Maltese tenor, Joseph Calleja is, at only 30 years old, already one of the most sought after tenor voices with the leading opera houses in both Europe and USA, and will, during the 2008/09 season, be appearing at Royal Opera House in London, Staatoper Vienna, Staatsoper Hannover, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Washington Opera and a return to the Metropolitan Opera House in New York. Calleja will also bring two more roles to his already great repertoire, namely as Pinkerton in Puccini's Madama Butterfly and as Nadir in Bizet's Pearlfishers.
Calleja was born in Attard, Malta, in 1978 and began singing at the tender age of 16. Shortly after he was discovered by the Maltese tenor Paul Asciak, with whom he continues to study.
His voice has, by critics and opera lovers alike, been described as the first voice in the new millennium to bridge the old school sound and timbre (something many feared lost long ago), to the 21st century operatic world.
Making his debut in Gozo, Malta, as Macduff (Macbeth) in 1997 and later that year also sang the role of Leicester (Maria Stuarda) for Netherlands Reisopera in Arnhem, Heerlen and 's-Hertogenbosch. Since then his career has taken off in earnest - appearing in more than twenty leading roles.
His first solo album “Tenor Arias” (Riccardo Chailly) released in the spring of 2004 was praised by critics all over the world. His 2nd solo album "The Golden Voice" was released in October 2005 and has been covered with both critical and popular acclaim. Calleja can also be heard in the complete opera recording “Maria Stuarda”, Puccini Discoveries w/Riccardo Chailly and on Renee Fleming's latest CD release “By Request.” 23 February 2009 will see the release of Bellini's "I Capuleti e i Montechi" (complete recording) with Anna Netrebko and Elina Garanca.
1997
Verdi: Macbeth (Macduff) - Gozo, Malta
Donizetti: Maria Stuarda (Leicester) -
Netherlands Reisopera in Arnhem,
Heerlen and 's-Hertogenbosch
Winner of the Belvedere Competition in Vienna
1998
Toured southern Italy with the Moldova Symphony Orchestra. New Year concerts.
Donizetti: L’elisir d’amore (Nemorino) - Manoel Theatre in Valetta
Corghi: Isabella (Lind) - Rossini Opera Festival, Pesaro
Zandonai: I Cavalieri di Ekebu (Leicrona) - Wexford Festival
Bizet: Carmen (Don Jose) - Various scenes from the opera. Wexford Festival
Winner of the Caruso Competition in Milan
Awarded the John Small Bursary at the Wexford Festival
1998/99
Concert at the Conservatorio G. Verdi in Milan
1999/2000/2001
Puccini: La Boheme (Rodolfo) - Toronto
Puccini: La Boheme (Rodolfo) - Dresden
Rossini: Il Barbiere di Seviglia (Almaviva) - Liege
Rossini: Il Barbiere di Seviglia (Almaviva) - Washington
Mozart: Don Giovanni (Don Ottavio) - Regensburg
Bizet: Carmen (Remendado) - La Monnaie, Brussels
Puccini: Gianni Schicchi (Rinuccio) - Spoleto Festival USA
Adam: Si j’etais roi (Zephoris) - Wexford Opera Festival
Verdi: Falstaff (Fenton) - Teatro Regio, Torino
Verdi: Un Giorno di Regno (Eduardo) - Teatro Comunale di Bologna
Verdi: Rigoletto (The Duke) - Rotterdam
Donizetti: Lucia di Lamermoor (Edgardo) - Minnesota Opera, Minneapolis
Donizetti: Maria Stuarda (Leicester) - Royal Opera House, Stockholm
Donizetti: Maria Stuarda (Leicester) - Parma
2002
Donizetti: Don Pasquale (Ernesto) - Brussels
Verdi: La Traviata (Alfredo) - Manoel Theatre, Malta
Verdi: Rigoletto (The Duke) - Welsh National Opera
Puccini: La Boheme (Rodolfo) - Bregenz Festival
2002/2003
Puccini: La Boheme (Rodolfo) - Bayerische Staatsoper Munich
Puccini: La Boheme (Rodolfo) - Frankfurt Opera
Verdi: Rigoletto (The Duke) - Royal Opera House Covent Garden
Verdi: Rigoletto (The Duke) - Royal Theatre, Copenhagen
Puccini: La Boheme (Rodolfo) - Royal Opera House Covent Garden
Puccini: La Boheme (Rodolfo) - Strasbourg
2003/2004
Verdi: Rigoletto (The Duke) - Zurich
Bellini: La Sonnambula (Elvino) - Avignon, France
Bellini: I Puritani (??) - Viener Staatsopera, Vienna
Recital at St. John’s Smith Square, London
Bellini: I Capuleti e Montecchi (Tebaldo) - Saltzburg Festival
Opera Gala - Faenol Festival Wales w//Bryn Terfel, Wales
Festival Gala - Krakow Festival, Poland
Verdi: Rigoletto (The Duke) - Amsterdam
