Joseph Calleja

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For the Maltese-American singer, composer, screenwriter and actor, see Joseph Calleia. For the Kid Rock sidekick of the same name, see Joe C..
Joseph Calleja

Joseph Calleja, (born 22 January 1978, Attard), is a Maltese tenor. He began singing at the age of 16, having been discovered by Tenor Brian Cefai and continued his studies with Paul Asciak. At 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 International Opera Competition in 1999.[1] He has since been considered one of the most promising young tenors of the 21st century.[2]

On 2 November 2012, the University of Malta presented Joseph Calleja with a Doctor of Literature Honoris Causa in acknowledgment of his achievements as an internationally renowned tenor.[3]

International success

In Europe, Calleja has performed in many opera houses including Royal Opera House in London, the Vienna State Opera, Teatro Real in Madrid Frankfurt Opera, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Opéra national du Rhin in Strasbourg, Barcelona, Amsterdam and many more.[1]

In the USA, Calleja has performed at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, Houston Grand Opera, Los Angeles Opera, Seattle Opera, Washington National Opera, and the Civic Opera House in Chicago. Calleja has recorded two CDs of opera arias: Tenor Arias and The Golden Voice.[1]

In July 2011, Joseph Calleja’s third solo album Joseph Calleja – The Maltese Tenor reached second overall position on the German charts[4] and debuted at number one in the US Billboard Classical Traditional chart.[5] It captured the development of his art and presents him in some of the roles he is currently performing to ecstatic critical responses: "All the ardor and beauty of tone one could wish for...one of the finest lyric tenors before the public today" (Houston Chronicle on recent performances of Puccini's Madama Butterfly).[6]

Joseph Calleja was named Gramophone Artist of the Year in 2012. In the same year, Calleja was selected to serve as Malta’s first cultural ambassador and was also named a brand ambassador for Air Malta one year later. In 2013, he teamed up with Malta’s Bank of Valletta to form the BOV Joseph Calleja Foundation, which will serve to help children and families in need.

Concerts

Recording and videos

  • 2003: DVD of Maria Stuarda featuring Calleja as Leicester, recorded by the Fondazione Orchestra Stabile de Bergamo
  • 2004: Solo recital disc, Tenor Arias, conducted by Riccardo Chailly with the Orchestra Sinfonica e Coro di Milano
  • 2004: "Puccini Discoveries": Cantata Cessato il suon dell'armi, conducted by Riccardo Chailly with the Orchestra Sinfonica e Coro di Milano
  • 2005: Solo recital disc, The Golden Voice, conducted by Carlo Rizzi with the Academy of St Martin in the Fields
  • 2009: CD of I Capuleti e i Montecchi featuring Calleja as Tebaldo, conducted by Fabio Luisi
  • 2010: DVD of Simon Boccanegra featuring Calleja as Gabriele Adorno with Plácido Domingo in the title role; recorded at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London
  • 2011: DVD of La traviata featuring Calleja as Alfredo Germont, recorded at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London (Grammy nomination)
  • 2011: Solo recital disc, The Maltese Tenor, with the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande
  • 2012: Solo recital disc, "Be My Love - A Tribute to Mario Lanza", BBC Concert Orchestra, conducted by Steven Mercurio
  • 2013: Solo recital disc, "Amore", with the BBC Concert Orchestra, conducted by Steven Mercurio and featuring Nicola Benedetti and Ksenija Sidorova
  • 2013: CD of "Simon Boccanegra" featuring Calleja as Gabriele Adorno with Thomas Hampson in the title role; conducted by Massimo Zanetti

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.

The Golden Voice and Tenor Arias both captured critical and popular acclaim, and both were named Editor’s Choice in Gramophone magazine. 

Singles

  • 2012: "Be My Love" (reached #4 in Tracklisten, the Danish Singles Chart)

Film

Joseph Calleja appears as legendary tenor Enrico Caruso in James Gray’s upcoming film The Immigrant, which also features Joaquin Phoenix and Marion Cotillard.

Repertory

External links

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Joseph Calleja". Decca Records. 2003. Retrieved 2011-12-25. 
  2. ↑ "Joseph Calleja – the tenor who is Malta's national treasure" by Imogen Tilden, The Guardian, 6 September 2012)
  3. ↑ "Joseph Calleja – Maltese Tenor", 18 December 2012)
  4. ↑ "Calleja's album second in German charts", The Times, Malta, 28 June 2011
  5. ↑ "Joseph Calleja's new album debuts as vocal bestseller on German charts". The Times. Malta. 2011-07-03. Retrieved 2011-12-25. 
  6. ↑ "Joseph Calleja Va: Maltese Tenor". hmv.com. 2011-07-25. Retrieved 2011-12-25. 
  7. ↑ "Musical giants come together". The Times. Malta. 2011-06-20. Retrieved 2011-12-25. 
  8. ↑ "Standing ovations for Calleja at Nobel Prize concert". The Times. Malta. 2011-12-09. Retrieved 2011-12-25. 
  9. ↑ BBC: "Prom 76: Last Night of the Proms 2012"
  10. ↑ "Opera vs. pop – A summer concert in Malta". Euronews. 8/3/13. 
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