‘This is madness, not life’ – Joseph Calleja

When Joseph Calleja contracted COVID-19 a few weeks ago, it attacked the very instrument that made him the internationally acclaimed opera singer that he is.“COVID literally went straight to my voice. It got to my pharynx and larynx and I completely lost my voice for four days. I couldn’t speak,” he says.

Despite recovering well, he still feels some minor symptoms have lingered. “You wouldn’t even know if you had them but since my voice is my instrument, I notice every little difference, and I can feel that it is still not one hundred per cent perfect.”

Mark Laurence Zammit interviewing Joseph Calleja

The tenor had to cancel some concerts, but other than that, he says he was not worried, even though the virus could have damaged his voice and threatened his career. “I took precautions, I didn’t go out, didn’t smoke or drink. It was useless worrying about something I didn’t bring upon myself. I only focused on how to get better as quickly as possible.”

Calleja, a frequent traveller, says Malta was one of the best countries to be in during the pandemic. The health ministry and the superintendence of public health did a terrific job, he says. But he remains convinced that the global...