“Fresh from his outstanding performance in Rigoletto at the world famous Grand Metropolitan Opera House in New York, Joseph Calleja will once again be performing in Malta on 7 July in an open-air concert in the main square of Mdina,” announced Renaissance Productions Ltd directors Anton Tabone and Amabile Zammit at a press conference to launch the concert.
“This concert will mark the 10th anniversary from the start of Calleja’s illustrious career which, at such a young age, has taken him to some of the most renowned theatres in the world. In fact, his brilliant performance in the role of the Duke in Rigoletto has secured him a long-term contract at the Metropolitan for years to come in the operas Rigoletto, La Traviata and Lucia di Lamermoor.
“July’s concert will once again be hosted by Renaissance Productions Ltd (RPL), following their successful organisation of the recent Andrea Bocelli concert, which was the largest indoor concert ever organised in Malta.”
Mr Calleja’s celebrated wife, soprano Tatiana Lisnic, will be accompanying him at the concert. Other forthcoming joint concerts planned by the two will be in Paris on 20 January, in Munich in March and in a new production of Lucia di Lamermoor in Strasbourg.
The accompanying orchestra for the concert in July will be The Youth Orchestra of the Americas, which is comprised of the most promising musicians from North, Central and South America and which has its headquarters in Washington, DC. The Youth Orchestra of the Americas will be in Malta for 13 days before embarking on their European Tour. The orchestra’s artistic advisor is Placido Domingo.
The Youth Orchestra of the Americas will be the third foreign orchestra of international repute brought over to Malta by RPL in the last two years.
Dr Tabone and Mr Zammit also announced that RPL have signed an indefinite agency contract with Joseph Calleja to be his agents for Malta. Commenting about this contract, the RPL directors said: “It is truly an honour for RPL to be entrusted by Mr Calleja as his exclusive representatives in the Maltese Islands. Mr Calleja’s fast-track path towards international stardom status seems to have no boundaries and RPL feels privileged to be affiliated with him.”
The media conference was also addressed by Mr Calleja who said: “Since it was established in 2005, RPL has attracted artists of the highest calibre to our small island and I consider myself privileged to have witnessed the birth of this company which today has become a veritable cultural institution in Malta and already in other European countries. I am delighted to reconfirm my commitment to both Mr Zammit and Dr Tabone by entrusting them with my exclusive representation in the Maltese Islands.”
Tickets for the concert, which is expected to attract an audience of 3,000, are already on sale and can be bought from Maltaticket.com or from Exotique branches in Sliema, Bay Street, Valletta Energy and Victoria, Gozo. Tickets are priced at Lm50, Lm40 and Lm35.