Gianluca, the artist who will be representing Malta in this years' edition of the Eurovision Song Contest with the track Tomorrow co-written by Boris Cezek and Dean Muscat spoke to the media in a press conference following his second technical rehearsal speaking about various topics in relation to his career as an artist and a professional doctor. Prior to leaving for the international showcase, Gianluca was present for a recording of the popular television programme; Xarabank hosted by Peppi Azzopardi and produced by Where's Everybody. It was revealed that Gianluca had the full support of world renowned tenor, Joseph Calleja who also took the opportunity to invite him for a performance during his annual summer concert held on The Granaries in Floriana.

Patrick Strouk, one of the members of the editorial team who is present at this years' edition of the Eurovision Song Contest asked Gianluca about such an opportunity especially considering that Joseph Calleja continues to grow in popularity across the world. Gianluca was gobsmacked by the invite and stated that he could not believe his ears when the idea was put forward by Joseph Calleja himself. Nevertheless, he gladly accepted and is very much looking forward to the outcome. This summer concert is well attended by the Maltese noting that they turn up to hear the stunning vocal prowess of Calleja who has a tendency to invite a number of foreign guests who in the past included; Ronan Keating, Lucio Dalla, Dionne Warwick and Michael Bolton amongst others. Stay tuned to escflashmalta.com for all of the latest news.

Source: escflashmalta.com

The Cultural Ambassador for Malta, Joseph Calleja is currently one of the most prominent figures in the world of classical music, having the opportunity to give performances across the globe. Decca, the classical subsidiary of Universal Music represents the renowned tenor and has released all of his material thus far including his top three charting albums, The Maltese Tenor in 2011 and Be My Love - A Tribute to Mario Lanza in 2012 respectively. In recent years, the success of his work has led to an extremely popular profile and as a matter of fact leads to the current state of affairs, a nomination in the inaugurual edition of The International Opera Awards.

The Hilton Park Lane in London, United Kingdom will be hosting the ceremony on the 22nd April 2013 and a massive turnout is expected to ensure continuation in the coming years. Joseph Calleja is nominated for the Best Male Singer Award and the public has the opportunity to aid their loyal ambassador with a vote, by clicking on this link here. Patriot is one of the best words used to describe Calleja noting that he has always ensured the promotion of the country abroad. In recent days, a German film crew filmed the most historical sites in the capital city of Valletta and Joseph Calleja acted as the tour guide for the day. In an interview with The Times of Malta, he stated that this is not the first time that he has ensured promotion of the country and the capital whilst stating that the people 'have a duty to be ambassadors'. Earlier this year, Joseph Calleja also pledged his full support towards Gianluca and his Eurovision Song Contest entry Tomorrow. The editorial team of escflashmalta.com would like to wish him the very best of luck with his nomination.

Source: Official Facebook Page

In recent years, one of the most recognisable artists in the world of classical music has surely been Joseph Calleja who hails from the Maltese Islands. This is definitely not an artist one would expect to be associated with the Eurovision Song Contest but nevertheless, has played his fair share in terms of support throughout the years. In 2011, when the international competition was taking place in Germany, he had been the one to introduce One Life performed by Glen Vella to the music of Paul Giordimaina and the lyrics of Fleur Balzan. With the release of the official music video of Tomorrow sung by Gianluca to the music and lyrics of Dean Muscat and Boris Cezek being extremely fresh, Calleja took to social networking website, Facebook to share his thoughts.

Despite the extremely busy schedule that Joseph Calleja is known to have throughout the year, he has always managed to fit in a number of regular appearances in Malta including his summer concert series in which he has duetted with a number of international stars including; Ronan Keating, Hayley Westenra, Lucio Dalla, Gigi D'Alessio and Dionne Warwick amongst others. In the meantime, just last week, he was also on the popular television programme; Xarabank hosted by Peppi Azzopardi which not only ran a profile about the artist but also saw him perform live on television and to the studio audience. With regards to Tomorrow, Calleja kept is short and simple by stating 'This guy has it period - like the song the video is fresh and unassuming. Love the retro look. I have a feeling this will bring the Eurovision to Malta.' Stay tuned to escflashmalta.com as we continue following all of the latest news with regards to Gianluca and his entry Tomorrow co-written by Dean Muscat and Boris Cezek.

Source: Official Facebook Page, Allen Venables (Image)

The popular comic duo known mostly for their viral hit ‘Hot & Famous’ have decided that it is time to take on another project, this being Gianluca Bezzina’s Malta Eurovision entry ‘Tomorrow’. The duo have built quite a reputation with their constant covers pertaining to the local situation and it seems that the Maltese version of ‘Tomorrow’ is going to be another massive hit. They decided to have a political take on the local Eurovision entry, with lyrics pertaining to the slogans and the proposals of the main political parties. The strong easy going melody was a perfect fit to the tongue in cheek lyrics and with the media bombing us with different kinds of messages – it is somewhat refreshing to see someone taking the mickey out of the situation.

The Maltese political satire of ‘Tomorrow’ has all the ingredients for it to be a hit with the Maltese because these are the two most talked about subjects in the country. The elections and the Eurovision Song Contest are surely two of the hottest topics on the islands and whether someone is genuinely interested or not they still follow every step – if they do not, they still get to hear about it from family, friends or colleagues. You will always find that relative, friend or colleague obsessed with one of them -it is like these two are ingrained in our DNA and they are part of our national heritage. Some argue that perhaps the only thing that unites us as Maltese is the actual Eurovision Song Contest because in May everyone would be rooting for the Maltese song. 

It seems that ‘Tomorrow’ did not just pick up the fancy of the comic duo Gorg & Pawlu, but internationally renowned opera star, Joseph Calleja has also taken a liking to Gianluca Bezzina’s entry. Joseph Calleja commented on the song through his official Facebook page, he went on to say: “I think this is the first time I am commenting about the Eurovision Song Contest but Malta’s entry this year is truly excellent. Am really enjoying this song performed with admirable freshness by Gianluca.” This is surely another accolade for the young artist and his team whose song continues to receive very positive reactions from the Eurovision fans and various critics that follow the yearly competition. This inaugurates well for the young artist whose talent and freshness has captured the attention of many. 

Source: Facebook, PBS

2013 is officially just a couple of hours away and several people are already gearing up to pop the corks off their champagne bottles but nevertheless, there is still one more day to go through and hopefully, that will also be one to remember in a positive manner. It has been an endearing year, with several positive aspects. As a matter of fact, we have been through the major news items for both the general Eurovision Song Contest as well as the local music scene and one could easily denote the progress that has been made on both a national and a foreign level of vocal talent and songs in general. Kicking off things in January, one has to remember that the announcement of the semi-finalists of the 2012 Malta Eurovision Song Contest took place on the programme Xarabank preceding a number of promotional activities which took place across the national broadcasters' frequencies including Television Malta, Radju Malta and Maltin Biss.

That is just the beginning noting that when the showcase actually came about as held in the Malta Fairs and Conventions Centre at the end of February, several people were shocked to see that Eleanor Cassar with the song I Want to Runaway and Annalise Ellul with Whoop It Up! were eliminated at the first hurdle. The final also opened up a number of questions due to the fact that Kurt Calleja with the track This Is The Night managed to beat the favourite Claudia Faniello with Pure despite not managing to win the full approval of the jury. According to unconfirmed statistics, he won the tele-voting by a large margin which secured his representation of the country. At this same time that the event was being staged, organisers of the Għanja tal-Poplu were gearing up for the return of the competition and indeed, they managed to garner forty two (42) entries in total, including from Malta Eurovision Song Contest semi-finalist; Janice Mangion, Konkors Kanzunetta Indipendenza finalist; Grecia Bezzina and escflashmalta.com contributor; Clive Muscat. February was proving to be a month of competitions and in fact, our portal covered the Sanremo showcase extensively through Elaine Camilleri, seeing to the victory of Emma Marrone with favourite Arisa languishing in second place. In the meantime, Kurt Calleja had begun his promotional tour in the same month heading to the artist selection in Azerbaijan, strengthening the bond created between the two countries in the previous year. 

In just a couple of weeks, the fever of the Eurovision Song Contest was sweeping the continent and it was revealed that the British Broadcasting Corporation had chosen a legend in the form of Engelbert Humperdinck to represent the United Kingdom. The announcement was met with mixed criticism noting that ultimately his entry Love Will Set You Free did not really achieve the expected result but nevertheless in Malta, there were other elements at hand noting that the original backing vocalist with the track This Is The Night being Ylenia Vella was sacked by the Public Broadcasting Services and replaced by Amber who had in February obviously finished in third place with her entry Answers With Your Eyes without any public support. Kurt Calleja did not answer any questions about the change and continued his promotion in Bulgaria and Lithuania whilst also filming the promotional video of the track on his return to the country. In Malta, on a private television station known as NET Television, preparations for the Konkors Kanzunetta Indipendenza had begun and Simone Gauci was announced as the first finalist following her victory on Passport 2 Indifest having beaten former finalist; Marie Claire Attard Bason in the process. Her entry bearing the name Id F'Id was specifically written for her by Renato Briffa and Keith Zammit.

In April, it was all about Kurt Calleja and Malta's participation in the Eurovision Song Contest noting that he had managed to top the local iTunes chart with his entry whilst also visiting another set of countries; Turkey, Georgia and The Netherlands bringing his promotional tour to an end in a major party which included several major interviews. One of the male stars of the local music industry, Fabrizio Faniello continued to rebuild his image and the release of his album Kasmaran in Indonesia proved to be a massive success denoting the artist as a star in the Asian country. escflashmalta.com continued to work extremely close with a number of sources and uncovered that Elaine Saliba was set to be the commentator for Malta at the international competition, although it was then revealed at a later stage that Ronald Briffa would be aiding her analysis providing some comic relief.  The impressive younger generation of musical prodigies never cease to amaze and Gaia Cauchi won the right to represent the country in Sanremo Junior 2012, ultimately becoming the winner a couple of months later. The month came to an end with one of the artists of the Malta Eurovision Song Contest, being Wayne releasing the official video clip for his self penned track entitled Time with which he had competed a couple of months earlier.

The month of the Eurovision Song Contest quickly came about and May seemed to be quite intriguing in the local music market with the return of Christabelle with the track Say as well as Brooke with Fairytale but the media was somewhat enthralled at the single release of Miss You with main vocals by Wintermoods featuring the renowned international tenor; Joseph Calleja. It was also a month in which the finalists for the 2012 edition of the Konkors Kanzunetta Indipendenza were revealed, quickly noting that this had to be one of the fields which was missing a lot of the more predominant names yet nevertheless featuring the upcoming generation of artists such as Domenique, and Danica Muscat amongst others. Performing at the Eurovision Song Contest, Kurt Calleja made the country proud on the night of the semi-final achieving seventh place but it seems that nerves got the best of him on a Saturday night with his performance dropping in quality although this did not hurt his success charting on the iTunes top 100 in Austria, Greece, Norway, Sweden and of course, Malta. escflashmalta.com kept their annual coverage with guest commentators including Simon Casey, Raquela, Claudia Faniello, Sophie, Magnus Kaxe and Christabelle. Thousands of people viewed the respective reports and with the aid of the team of Radio International and Eurovision Ireland, the competition was analysed and covered in the most profound and detailed way possible. 

With the months leading up to the competition behind everyone, the summer was set to kick in and in fact, June was a relatively quiet month with the Public Broadcasting Services confirming their intentions to not return to the Junior Eurovision Song Contest. On the other hand, Sophie was representing the country in the United Kingdom during the celebrations of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee, undergoing a cross-country tour which saw her perform with the likes of X Factor runner-up, Marcus Collins whilst Kevin Borg was being wooed by the local public who wanted to see him represent the country in Sweden, the winning nation of the Eurovision Song Contest. The annual award for the worst dressed artist at the Eurovision Song Contest was decided with Rona Nishliu on behalf of Albania finishing on top. July proved to be less quiet and somewhat more eventful with Sweden deciding on Malmo as host city of the Eurovision Song Contest with the winner also coming to Malta to give a concert. In fact, on the Islands, things were becoming quite interesting with the Joseph Calleja concert featuring Ronan Keating, Gigi D'Alessio and Amber taking place on the Floriana Granaries, days before the official single release of What I'd Give by Ira Losco, her first track taken off the 2013 yet untitled album.

August came about but was quiet uneventful once more with Ira Losco releasing the official video for her new single and Kurt Calleja working on new material off a yet untitled album slated for release in 2013. In fact, Boomerang was picked up on 89.7 Bay and also made the charts by virtue of the amount of airplay received. As autumn and September drew in, the Public Broadcasting Services released the regulations for the 2013 Malta Eurovision Song Contest whilst other sectors of the scene were showing their strengths as new singles were also released by Janvil entitled Make My Day, Muxu bearing the name Pour Down on Me and last but not least a young girl brand coined as Cryptic Street with Indecisive. The second major music competition in Malta known as the Konkors Kanzunetta Indipendenza was won by Deborah C with the track Jekk Nużaw Moħħna written by Mark Spiteri Lucas and Joe Chircop. Success was a thing of the month noting that the popular pop/rock band known as Airport Impressions went on tour in Sweden, headlining three major events and garnering international recognition. escflashmalta.com continued to air the local music scene by virtue of releasing a number of videos exclusively including the one of Muxu which you could also view just below.

It seemed like winter would not be setting foot on the country this year with October coming in full swing and the music scene bringing things up to speed in an excruciatingly busy ratio with exclusive video releases by Cryptic Street and Fabrizio Faniello along with new singles released by the group Cruz; Good On You, Chiara; Forget Forgetting Me, Dimal & Lyndsay; Let's Make It Happen. During this time, one of the singles was also picked up by a record label and as a matter of fact, Chiara is now a true recording artist with the backing of an Icelandic record label which also takes care of former Eurovision Song Contest representative; Hera Bjork. Whilst pop and rock are seemingly the two most popular genre in the country, the duo known as Tenishia received an accolade of which the whole country should be proud of with the official DJ Mag putting them as the fiftieth best in the world ahead of renowned musicians like Benny Benassi. The Public Broadcasting Services revealed that they received a total of 182 submissions for the 2013 Malta Eurovision Song Contest from a variety of countries and a matter of fact, submissions were sent in from four former representatives including; Fabrizio Faniello, Miriam Christine, William Mangion and Ludwig Galea but none of them would make the cut in the long run. The collaboration between this portal and the series D.R.E.A.M.S continued as a second season written by the talent Vella Haber and Saliba La Rosa returned featuring two main new actresses being Michela Dalli and Kristen Camilleri.

The month of November, was finally starting to show signs that the weather would be cooling down and in fact, the revelation of the twenty-four semi-finalists of the 2013 Malta Eurovision Song Contest seemed to be the only heated moment with a host of newcomers revealed in the list especially artists who have garnered attention through radio such as the likes of Gianluca Bezzina, and Davinia with others coming from notable national showcases including Chris Grech. December was relatively quiet noting that in the beginning, the Junior Eurovision Song Contest took place with Ukraine finishing on top with the track Nebo but the focus of the local music scene was surely on the Bay Music Awards which saw Red Electrick walk away with a total of two awards in total, the most of the night which also saw success going in the way of JJoy, Kelly Stellfox, Ira Losco, Carlo Gerada, Jan Cortez, Christabelle, and Cryptic Street. The Malta Eurovision Song Contest also hit a bump on the head with the withdrawal of Saska Hunt and the track Dress Rehearsal who was replaced by the first alternate on the list; Marilena Gauci with the track Overrated. We indeed hope that this year in fact wasn't just that and that it was ideal for each and every one of you. We look forward to serving you for another eventful year, as 2013 dawns in a couple of hours.

Source: escflashmalta.com, Kris Micallef (image)

The British Broadcasting Corporation, which is also the representative member of the European Broadcasting Union for the United Kingdom was proud to present the last night of The Proms yesterday evening, which is of course the culmination of an eight-week season of daily classical music concerts as well as other events held during the year within the Royal Albert Hall in London. The stars of the show last night were none other than Nicola Benedetti and Joseph Calleja, who most recently gave a spectacular summer concert in his homecountry alongside the musical styling of Ronan Keating and Gigi D'Alessio. It was another triumphant success for the Maltese Tenor who continues to grasp the music context of classical music day by day and ultimately give riveting performances throughout the whole year.

Joseph Calleja has proudly represented his country in these past couple of years with numerous performances all around the world in some of the most prestigious venues including The Paris Opera House, The Sydney Opera House and also The Metropolitan Opera and so forth but this had to be the biggest television audience thus far noting that The Proms especially, the last night are somewhat broadcasted all over the realms of the Commonwealth and for the first time, also transmitted through the Public Broadcasting Services on both normal and High Definition Channels. As the Maltese tenor led the symphony with the song Rule Britannia, he wore a black shirt showcasing a cross of the Knights of the Order of St.John, which is very symbolic to the Maltese whilst wearing the Olympic Uniform used by the British athletes earlier this year during the Olympics held in London. At numerous times during the evening, the audience could not contain their excitement, singing along to the respective tracks and also stood up giving Calleja, standing ovations. It was truly a night to be proud to be Maltese and British at the very same time. Stay tuned to escflashmalta.com for all of the latest from within the local music scene.

Source: British Broadcasting Corporation

escflashmalta.com is always proud to promote the best of the local music scene and one of the artists which is best representing the country is surely none other than Amber who this year managed to finish in third place during the Malta Eurovision Song Contest and then also got the opportunity to perform at the Eurovision Song Contest as a backing vocalist. In the past couple of years, the artists that make up the local music scene have been somewhat subject to positive praise and this is due to the fact that there a renowned improvement even in the way that tracks are being written and produced. We have just managed to get our second interview with the artist and this time round things are different because experience has been key in the overall growth. She speaks to us about her recent success and what she has in store for the upcoming months.

Your rise to local fame has been done relatively the old fashioned way noting that your first appearance in a local showcase was definitely the programme ID which used to air on ONE Television prior to being in another competition known as the Malta Hit Song Contest in which you managed to finish within the top five. Your big break and undeniably astonishing vocals though came to prominence on the stage of The Granaries during the Konkors Kanzunetta Indipendenza with the song Trid Tapprezza composed by Ray Agius and Alfred C Sant. Do you consider the early success within the Maltese language to be a huge stepping stone in your career?

Yes I do, in fact it was an honour participating in such a prestigious contest.

Throughout the past couple of months, there has been a lot of mention of your name due to the fact that you have managed to climb up quite a couple of flights of stairs in the local music industry starting off with the fact that you finished in third place at the Malta Eurovision Song Contest with the track Answer With Your Eyes composed by Ray Agius and penned by Alfred C Sant thanks to the ample support received from the juries. Looking back at that experience, noting that you managed to hit the right notes with perfect timing, what do you recall and would you have done anything differently so that you might have appealed to the public more?

If I had to turn back time, I would do everything exactly the same, as I did. I believed in the song from the very first minute I heard it. I made some alterations to the song according to what people have told me in order to make it more appealing to the people. I was very happy with my performance both on Friday and on Saturday.

Following the end of the Malta Eurovision Song Contest, it was decided that Kurt Calleja would be going onto represent the country finishing ahead of both you and Claudia Faniello. Nevertheless, there seemed to have been an issue with the female backing vocals which were somewhat sounding quite different than expected and therefore you were brought in to give the song a more complete sound noting that there had been a number of differences in the performance given at the Eurovision Song Contest. How did the ‘selection process’ go and what could you tell us about the general feeling of going to the event?

Regarding the selection process, I did the audition for the post of a backing vocalist when the post was already vacant. Therefore I am definitely not the right person to ask about the selection process. The general feeling of being part of the prestigious event is simply amazing. I had worked with a team of professionals and hard working people from which I had learned a lot. We all worked hard in order to achieve the very best result possible. Kurt and his band are a group of well talented young artists and it was such an honour for me to have worked with them.

Going back to the 2010 edition of the Konkors Kanzunetta Indipendenza, many people might not recall that you had in fact submitted two entries, the second one being none other than Dell L-Istilel composed by Dominic Cini and penned by Stephen Baldacchino. Unfortunately, the track failed to make it through the second judging hurdle and was thus eliminated by it made a comeback this year noting that Rachel Verzin has qualified with the same track to the finals of the Konkors Kanzunetta Indipendenza. Your vocals could be heard in the backing track and therefore, one could easily make a connection. Do you believe that the right song made it through and would you have liked to do something else with Dell L-Istilel?

In 2010 I managed to make it through with the song Trid Taprezza and later on in summer managed to win the KKI. Trid Taprezza and Dell l-istilel were two totally different songs with a different genre and different concept therefore it is very difficult for me to compare the songs. I was very happy with both songs in which I gave my own interpretation. Rachel Verzin is a very good singer like most of the other singers who are taking part in this year’s KKI. And I wish her and all the other singers the best of luck.

In recent weeks, your vocals have been somewhat lent to an intriguing track, one which is very different to the style or rather genre that people have become accustomed hearing you perform and that is quite important because you would prove yourself to be versatile in the field of music. The track that I am talking about is of course the one bearing the name So Good which is mainly performed by singer/songwriter Muxu who is preceded by his reputation as a showman. How did you become involved within the song and do you believe that exploring various areas of music will be beneficial in the long term?

Muxu and I have always wanted to work together one day and was very trilled as soon as he approached me in order to feature in his new single. I admire him a lot as he is so versatile and original in his music. It was an honour for me to work with such a talented guy. Muxu is so easy to work with. What I most like about him is that he encourages me to explore and be versatile. He doesn’t dictate what he wants from me, he just puts me in the picture by explaining what he will be doing and from there onwards he lets me be free participating wherever I see appropriate to do so. I consider life as a journey therefore the more you explore the more you learn. It is very important for a singer to be versatile and experiment with different genres of music Exploring different areas of music is very beneficial for a singer, one would learn to appreciate music more as well as would be able to use various voice techniques learned from different genres in his/her own music. 

Apart from a brand new track in which you perform backing vocals, there has beenanother important event in your life or rather your career in the past couple of daysnoting that you were offered the opportunity to perform with the one and only JosephCalleja during his annual summer concert which this year featured none other than thepopular Irishman, Ronan Keating as well as the Italian sensation, Gigi D’Alessio. The track which you chose to perform was A Thousand Years originally by Kristina Perri.What was the reason behind this choice and how was it to perform with one of the leading tenors in the world?

For me Joseph Calleja is an inspiration. It was an honour for me to perform alongside the best of the best in this industry. After considering several options we both taught this will be a good song. Before the rehearsals I was very excited bit once on that stage I started enjoying myself. He is a very humble person who makes you feel at ease whilst in his company. Well for me it’s a dream come true.

One of the deadliest times of the year surely has to be summer in Malta due to the extreme heat that people have to endure but nevertheless, it seems to be the best time for music releases especially of a particular genre. You have been quite busy as of late noting a number of performances and additional vocals but what are the plans for the upcoming weeks and even for the winter months and of course, will you be trying to represent Malta in the Eurovision Song Contest which is set to take place in the city of Malmo in Sweden?

I try to enjoy summer as much as possible whilst juggling through work, singing and gigs. I am working on new projects which are still to be confirmed. Yet I’m really looking forward. For the winter months I haven’t anything confirmed although I also have some projects in the pipeline. If the perfect song comes my way I will surely participate in the Malta Eurovision 2013.

Would you like to say anything to your fans and our readers at escflashmalta.com?

I would like to thanks all the fans and readers of escflashmalta.com for their constant support throughout my career. Thanks for always believing in me.

Unpredictable has to be one of the most interesting comments uttered when it comes to the local music scene but nevertheless, with the right talent and the most identifiable contacts, several things could happen and this could be somewhat the case for Joseph Calleja who managed to grow his talent with years of training and ultimately get a manager on board to sort out his performances all across the globe. The same individual brings about very strong credentials in the world of entertainment especially when noting that he currently heads our annual bid for the Eurovision Song Contest and even has a solid reputation in helping to put up concerts through NNG Promotions. Last Saturday was quite an important spectacle for Joseph Calleja especially by virtue of giving his annual summer concert alongside the likes of Ronan Keating and Gigi D'Alessio but there were also two local guests, one of them being the renowned Gillian Zammit from the world of classical music and also Amber, who is somewhat growing quite quickly in the world of pop.

Thanks to NNG Promotions, escflashmalta.com was able to attend the concert and so were eight of our readers actually. The sublime evening was somewhat enchanting with beautiful music that not only serenaded the people who had bought tickets for the concert but even those who lived nearby the actual open air venue. The surprise of the evening came when Amber, winners of the Konkors Kanzunetta Indipendenza back in 2010 with the song Trid Tapprezza composed by Ray Agius and penned by Alfred C Sant as well as the second runner-up at the Malta Eurovision Song Contest this year with the track Answer With Your Eyes composed by Ray Agius and penned by Alfred C Sant, made her way onto the stage to perform with one of the world leading tenors at the moment. Wearing a beautiful green dress, she came out and smoothly performed the track A Thousand Years originally by Christina Perri with Joseph Calleja. Her improvisations definitely made the trick in the end noting that the collaboration of pop and opera worked really well. Through escflashmalta.com, we are giving you the opportunity to view the performance below, the sound is just sublime but we apologize for the picture. Nevertheless, this is surely the birth of a star in Malta, one of the leading ladies in the years to come.

Source: NNG Promotions

Individuals at nineteen years of age are generally deciding what to do in their life, what to pursue and one man decided to debut in opera as Macduff in Verdi's adaptation of Macbeth at the Astra Theare in Gozo going onto become a notable winner of the Belvedere Hans Gabor Competition within the same year. This would be the first in a number of acclaims for a young Joseph Calleja as he would go onto win to prestigious Caruso Competition in Milan and then also the Plácido Domingo's Operalia International Opera Competition in 1998 and 1999 respectively. That was just the beginning of a long and successful career for the young tenor who goes about his year going from one Opera House to another, around the whole world performing to sold out crowds who eagerly await to listen to his stunning vocal range.

In the past couple of years, Joseph Calleja been a great ambassador for Malta noting that he even went onto title one of his albums released by Decca Music as The Maltese Tenor. He also makes up one of the most notable events in the local cultural calender with his Annual Summer Concert in which he performs a mixture of pop/opera along with some of the most renowned names in the international music industry. In the past, the likes of Dionne Warwick, Riccardo Cocciante, Michael Bolton, Hayley Westenra and Lucio Dalla have all been present. We have been proud to have been a prime supporter of the concert last year noting that the year before that, escflashmalta.com was still establishing itself as a leading local music portal. We had interviewed Joseph Calleja himself about the lead up to the event as well as his career thus far which has included a huge number of accolades.

This years' concert is surely going to be a special one as Joseph Calleja has become an official Cultural Ambassador as appointed by the Prime Minister earlier this year. The promotional company which looks after the concert is none other than NNG Promotions and the names that they have brought forward to come to Malta for the concert are those of Ronan Keating who is of course the lead performer of the band Boyzone whilst also being a well known solo recording artist for hits such as When You Say Nothing At All, If Tomorrow Never Comes, Father & Son and Life Is A Rollercoaster amongst others as well as Gigi D'Alessio known for tracks such as Insieme A Lei, Mon Amour, Un Cuore Malato (with Lara Fabian) and most recently Respirare (with Loredana Berte). This year, the concert will be held on the 7th July 2012 at the Floriana Granaries and you have a chance to attend thanks to us here at escflashmalta.com by answering a simple question.

Question: What was the name of the track that Ronan Keating wrote for the Eurovision Song Contest in 2009?

The competition will continue to run until the end of the month actually with all of the correct answers to be considered through a draw which will be conducted by the editorial team. It is important to note that there will be two winners announced at the end of each week noting that it is vital to keep on checking our Facebook Page for the latest news. Please send your answers to the following address: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. whilst in the meantime, those who would not manage to win, make sure to get your hands on the tickets by visiting the page of NNG Promotions. On the 7th July, a leading tenor and two great stars will take to the stage for the show of a lifetime, be a part of it, don't miss out!

Source: NNG Promotions, Anton Attard, www.allenvenables.com

An enchanting voice meets a superb band to produce a ‘goose-bumps’ version of Winter Moods latest hit ballad, ‘Miss You’; this time, Malta’s all-time favourite band has teamed up with international tenor and worldwide sensation Joseph Calleja for this latest, outstanding, fabulous duet. The song recently topped Maltese charts for five weeks and has surely become a favourite with many. 

Ivan Grech, Winter Moods front man said: “We are delighted and honoured to collaborate with Joseph on a song, especially on a ballad like Miss You. Joseph’s unique voice takes the song to a whole new level, and we are certain that our followers, who have already fallen in love with Miss You, will also appreciate this new version.” You can listen to the song on the official website of the group, Winter Moods.

Joseph Calleja, who is currently performing the part of Rodolfo in Puccini’s La Boheme at London’s Royal Opera House in Covent Garden said, “It is a real pleasure to record a song with Winter Moods. Their music has inspired the Maltese music scene in recent years. I enjoyed performing their hit song, Marigold with Ivan and Melvin in my concert at Luxol Grounds in 2009, and am really happy with our new collaboration, there is something special about Miss You.” Winter Moods will be performing live on next Saturday, 12th of May in Zejtun during the Beland Music Festival. Stay tuned to escflashmalta.com for all of the latest news.

Source: Winter Moods Official Website, Facebook