Friday, May 28, 2010 at 8 pm

Roy Thomson Hall
Toronto

Single Tickets: $69.50 - $29.50

Call 416-872-4255, or buy online
www.roythomson.com
or visit the Roy Thomson Hall Box Office at 60 Simcoe Street, Toronto

Toronto, ON – Maltese tenor Joseph Calleja has distinguished himself on the world’s great stages as one of the most exciting and accomplished opera singers of his generation. In what marks the final concert of this season’s International Vocal Recitals Series Calleja makes his Roy Thomson Hall Recital Debut on Friday, May 28, 2010 at 8 pm. Accompanied by the eminent American pianist Craig Rutenberg, the May 28 recital will be Calleja’s first Toronto appearance in 10 years. The program includes beloved opera arias and art songs by Puccini, Verdi, Massenet, Gounod, Leoncavallo, Tosti and Pietri.

At the age of 22, Joseph Calleja made his Toronto debut in 2000 when he appeared with the Canadian Opera Company as Rodolfo in La Bohème. In the ensuing decade, his rise to fame has been sensational. He has portrayed more than 20 different roles in engagements at many of the leading opera houses in Europe and North America, including Deutsche Oper Berlin, Zurich Opera, London’s Royal Opera, Vienna State Opera, New York’s Metropolitan Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Los Angeles Opera, Seattle Opera, and at the festivals of Salzburg and Spoleto.

Earlier this season, Calleja was highly praised for his portrayal in the title role of Offenbach’s Tales of Hoffman at the Metropolitan Opera, seen worldwide as part of the Met’s Live in HD movie broadcasts. Calleja returns to New York’s Metropolitan Opera next season in three different roles: Rodolfo in La Bohème, the Duke of Mantua in Verdi’s Rigoletto and Edgardo in Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor. Other operatic highlights this season include Macduff in Verdi’s Macbeth in Munich, Ruggero in Puccini’s La Rondine in Frankfurt, Nemorino in a new production of L’elisir d’amore in Tokyo, and following his Toronto recital, he makes his role debut as Gabriele Adorno in Verdi’s Simon Boccanegra at London’s Royal Opera, Covent Garden.

An exclusive Decca recording artist, Calleja’s first two albums of opera arias captured critical and popular acclaim; both were selected as “Editor's Choice” in Gramophone Magazine, and the Observer described Mr. Calleja as “a rare discovery, evoking memories from Caruso to Domingo with the suppleness of his tone and the expressive, highly individual lyricism he brings to even the most familiar material.”

Craig Rutenberg has collaborated with many of the world’s greatest vocalists and is recognized as one of today’s most distinguished accompanists. He has appeared in recital with Denyce Graves, Sumi Jo, Frederica von Stade, Angelika Kirchschlager, Dawn Upshaw, Thomas Hampson and Ben Heppner. He is currently Head of Music Administration at New York’s Metropolitan Opera.