Josef Grech, son of Martin and Dorothy nee’ Caruana, was born on the 24th of May 1981 into a musical family of Maltese origins from Sliema and The three cities, his mother played clarinet and drums with local bands and further back in the family tree there was Professor Gejtanu Grech. A Band Director of many bands including those of Luqa, Saint Andrews and L’Unione, Kings Own and La Vallette of Valletta, La Vincitricem San Ġorġ of Cospicua, L-Isle Adam of Rabat, Queen’s Own of Senglea, the two bands of Birgu, Prince of Wales and the Musical Society of Saint Lawrence, Duke of Edinburgh, Malta Regiment Royal Militia, La Stella in Gozo and for a short period of time Band Director of the Scottish Regiment stationed at Verdala Palace. Another notable figure from the same family is Conductor Ganni Grech who was Band Conductor for Hamrun’s Band San Gejtanu as well as assistant conductor with the La Vallette Philharmonic Band. Another notable figure from the same family is Conductor Joseph Abela Scolaro who was Band Conductor for Hamrun’s Band San Gejtanu, L’Unione, Luqa, Maria Mater Gratiae, Zabbar. And a mention of Band Conductor Gianni Saliba who was assistant band conductor of Stella Maris Band Sliema.

Josef began to learn music from the early age of four years. In 1985 he started studying under Mro.Victor Debattista and simultaneously under Mro.Carmelo Caruana at King’s Own Band in Valletta. He continued his early studies under Mro.Carmelo Pace from 1987 till 1991. With such esteemed tutors, Josef thrived and built a firm foundation in the musical arts. He proceeded to study the fugue,  instrumentation, music history, music form and music direction under the guidance of Mro. Joseph Tonna A.Mus, L.C.M. & Fr. Mro. Albert Borg Bonnaci OSA. In the 90’s Josef Grech spent some time learning under Mro.Raymond Sciberras F.L.C.M. at San Gejtanu Band Club Hamrun.   During his musical career, Mro.Josef held many prestigious posts, most remarkably at the young age of sixteen he was appointed as Assistant Bandmaster of Lourdes Philharmonic Band Paola where he continued to served as Band Director from 2002 till 2011. While serving as band director of Lourdes Philharmonic Band Paola, on the first of February 1998 at the age of seventeen he was appointed as Assistant Headmaster with Mosta’s Santa Maria Philharmonic band, in the same year on the ninth of September, he was appointed first musical director and founder with the Philharmonic band of The Assumption of Mary in H’Attard. Wanting to contribute to Malta’s young talent on the fourth of May 1999, he founded the Assumption College of Music. The first college dedicated to the learning of music in Malta. On the sixteenth of May 2003 Josef founded on his own initiative the National Society ‘Filarmonika Santa Cieclia’ where he served as bandmaster. He also serves Jesuit churches as well as occupying the post of Maestro Di Cappella at Our Lady of Pilar in Valletta. It was on Monday, twenty-ninth May 2000 when he won first prize in a presidential competition for maltese competitors with the passage in “The Victory of Millenium” where he was honored by the President of Malta Prof.Guido DeMarco and also won a diploma from overseas by the Euro Institute for Higher Education for the same musical piece.


Josef Grech is also a member of the Performance Right Society (PRS) of London, and along the years, Josef composed Sacred Music, Classical music and several anthems for Parish churches, Band Clubs and other institutes.