To celebrate the 20th Anniversary of his public debut in the world of opera, internationally renowned tenor Joseph Calleja will perform a special commemorative concert here in his home country on 19th August 2017.
He’ll be joined on stage by global phenomenon Andrea Bocelli and Welsh bass-baritone Sir Bryn Terfel, accompanied by the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra and the BOV Joseph Calleja Children’s Choir, under the direction of Gillian Zammit.
The concert will mark an important milestone in Mr Calleja’s extraordinary career thus far. Whilst studying under the tutelage of the late Mro Paul Aciak, Mr Calleja made his debut at the young age of 19 as Macduff in Verdi’s ‘Macbeth’, performed at the Astra Theatre in Malta. He went on to win awards in a series of notable international competitions, including the Hans Gabor Belvedere Competition, Caruso Competition, and Plácido Domingo’s Operalia.
The awards and recognition received at these events helped launch Mr Calleja onto the wider global opera scene, where he has remained as one of the most sought-after tenors of his generation, appearing in most of the world’s great opera theatres, and singing an impressive 33 leading roles to date. With a voice described by NPR as an ‘old-fashioned fast vibrato, which flickers like a vintage silent movie’, Mr Calleja has often been compared to opera greats such as Jussi Björling, Beniamino Gigli, and even Enrico Caruso.
Following his anniversary concert in Malta, Mr Calleja will travel to New York to sing the leading tenor role in in the Metropolitan Opera’s new production of Norma.
The Joseph Calleja 20th Anniversary Concert will be held at The Granaries in Floriana on 19th August 2017. It is produced by NnG Promotions and is supported by Bank of Valletta, the Malta Tourism Authority, the Government of Malta and Gasan Mamo.
