing its global presence and fostering valuable networks. 

He also committed himself to advocating the pursuit of innovative initiatives in research and publication and collaborating with other departments and esteemed alumni. 

Prof. Ciantar has several research interests, most notably of which are in the areas of Mediterranean music and Maltese popular music. He has published numerous articles in peer-reviewed journals and edited volumes, as well as leading music encyclopaedias. 

Among his publications are two monographs, namely The Ma’lūf in Contemporary Libya: An Arab Andalusian Musical Tradition (Ashgate 2012; Routledge 2016) and Studies in Maltese Popular Music (Routledge 2021).