Irish tenor Declan Kelly will be performing John Galea’s Missa Ignes Charitatis alongside Yvonne Galea (soprano) and Noel Galea (Bass) together with the Northwest Festival Choir, the Amadeus Choir and Chorus Urbanus, singing en masse for the occasion together with the orchestra under the direction of the composer John Galea.  The concert that will also feature Gounod’s Messe Solenelle en l’honneur de Sainte-Cecile under the direction of Brian Cefai, will be held at Vittoriosa Parish Church on 31st May, 2007 at 8.00 p.m. and will form part of a week long Gloria Choral Festival to be held throughout various localities in Malta featuring the esteemed participation of the Northwest Festival Choir under the direction of Dr. John Bethell, ex-conductor of the BBC Choir. Other works to be performed during this festival include the Nelson Mass by J. Haydn, Gloria by A. Vivaldi and  the oratorio Elijah by F. Mendelssohn. Other notable soloists that  are featured in this festival include Karen Johnson (soprano), Adrienne Murray (mezzo-soprano), Alistair McCall (bass) and Brian Cefai (tenor). Other instrumentalists taking part include Joseph Chircop (trumpet) and Russell Medley (organ).

Declan Kelly studied singing at the Royal Irish Academy of Music in Dublin and then at the National Opera Studio, London. For Opera Ireland he has sung Beppe I Pagliacci, Doctor Maxwell The Silver Tassie and Remendado Carmen. He made his Opera National du Rhin debut as Flute A Midsummer Night's Dream at Strasbourg and returned to sing Scaramuccio Ariadne auf Naxos, Hirt Tristan und Isolde and Remendado. At the Batignano Festival he has sung Eurillo in Scarlatti's Gli Equivoci nel Sembiante. For Opera Theatre Company he has sung Tamino Die Zauberflote, Kudrjash Katja Kabanova, which toured Portugal and Ireland, and also Harlequin in their award-winning production of DerKaiser von Atlantis. For Wexford Festival Opera Barbarino Alessandro Stradella, which was also recorded for Fone Italia. With Muziektheater Transparant Antwerpen Declan has toured Belgium and Holland singing Gomatz Zaide and High Tenor Trouble in Tahiti. He has also sung Nanki-Poo Mikado and Marco The Gondoliers for both D'Oyly Carte and Carl Rosa Opera. With English Bach Festival he has sung Spirit Dido and Aeneas at the Royal Opera House. For English Touring Opera Declan has sung Brighella Ariadne auf Naxos and Alfred Die Fledermaus. Last summer he completed a tour of Denmark singing Narciso Il Turco in Italia for Den NY Opera and for Garden Opera both Ottavio Don Giovanni and Almaviva.

Declan's debut recital of Schumann's Dichterliebe at Dublin's National Concert Hall was received with critical acclaim. Oratorio engagements have included Mozart's Requiem in Madrid with the Moscow Virtuosi under Vladimir Spivakov, Messiah with the Ulster Orchestra under Thierry Fischer and also with the London Mozart Players in Fairfield Halls, Hiawatha's Wedding Feast at the Brangwyn Hall and Petite Messe Solennelle, Carmina Burana, Die Schopfung, Saul, Arvo Part's Passio, Benjamin Britten's Saint Nicolas and Bach's Magnificat at the NCH. Declan has also recorded Charpentier's Te Deum with L'Accademia di Santa Cecilia under Myung-Whun Chung for Deutsche Grammophon.