Orvieto Musica’s energy has a way of attracting young professionals who are driven to search for their own success, not just accept what the world sends their way. It’s a place to experience and engage with old culture and explore new dimensions of life and art—and that’s something that resonates very deeply with singer, pianist, violist, future psychologist, and Orvieto Musica 2024 participant Malachi Williams.
As his resume suggests, Malachi has an unbounded enthusiasm for pursuing his passions. He’s never short for words or action, and his journey from the small town of Poplar Bluff in southeast Missouri to the Umbrian hills reflects how deep his commitment to experience runs. On top of a scholarship to the festival, this 22-year-old-soon-to-be-grad had to set up a GoFundMe and host a concert to raise the rest of the tuition as well as pay for plane tickets and food along the way.
It was never a guarantee that his Italian chamber music dream would become a reality except in the one place where it really mattered:
His heart.
And believe us—it’s very, very big. Malachi quickly became one of Orvieto’s most beloved additions among his peers, the faculty, and everyone he met in its streets and cafes. His unbridled enthusiasm for converting obstacles into opportunities has made him an exemplary participant at the festival who’s touched their lives both on stage and off.
We sat down with Malachi for a Hugo spritz at Montenucci’s to reflect on his Italian adventure and find out about the future he’s dreaming up next.
The 2024 Orvieto Musica Collaborative Pianists. From Left to Right: Joe Walsh, Anne Breeden, Natalie Sherer, Ana Melissa Oliviera, and Malachi Williams.
OM: Tell us how you discovered Orvieto Musica.
Malachi: I love playing chamber music, and I found out about the festival through my school. Performing in Italy has been a dream of mine for 12 years, and I knew the moment I saw the email it was going to be worth the hustle to make it happen.
I reached out to Kim in early April, and four days later she said “You should come!” They offered me a scholarship, but it was going to take some fast fundraising to make it work.
Not going to Orvieto was not an option.
I reached out to some sponsors and started an online campaign, but I wanted to give back to the people and community that supported me as well. Accepting and giving go together, so I started sending texts.
I organized a concert featuring every genre of music that’s a part of my life: broadway songs, classical, and gospel, and I played piano, viola, cello, and sang. In the end, I had what I needed to make the dream come true. I bought my flight three days before the festival started, and here I am!
OM: That’s incredible, and we’re so happy to have you! What were your first impressions?
Malachi: It’s been a great experience from start to finish. I love art, I love architecture, and I’m obsessed with cathedrals, so the duomo is a big thing for me. If you go through my phone I probably have 1000 pictures!
You know, back home we have some amazing festivals, but playing here is not like being in the United States. Europe represents an opportunity to visit the birthplace of what we spend so much time practicing. You can feel the respect and passion that this place has for art—it’s hard to pull more than 1000 people for a concert in the US unless it’s Taylor Swift, but the Vienna Philharmonic can pack every concert. It’s just a different energy level.
OM: What has the festival been like?
Malachi: I feel like I’ve grown so much just in the few weeks I’ve been here. If you asked me on the first day if I could handle accompanying vocalists for art songs and playing some of the hardest string chamber music in the repertoire, I would have said “No way!” But here I am doing all these amazing things. I also played viola on the Vivaldi Gloria in the duomo with the choir and orchestra which was an incredible thrill, and I even sang in one of the vocal recitals.
Everyone here has been very open and supportive of helping me showcase what I have to offer.
I’m extremely grateful to the faculty, my fellow participants, and the city of Orvieto for being so inviting.
Malachi pictures alongside both resident string quartets for the Intensive Strings Program during the Orvieto Musica 2024: Insight Chamber Players and the Sydney Eisteddfod Quartet.
OM: You seem to be incredibly self-motivated. What inspires you?
Malachi: My parents are brilliant human beings and I love them—they taught me that if I wanted to be successful I was going to have to work hard. I’ve had 27 jobs and started working when I was pretty young. When I was 17 I started to take my future seriously. I wanted to be a lawyer, then a musician, then a doctor, and I’ve finally settled on psychology, but music has been and always will be an integral part of the dream no matter what.
I’ve been extremely blessed to be able to love people and be loved by people.
Honestly, I don’t know how I had 250 people helping me afford to go to Orvieto and come to my concert, but my gratitude and love for them runs deep. I’ve never had a lot of money, but I’m rich in so many more ways that matter.
Kim has been so wonderful, and I’ve loved working with Ann and Robyn. The festival has flown by, and we’re already preparing for the Orvieto Musica finale! I’m so proud of what we’ve all accomplished in such a short time, and I’ve had the privilege to play with some of the best musicians I’ve ever met in the world. I’ll never forget my time in Orvieto, and it’s already a cherished experience I’ll take with me for the rest of my life.