Joseph Calleja may be regarded as one of the Three Tenors of today’s generation, but the 36-year-old is also working hard to ensure his talent helps nurture opportunities for young artists and underprivileged children.
His bright blue eyes light up as he enthusiastically speaks of the BOV Joseph Calleja Foundation, which he helped set up last year.
“I’ve been dreaming of setting up such a foundation since I was 15. At the time, I encountered an exceptional student learning to play a brass instrument. He was about my age.
“He was a prodigy of sorts. Unfortunately, however, he didn’t have the funds to further his talent. Back then, I had thought of how much I would have liked to help him.”
The thought stayed with the tenor and he was finally able to act on it last year.
Although the foundation is managed by a separate board, Calleja raises the money. His dream is to see his brainchild grow, prosper and attract people with the financial capacity to help.
The foundation has already intervened to help exceptional young Maltese talent, he explains.
Four recipients are benefiting from funds to further their studies: tenor Cliff Zammit Stevens, mezzo soprano Claire Ghigo, mezzo soprano Marvic Monreal and soprano Nicola Said.
The idea of the foundation is about using art to help heal some of the pain certain children suffer every day
A gifted teenager was also presented with a violin as his family could not afford to buy one, while the foundation is looking into funding his studies if the youngster continues to show promise.
“Sometimes people need that extra push. I’m still grateful to those people who gave me even the slightest of pushes at the beginning of my career.
“These little pushes gather in momentum and become quite a force to be reckoned with. Malta is a small island and we need ambassadors out there – and what better way than through the arts?”
The foundation, he continues, is currently in talks with an individual who spearheads a movement that uses art, theatre and music as tools to bring families and children together.
“We all know there are certain schools and areas in Malta with severe problems. The idea is about using art to help heal some of the pain certain children suffer every day.”
Art is not an avenue many Maltese automatically turn to. EU surveys have shown the country is lagging at the bottom of cultural participation rankings.
As a father, Mr Calleja is also cultivating a love for the arts in his two young children.
“The trick is not to make piano practice a punishment. What I try to do is to nurture creativity.
“For example Clara (his 10-year-old daughter) wrote a song and it’s actually quite beautiful.
“So I took her to a studio where we recorded it with [DJ duo] Tenishia, who thought it was really good and composed the rest of the song. It was such a high for her. You reward that creativity by showing interest – the lesson is that ‘my hard work paid off’.”
The cultural scene in Malta may be cold, but Calleja believes “it has the potential to become a beautiful, gleaming diamond”.
He believes the time has long been ripe for different cultural entities to jointly pool their efforts into creating a main Maltese festival that would encompass all the arts – from jazz and rock concerts to theatre, dance and art exhibitions, with a couple of festi thrown in for good measure.
Easter and summer would be ideal for two such festivals that could attract much-coveted “cultural tourists”.
“Unfortunately, we lack a world-class concert hall with the proper climate control but we are replete with outdoor locations.
“People want entertainment. The re-invention of Malta as a cultural space is a fantastic PR opportunity. Cultural tourists leave behind a lot of income with the least impact on the environment.
“We have to ensure there are no clashes between institutions. We are too small a country to have all these separate entities.
“There has to be a synergy whereby these entities come together to create a viable festival in Malta.”
Successive governments, he adds, have not mined the gold lying dormant in the cultural field.
“While steering clear of bipartisan politics, a lot could have been done earlier but because of petty micro-wars between individuals, some people have been left out.
“I’ve aired my views with both political parties – this has to change, valid people have to be given space and not just be pushed out for whatever reason.”
Calleja’s annual summer concert also courted controversy because the past two have been sponsored by the government.
“For the record, I received no remuneration by the government, whether directly or indirectly, in the deal they made with [concert promoters] NNG promotions.
What kind of society – and I’m not just talking about Malta – are we turning out to be when a story about scores of murdered children attracts four comments and a bird has hundreds?
“The government sponsored the filming in HD, which is very expensive – it comprises recording, editing, colour correction and distribution.
“This has been a phenomenal advertisement for Malta – it was broadcast all over the world, with the exception of America and Asia. The sum was €300,000 excluding VAT.
“So much money is wasted – money on culture is never wasted. Yes, cynics might say I’m being advertised as well. True, but this happens every time I go abroad. I always try and promote Malta. My patriotism is not put on.
“To the outside world, you say how great Malta is and you promote it, but then behind the scenes and if necessary, you chide when you feel very strongly about certain issues.
“I’m not saying I’m always right but if I feel strongly about an issue, I will speak about it no matter who will fire back.”
He certainly feels strongly about immigration. On timesofmalta.com a few months ago, he viewed two stories parallel to each other. One was about a shot marsh harrier that had close to 300 comments while the other story was about the massacre of children in Syria.
“They were laid out on the floor, as if sleeping, two rows of them. I remember vividly that two on the far right looked like my children asleep. And this story had perhaps four or five comments.
“What kind of society – and I’m not just talking about Malta – are we turning out to be when a story about scores of murdered children attracts four comments and a bird has hundreds? Of course they’re both wrong but we need to get some sense of perspective.
“No, Malta cannot deal with every migrant who wants to leave north Africa – we don’t have the space nor the resources.
“But I’ve seen some shocking comments: let them drown, do not give them medical treatment? We have to – there is no other way,” he says emphatically.
“There should be screening, there should be pressure internationally to get as much help and funds as possible but you can’t turn down help just because their skin is dark.
“I also think 95 per cent of the people who post these comments would not let people drown if they were actually watching them.
“You can’t let the innocent die due to the intentions of the bad ones. It’s up to us as a civil, advanced, educated society to come up with plans to help separate the wheat from the chaff and help those who are in need and repatriate those with different intentions.
“I’m just a singer from Malta. I cannot change the world but for sure I can try to make a difference in Malta, which is what I am striving towards.”
Calleja has just completed a successful stint at the Metropolitan Opera in a critically acclaimed production of Macbeth.
He sang against the stunning backdrop of Columbus Circle and Central Park at a Corinthia Group event in New York and will be next perform Verdi’s Un Ballo Maschera at the Royal Opera House.
The award-winning South Bank Show will feature him in one of its biographical programmes.
“When my manager informed me, I thought he was joking. I insisted the interview be conducted in Malta of course and I'm looking forward to meeting Lord Melvyn Bragg in what will be my most important UK TV interview to date.”
• Joseph Calleja will be performing at a special Christmas concert at the Sanctuary for Divine Mercy on December 27 to raise money for the BOV Joseph Calleja Foundation, which helps young artists and underprivileged children.