Antonello Venditti, Suzanne Vega to join Joseph Calleja on stage

Joseph Calleja’s summer concert celebrates its 10th anniversary

Maltese tenor Joseph Calleja
Maltese tenor Joseph Calleja

Internationally-acclaimed Italian singer Antonello Venditti and American singer-songwriter Suzzane Vega will be joining Maltese tenor Joseph Calleja on stage during this summer’s Joseph Calleja concert.

Calleja’s summer concerts, which have become a fixed annual appointment in the Maltese artistic calendar, will be marking their 10th anniversary. This year also marks Calleja’s 19th anniversary since his debut in opera.

“This year’s programme will target various tastes, and it will make more use of popular Opera arias,” Calleja told a press conference.

He also hinted at “a number of surprise guest artists”.

Calleja confirmed that two artists to grace this year's show Antonello Venditti and Suzanne Vega. Calleja will be accompanied by the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra under the direction of Maestro Steven Mercurio. The show will also include the BOV Joseph Calleja children's choir.

The concert will be held on Thursday 28 July at the Floriana Granaries, with seated tickets starting from €80. Unlimited standing positions will be open to the public for free.

Calleja, who is currently on tour performing the opera Carmen, will be coming to Malta three days ahead of the concert.

“I think this concert has changed the local musical landscape, particularly in the way children think about music,” he said, adding that he hoped the event would encourage more people to dream and invest in their dreams and talents.

BOV chairman John Cassar White described the concert as a way to bring great talents closer to Maltese audiences.

“It's important to give people the resources to develop their talents,” he said, expressing his hope that the choir would continue to have effects on the future of young people.

Michael Piscopo from the MTA said that the event had become part of the annual cultural calendar and that it also attracted a number of foreigners.

“These events are an important part of the MTA’s efforts to secure more tourism throughout the year,” he said.

He added that the concert attracted some 20,000 people on average, including standing and seated guests.

Tickets are available from nngpromotions.com