Tenor Joseph Calleja, who thrilled the Maltese public with his performance in Mdina earlier this month, has appointed NNG Promotions as his local representatives in Malta with immediate effect.
NNG has organised a number of successful concerts in recent years for international stars including Sting, Roger Waters, Elton John, Eros Ramazzotti, Bryan Adams and Josè Carreras.
NNG director Nigel Camilleri said: "We are very proud to represent Joseph Calleja locally and to organise his events. We have worked with international stars in the past but the opportunity for us to work with a Maltese international star is very exciting".
Preparations are already underway to hold a "major outdoor concert" next year, on July 5, featuring Tatiana Lisnic, an international orchestra and "another international star". The location will be announced at a later date.
When contacted, Mr Calleja, who was previously represented in Malta by Renaissance Productions Ltd, said he joined NNG "for professional reasons" but would not elaborate further.
It has been a busy 12 months for the tenor. After making a critically acclaimed debut at The Metropolitan Opera, in New York, last October, where he was rebooked for a number of years, he had a highly successful season in Europe.
He sang three different roles - Nemorino in Elisir d'amore, Rodolfo in Boheme, and Alfredo in La Traviata - at the Vienna State Opera House in the space of eight days, which is virtually unheard of in the opera world. He also received critical acclaim when he accepted a leading role at the Vienna State Opera just 90 minutes before the curtain went up and walked off the stage to a standing ovation.
On that occasion, one of the world's leading tenors and a hot favourite in Austria, Rolando Villazon, unexpectedly pulled out of the first night of La Boheme after feeling unwell at the last minute. More recently, Mr Calleja wowed audiences and critics at the Royal Opera House, in London's Covent Garden, in Massenet's opera Thaïs.
Writing for The Times of London, Geoff Brown said: "Fleming was clearly dying to increase the acting. So were Ana James and Liora Grodnikaite, the eye-rolling slave girls. So, definitely, was Joseph Calleja, on top vocal form as Nicias - once Athanaël's childhood chum, now Alexandria's leading playboy". Martin Kettle wrote for The Guardian: "Joseph Calleja's honeyed tenor as Nicias was not far off sensational".
Intermezzo magazine was equally effusive in its praise: "The other big success of the evening was Joseph Calleja in the secondary role of Nicias. A huge voice and an easy confident presence, it's easy to see why he got such raves recently in Vienna standing in at short notice for a sick Villazon in La Traviata".
And yesterday Mr Calleja broke off his annual holiday in Malta at a day's notice when Mr Villazon was forced to cancel another performance - this time to sing alongside soprano Anna Netrebko at the Rose Garden in Mannheim, Germany - after the organisers were adamant on securing a top tenor to replace him.