Joseph Calleja performing in his concert at the Granaries last year. Photo: Darrin Zammit Lupi.

Italian singer Claudio Baglioni, X-factor winner Leona Lewis, bass-baritone Bryn Terfel and 11-year old mezzo soprano Federica Falzon will be joining international tenor Joseph Calleja for his Malta summer concert.

Describing it as “the best line-up ever”, Mr Calleja said he looked forward to the July 18 show at the Granaries in Floriana and considered the annual event on the cultural calendar as “the crowning end to my season”.

“It has to be the best concert in my year because otherwise people will be complaining to my mother,” he quipped yesterday.

“I want to give the Maltese a unique show: this is a Maltese product. It is not a cliché that I am in love with Malta and the Maltese – well most of them anyway,” he said at the press launch at Corinthia Attard.

Citing the Italian expression ‘nessuno é profeta in patria’ – meaning it is hard for people to be recognised in their country – Mr Calleja said he felt humbled by the fact the term did not apply to him.

Claudio Baglioni.

He explained the ripple effect of exposure: when he started singing, he said Miriam Gauci was the only name in opera.

“Now there are several young people in the scene, and they are making a good name for Malta. I think my successes made the dream for these young ones look reachable.”

The national orchestra will be directed by maestro Paul Bateman and the line-up will be backed up by the Joseph Calleja BOV Children’s Choir.

“This gives children the chance to expose themselves to music while performing with world-renowned artists,” he said. Malta’s future lies in cultural tourism and Mr Calleja has a vision of a five-week cultural festival in Malta in the summer period.

“I globetrotted the world in these last 17 years and I can see that cultural tourism is always profitable. We already have the infrastructure with hotels and accommodation.”

Mr Calleja appealed to the government to invest more in culture.

“We have to keep the wheel of culture and music going,” he said, adding that concerts of this nature are very difficult to hold, and abroad they are usually a one-off .

“Yet, here we’ve managed to successfully organise it every year.”

Tourism Minister Edward Zammit Lewis described the concert as a unique selling point for Malta and announced that the standing area will be free for the public once again.

He said that with the assistance of Malta Tourism Authority, this year’s concert will be filmed in high definition and shown in several countries, exposing Malta to millions of viewers worldwide including prestigious networks like Sky Arts in the UK. The concert is supported by Allied Newspapers, Bank of Valletta, Vodafone and Gasan Mamo.