BOV Joseph Calleja Foundation raises close to €1m for gifted youths & vulnerable children
Way to go! The BOV Joseph Calleja Foundation has raised almost €1 million as it marks its sixth anniversary. The foundation supports gifted youths and vulnerable children and is marking their anniversary with a fundraising Christmas concert - and you can bet your bottom dollar that the line-up is outstanding!
Thanks to the foundation’s support, several scholars have made exceptional progress. One such person is 20-year-old Gozitan baritone Charles Buttigeg who is currently pursuing his second year of studies at the prestigious Curtis Institute in the US. Mezzo soprano Marvic Monreal has also gained success and has been engaged by the Royal Opera House in London. #Slay!
The fundraising concert
The fundraising concert is being held on 15th December at the glorious Manoel Theatre in Valletta, and will feature several new scholars of the foundation that have shown promise in various sectors such as music and dance among others, and have been pursuing their studies in Europe and the US.
The evening is expected to be a top-notch one, with established artists hitting the stage for the one-night only performance. Such artists included tenor Joseph Calleja himself, Australian soprano Jessica Pratt, Italian baritone Vittorio Vitelli, the Balanas sisters from Latvia and Romanian mezzo soprano Ramon Zaharia. The Malta Philharmonic Orchestra will also be present on the night under the baton of David Chan, the leader of the Metropolitan Opera in New York.
“It’s truly humbling to learn we have raised this staggering sum in such a short period of time,” says Joseph Calleja on the amount raised by the foundation. “I pay tribute to the Foundation board who work incredibly hard without ever receiving anything in return and of course our wonderful patrons for their support.”
“We have truly fantastic talent in Malta and our mission is to help these young people achieve their potential in a very tough industry. We have a very special night in store and I can’t wait to see the Foundation scholars perform.”
A little bit about the foundation
Under its Vulnerable Child Initiative, the Foundation supports the Paolo Freire Institute (PFI) in Zejtun which works with a number of vulnerable children in the community. It is also involved with a programme run by the Helen O’Grady Academy in conjunction with the Department of Education aimed at enabling a number of immigrant children from 27 countries to integrate into mainstream schooling and with Maltese children.
Event deets
The concert is being held at the Manoel Theatre on 15th December at 7pm which will be followed by a reception at the Casino Maltese. Tickets for the Concert may be reserved through the Manoel Theatre’s online booking portal. Those attending will get the chance to be at the reception and meet Joseph Calleja and the other guest artists.