A young and exciting presence in today’s music world, Maltese tenor Joseph Calleja has established himself as one of the most promising artists of his generation. An exclusive Decca recording artist since 2003, his first two albums of opera arias captured critical and popular acclaim, and prompted Riccardo Chailly, with whom he collaborated on the first recording, to proclaim “For some time I have not heard such a talent at this young age, with a sound harking back to a quality I thought we had long lost,” Both albums were Editor’s Choice in Gramophone Magazine, and the Observer described Calleja as “a rare discovery, evoking memories from Caruso to Domingo with the suppleness of bin tone and the expressive, highly individual lyricism he brings to even she most familiar material.”
Calleja begins the 2005-2006 season with his return to Frankfurt Opera in performances as Rodolfo in La Boheme. Performances in Germany continue as he tours in concert with soprano, Anna Netrebko, and appears in an opera gala concert in Leipzig. Audiences at the Deutsche Oper Berlin see him in his first performances of the title role in Gounod’s Faust before he returns to Royal Opera, Covent Garden to reprise the role of Macduff in Verdi’s Macbeth. The role of Macduff is also the vehicle for Mr Calleja’s return to the United States when he appears with Seattle Opera, and the tenor remains on the West coast as he makes his debut with Los Angeles Opera as Alfredo in La Traviata. Other highlights of the tenor’s season include performances as Arturo in I Puritani with the Vienna Staatsoper, performances in opera and concert in his native Malta, as well as further concern and recitals throughout Germany to conclude the season.
Calleja is well-known to audiences in the music capitals of the world. His engagements have taken him to virtually every major European city where he has appeared in twenty leading roles in theatres such as Royal Opera House - Covent Garden, the Vienna State Opera, Bayerische Staatsoper - Munich, Zurich Opera, Teatro Cummunale di Bologna, Deutsche Oper Berlin, and the Salzburg Festival.
Calleja made his debut with Royal Opera, Covent Garden as the Duke of Mantua in Rigoletto, and he soon returned for performances as Alfredo in La Traviata. His debut as the Vienna State Opera was as Elvino in La Sonnambula, and he has since resumed for performances as Arturo in I Puritani, the Duke in Rigoletto, and Nemorino in L’elisir d’amora The tenor has appeared with Zurich Opera as Verdi’s Duke and as Elvino, and he appeared at the Salzhurg Festival as Tebaldo in concert performances of I Capuleti e i Montecchi, conducted by lvor Bolton. The Duke of Mantua was the vehicle foe his debuts with the Bayerische Staatsoper, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Netherlands Opera, and Welsh National Opera, and the tenor returned to the Deutsche Oper Berlin for performances as Arturo in Puritani. Audiences as Barcelona’s Gran Teatre de Liceu first saw Joseph Calleja as Donizetti’s Nemorino, and he first appeared with Dresden Semperoper and Frankfurt Opera as Rodolfo in La Boheme. Calleja soon returned to Frankfurt Open for his first performances as Romeo in Romeo et Juliette.
The tenor’s German debut was as Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni as the Regensburg Festival, and he later returned to this role for his debut with the Teatre Principal, Majorca. His first appearance at the Rossini Opera Festival in Pesaro was in the role of Lind in the world premiere of Azio Corghi’s Isabella. Other highlights of recent seasons include performances as Alfredo in a new production of La Traviata at the Opera National du Rhin, Strasbourg; Ernesto in Don Pasquale in Brussels; Almaviva in Il Barbiere di Siviglia in Liege; Fenton in Falstaff at the Teatro Regio Torino; Edoardo di Sanval in Verdi’s Un giorno di regno in Bologna; the Duke in Rotterdam and Copenhagen; Rodolfo in La boheme for the Bregenz Festival; and Leicester in Maria Stuarda in Stockholm and Parma.
Calleja made his debut in the United States as Rinuccio in Gianni Schicchi at the Spoleto Festival. Further appearances in the US include Almaviva in II Barbiere di Siviglia for Washington Opera and Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor for Minnesota Opera.
In October 2006 Calleja made his debut at the Metropolitan Opera in New York as the Duke of Mantua in Rigoletto. He earned praise from top critics for his rich and expressive voice and youthful energy. Calleja performed eight times at the Met during the season 2006-2007. In 2006 Calleja signed a five-year contract with New York Metropolitan Opera House. During these five years, Calleja interpreted main parts in four operas by G. Verdi, Puccini, and Donizetti. In July 2007, Calleja gave a concert at Mdina with his wife Tatiana Lisnic. He made his Canadian debut as Rodolfo in La Boheme in Toronto, and in December 2007 he performed as the Theatre Royal & Namur in a concert organised by the Malta’s Permanent Representation to the EU as part of the international Festival Europalia, marking the 50th Anniversary of the Treaty of Rome. Joseph Calleja is also in great demand as a concert artist. He has toured throughout Germany in solo concerts and has appeared in several opera galas, including the Hampton Court and Faenol Festivals in the UK with Bryn Terfel as well as at the Sejong Cultural Center in Seoul, Korea. He has performed Rossini’s Stabat Mater at the Festival de Musica de Canarias and Verdi’s Messa do Requiem, both with Riccardo Chailly and Haydn’s Lord Nelson Mass at the Salzburg Easter Festival.
Born in Attard, Calleja began singing as the age of 16 and was discovered by the Maltese tenor Paul Asciak, with whom he continues to study. He made his professional debut in Malta in 1997 as Macduff in Macbeth and went on to become a prize winner in the Belvedere Hans Gabor competition the same year. He later won the 1998 Caruso Competition in Milan and was a prize winner in Placido Domingo’s ‘Operalia’ in 1999. His other performances in Malta include Nemorino in L’elisir d’amore and Alfredo in La Traviata both at the Manuel Theatre in 2006, Rodolfo in La Boheme at the Astra theatre in Gozo, his concert at the Manoel Island in 2005, the 10th Anniversary Concert 07/07/07 at Mdina, and the Pavarotti Tribute Concert in July 2008 at Valletta.
In December 2006, Calleja was honoured by the Republic of Malta when he was appointed member of the National Order of Merit (M.O.M.), and in January 2008 he was awarded the Gold Medal by the Malta Society of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce, presented by the President of Malta.