Tenor Joseph Calleja heads a world class line up of performers for this year’s BOV Joseph Calleja Foundation fundraising concert, which will feature the concertmaster at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, David Chan, conducting the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra.

Leading Australian soprano Jessica Pratt, who sings at opera houses around the world and has been described by the New York Times as possessing a “gleaming sound”, and Italian baritone Vittorio Vitelli will also be lending their talent to the event.

All proceeds from the event will go to the BOV Joseph Calleja Foundation, set up in 2013 to provide financial assistance to promising local musical talent and underprivileged children with distinctive musical ability.

Mr Calleja, fresh from a critically acclaimed run of Tosca at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, said: “I would like to thank the artists for generously giving up their time to support a cause very close to my heart in what promises to be a memorable night.”

“The money raised by the foundation over the past five years has enabled us to give our scholars – some of whom will also be performing – an opportunity they might not otherwise have had to make an impression in the highly-competitive world of arts.

“The highlight of the year for me was 18-year-old Gozitan baritone Charles Buttigieg being offered a full tuition scholarship to study Voice at the prestigious Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, which has an acceptance rate of just five per cent.

“This shows that our efforts are worthwhile.”

The BOV Joseph Calleja Winter Concert will be held at the Manoel Theatre in Valletta on Saturday, December 15 at 8pm, followed by a reception at the Casino Maltese.

Seats for the concert are available against a donation of €100 each. Tickets may be reserved through the Teatru Manoel booking website www.teatrumanoel.com.mt. Benefactors who attend the concert will also have the opportunity to meet Joseph Calleja and the guest artists during the reception following the concert.

About David Chan

David Chan, concert master of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra in New York, is one of today's most sought after artists, both as a violinist and a conductor.  The 2018-19 season marks not only his 19th as concertmaster of the Met, but also his second as the inaugural Music Director of New Jersey’s Montclair Orchestra, with which he is already developing a reputation for innovative and adventurous programming. Chan began his musical education at the age of four.  After winning prizes at the Tchaikovsky and Indianapolis international violin competitions, he made his New York debut in 1995 at Avery Fisher Hall, and his Carnegie Hall debut in 2003,

 About Jessica Pratt

Australian soprano Jessica Pratt is considered one of today’s foremost interpreters of some of bel canto’s most challenging repertoire. Since her European debut in 2007 as Lucia di Lammermoor, Ms Pratt’s schedule has included performances at opera theatres and festivals in over 70 cities such as the Metropolitan Opera in New York, Teatro alla Scala of Milan, the Vienna State Opera and the Royal Opera House in London. In 2016, her first solo album, Serenade, was released by Opus Arte. 

About Vittorio Vitelli

Vittorio Vitelli was born in Italy. His repertoire includes Aida, La Traviata, Simon Boccanegra, Rigoletto, Il Trovatore, Un Ballo in Maschera, La Forza del Destino (Verdi), Lucia di Lammermoor (Donizetti), La Boheme, Tosca  (Puccini) and Hamlet (Thomas). He performs in La Scala in Milan and in the opera houses of Barcelona, Madrid, Bilbao, Berlin, Nice, Tokyo, Venice, Florence, Verona, Rome, Trieste, Turin, Palermo, Bregenz, Hamburg, Montreal among others.