Joseph Calleja

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Joseph Calleja
Maltese Tenor Joseph Calleja crop.JPG
Born (1978-01-22) 22 January 1978 (age 47)
Attard, Malta
NationalityMaltese
Alma mater De la Salle College
OccupationOperatic tenor
Years active1997–present
Height189 cm (6 ft 2 in)
Children2
Website josephcalleja.com

Joseph Calleja (born 22 January 1978) [1] is a Maltese operatic tenor.

Contents

Early life and career

Calleja was born in Attard, Malta. He began singing at the age of 16, having been discovered by tenor Brian Cefai and continued his studies with Maltese tenor Paul Asciak. He attended De La Salle College. [2] At the age of 19 he made his operatic debut as Macduff in Verdi's Macbeth at the Astra Theatre in Gozo and went on to become a prize winner at the Belvedere Hans Gabor Competition the same year. In 1998 he won the Caruso Competition in Milan and was a prize winner in Plácido Domingo's Operalia in 1999. [3]

On 2 November 2012, the University of Malta presented Calleja with a Doctor of Literature Honoris Causa in acknowledgment of his achievements as an internationally renowned tenor. [4] On 8 October 2015, he was elected to the board of directors of the European Academy of Music Theatre. [5]

Concerts in Malta

In 2009, Calleja began a series of annual concerts at the Granaries in Malta. The first concert was performed with Michael Bolton. [6] In 2010, he sang with Dionne Warwick and Riccardo Cocciante and his choir of 500 children. In 2011, he appeared with soprano Hayley Westenra and Italian singer Lucio Dalla. [7] In 2012, he was joined by Ronan Keating and Gigi D'Alessio. [8] In 2013, he sang with Zucchero, Rebecca Ferguson, Gianluca Bezzina, Riccardo Cocciante and Tenisha. [9] In 2015, he sang with Anastacia as a special guest. In 2012, Calleja was appointed Malta's first Cultural Ambassador, a role he takes very seriously. [10]

Recordings

Calleja's first solo recital disc, 'Tenor Arias', was released in 2004. He followed that up in 2005 with The Golden Voice. In 2011, his third solo album Joseph Calleja – The Maltese Tenor reached second overall position on the German charts [11] and debuted at number one in the US Billboard Classical Traditional chart. His 2011 DVD of La traviata from the Royal Opera House and costarring Renée Fleming was nominated for a Grammy award. [12] [ citation needed ] His 2020 album The Magic of Mantovani. The Original Recordings With Joseph Calleja topped Amazon's UK's Opera Charts. [13]

Philanthropy

The Drake Calleja Trust came into existence on 1 September 2015. [14] Established by publisher and philanthropist James Drake, [15] the patron of this trust is Joseph Calleja. It has awarded seventy scholarships for studies in the United Kingdom to exceptionally talented music students of classical music on undergraduate, postgraduate, and research levels. Through these grants, students have purchased new instruments, participated in competitions, masterclasses and training, attended auditions in the UK and other countries, made recordings, and furthered their studies. [16]

On 25 October 2013, Calleja together with Bank of Valletta, launched the BOV Joseph Calleja Foundation. The aim of the foundation is to help vulnerable individuals and social groups in the Maltese community. Specifically, its attention is directed towards helping underprivileged children with unique artistic or musical talents. [17]

List of recording and videos

Calleja made a guest appearance on Renée Fleming's album By Request, singing the role of Alfredo in the act 1 closing scene of La traviata. His recording of "La donna è mobile" from Verdi's Rigoletto was featured in the soundtrack for the 2007 film No Reservations , starring Catherine Zeta-Jones.

Film

Calleja appears as tenor Enrico Caruso in James Gray's 2013 film The Immigrant , which also features Joaquin Phoenix and Marion Cotillard. [18]

Repertory

Personal life

Calleja has two children. [19]

References

  1. "Joseph Calleia – Malta's Hollywood actor". Malta Independent. 21 May 2013. Retrieved 9 September 2016.
  2. "Still Puccini after all these years | Joseph Calleja". MaltaToday.com.mt. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
  3. "Joseph Calleja". Decca Records. 2003. Archived from the original on 6 October 2011. Retrieved 25 December 2011.
  4. "Joseph Calleja – Maltese Tenor", December 18, 2012)
  5. "New board elected: Thomas Adès, Joseph Calleja and Alessandro Di Profio new members", European Academy of Music Theatre, October 10, 2015
  6. "Joseph Calleja in Concert with Bolton". Times of Malta. Malta. 9 January 2009. Retrieved 18 February 2014.
  7. "Musical giants come together". The Times. Malta. 20 June 2011. Retrieved 25 December 2011.
  8. "Ronan dines at Villa Parisio". Times of Malta . 20 July 2012. Archived from the original on 30 July 2016.
  9. "Opera vs. pop – A summer concert in Malta". Euronews. 3 August 2013. Archived from the original on 6 March 2016. Retrieved 5 August 2013.
  10. "Tenor Joseph Calleja appointed Malta's cultural ambassador". Times of Malta. 24 February 2012. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
  11. "Calleja's album second in German charts", The Times , Malta, 28 June 2011.
  12. "Joseph Calleja's new album debuts as vocal bestseller on German charts". The Times. Malta. 3 July 2011. Retrieved 25 December 2011.
  13. Joseph Calleja album tops Amazon UK's opera charts –Tenor brings back to life original Decca recordings of Mantovani, September 29, 2020, Times of Malta Retrieved 01Jan21
  14. "Drake Calleja Trust | Home". Drake Calleja Trust. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
  15. "James Drake | Home". James Drake. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
  16. "Drake Calleja Trust | Home". Drake Calleja Trust. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
  17. "BOV Joseph Calleja Foundation is launched - The Malta Independent". www.independent.com.mt. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
  18. "The Immigrant: Cannes Review". The Hollywood Reporter . 24 May 2013.
  19. ""I want my kids to be the best they can be" – Joseph Calleja". www.ourwedding.mt.