Air Malta and the Malta Tourism Authority (MTA) have signed a two-year agreement with Renaissance Productions Ltd, the local representatives of Maltese tenor Joseph Calleja.
In recent years, although relatively young, Calleja has risen to international stardom and has appeared in over 20 leading tenor roles in theatres, such as the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, the Deutsche Opera, Berlin, Vienna State Opera, and the Zurich Opera.
More recently, Joseph was one of leading tenors in the New Year’s Day concert at the world-famous Teatro La Fenice in Venice. The concert, which was televised internationally on Rai Uno and Arte, will also be available on DVD.
The agreement was signed this week at Air Malta's head office in the presence of Joseph Calleja, Anton Tabone and Amabile Zammit from Renaissance Productions, Jeffrey Cutajar and Dominic Micallef from the MTA, and Joe Cappello and Dominic Attard from Air Malta.
Air Malta’s chief operating officer, Joe Cappello said: “Air Malta is proud to have engaged the services of Joseph Calleja. Mr Calleja’s reputation in the international cultural field is continuously growing and the airline feels that he is the ideal ambassador to promote Malta and Air Malta both locally and abroad. This agreement is a result of Air Malta’s constant support and commitment towards the Maltese community in that the airline is not only helping this young Maltese star in his artistic endeavours, but also helping the Maltese community in attracting more tourists to the islands.
This agreement forms part of Air Malta’s ‘Committed to the Community’ initiative that aims to support and encourage local organisations and activities in various sectors – be they cultural, social, philanthropic, environmental, heritage and sport, that help the Maltese community in some way or another. Air Malta wishes Joseph every success in his career.”
MTA’s marketing and sales director, Jeffrey Cutajar said: “This is undoubtedly a breakthrough for the MTA and for Air Malta. Actively supporting an internationally acclaimed artiste like Joseph serves a dual purpose: First of all, it provides us with a top class, internationally renowned performer, whose Maltese identity automatically promotes ‘destination Malta’, and immediately equates the Malta brand with quality. Furthermore, this agreement has given us the opportunity of doing our bit in assisting the career growth of this phenomenal Maltese artiste.”
Director of Renaissance Productions Amabile Zammit – who signed on behalf of Joseph Calleja – said, “RPL is proud to have brokered this deal which is primarily aimed to compliment the present strategy to brand Malta as a quality tourist destination. Joseph Calleja’s international stature is synonymous with sophistication, brilliance and Malta!”