Two up-and-coming Maltese tenors are feeling the pressure to be at their best at their first major mainstream concert on home ground.

Nico Darmanin, 30, and Cliff Zammit Stevens, 26, have been invited to take part in Joseph Calleja’s annual summer concert on August 3, which this year features top American singer Anastacia.

“As an artist you feel doubly pressured to deliver in your own country. Everybody who’s anybody will be there, including family and friends, so you want to make everyone proud,” Mr Darmanin said.

Mr Zammit Stevens said sometimes performing on home ground, although very exciting, was also more nerve-wracking.

However, the young tenors, who are both earning a name for themselves on the international circuit, are looking forward to performing alongside their idol Calleja, and before a big crowd expected to gather at Luxol Grounds.

Asked if they felt if opera was accessible to young people, both Mr Darmanin and Mr Zammit Stevens felt that classical operas were being modernised and revamped into spectacular shows.

And while the cost of tickets was often prohibitive, Mr Darmanin pointed out that good value tickets for top international shows could often be bought at the last minute for those seeking to immerse themselves in this genre of music.

Asked what they had to give up to pursue their dreams, Mr Darmanin and Mr Zammit Stevens spoke about the moments of solitude, the intense competition, being unable to attend important family milestones, but also the excitement of landing a part and making new friends.

“I’ve learnt the biggest life lessons in the past years. Travelling alone, checking into the cheapest single-bed hotel room with just a book for company and hoping to do well in an audition the next day can be soul-crushing,” Mr Darmanin said.

Mr Zammit Stevens added: “I recently had to miss the wedding of my cousin and my closest friend as I couldn’t take time off. It was a wake-up call – so many more missed moments lay in store.”

However, despite the hardships and sacrifices they made they believe in bigger cause and persevere in their dream to succeed.

Nico Darmanin

• The young tenor is making a name for himself in the Rossini and Bel Canto repertoires, having already made his debut at the Royal Opera House.

• He began his training with soprano Gillian Zammit, before moving to London to study at the Royal College of Music.

• Recent highlights include Almaviva Il barbiere di Siviglia (Opera Holland Park); Ramiro La Cenerentola (Scottish Opera); Ottavio Don Giovanni (Vlaamse Opera); and Belfiore Il viaggio a Reims (Rossini Opera Festival in Pesaro).

• He is a Royal Overseas League Competition finalist, Overseas Prize Winner and most recently a BBC Cardiff Singer of the World Finalist 2015.

Cliff Zammit Stevens

• Currently supported by the BOV Joseph Calleja Foundation, Mr Zammit Stevens is a recent Masters in Performance graduate from the Royal College of Music generously supported by the Malta Arts Scholarship Scheme and Janatha Stubbs.

• Credits for opera include Verdi’s Nabucco (Ismaele), Donizetti’s L’Elisir D’Amore (Nemorino), Otello (Cassio), and Mozart’s The Magic Flute (Monostatos), among others.

• Most recently he was nominated by Joseph Calleja and awarded a scholarship to join the summer academy at the Mozarteum University of Salzburg under the guidance of Anna Tumowa-Sintow.

• Stevens was recently one of the finalists in the Lies Askonas Competition.