Hands up all those guys who have attempted Puccini’s Nessun Dorma in the shower and then floundered on that glorious top B on Vincero! at the end. Of course, most of us either give up or cheat by singing it more like a Russian bass than an Italian tenor, but it’s not the same, is it?

Operatic tenors are a rare breed mostly because it is hard being a tenor. It is like being constantly about to sneeze but cannot for fear of your eyes popping out. So it is with some mild annoyance that I digest the fact that young tenor Cliff Zammit Stevens started off with karaoke. An amazing voice like that and it all started off with kara… I can’t even say it twice!

The thing about Zammit Stevens is that he makes it all feel so natural and effortless. “Karaoke used to be a weekly highlight for me together with my aunt Annemarie who had seen some potential in me and told me about an audition for a local musical. I auditioned and landed my first role at the Manoel Theatre as the Lion in a production of The Wizard of Oz. It was such a magical first experience and I immediately fell in love with the stage.”

Of course, there was vocal training, and lots of it at that. Having started off with Gillian Zammit, he then moved on to the Royal College of Music, as well as further training with Juliette Bisazza. But there was also the support of friends and family helping him along the way.

“My biggest inspiration and role model is definitely my mother,” says Zammit Stevens. “She is a pillar of strength filled with beauty and kindness and I cannot thank her enough for everything she does for me.”

He is also thankful to Joseph Calleja whose fund is also helping Zammit Stevens pursue his career as an opera star. He has also been supported by the Malta Arts Scholarship Scheme, Janatha Stubbs and Megabyte. The result is another feather in Malta’s cultural cap, someone who is already making a name for himself on the international circuit.

Cliff Zammit Stevens will be flying back to London soon after the production of L’Elisir to start rehearsals for the Glyndebourne Festival 2015.

Opera is a strange beast. A few decades ago opera aficionados were lamenting the death of opera and yet here is a new generation completely enthralled by it. “The world has evolved greatly and naturally so has opera,” says Zammit Stevens. “Nowadays many opera companies are modernising their productions and building fantastic sets which appeal to a much younger needed audience. Having professional young singers performing also makes it more relevant for the younger generation.”

Zammit Stevens will be taking up the role of Nemorino in this year’s production of L’Elisir d’Amore at the Manoel, directed by Denise Mullholland. Judging from the sneak previews I’ve had, we can rest assured that it will be a production that will appeal to all, even the completely uninitiated... a sentiment which Zammit Stevens shares as well.

For those of you who don’t know this opera at all, Nemorino is one of the most lovable tenor roles (just as Adina is one of the most irritating). It is also one of the most taxing bel canto roles.

Zammit Stevens is no newcomer to the role, having played the role with a touring UK company and also in Corfu with a company called Pop Up Opera. Yet, it is one of those roles that brings up challenges no matter how many times you perform it.

“Nemorino is fun, simple, witty and totally in love with Adina and also gets the best tunes! He is on stage for the whole of Act 1 and sings in all the numbers except one. You need to be very intelligent as not to give it your all from the start as you still have Act 2 coming up and the famous Una Furtiva Lagrima at the end of the opera – trying to make it sound fresh and effortless.”

Zammit Stevens will be flying back to London soon after this production of L’Elisir to start rehearsals for the Glyndebourne Festival 2015. He is still very young, but he has already come a long way and has still much further to go. I also think that a Thank You card to Aunt Annemarie is in order.

L’Elisir d’Amore takes place from Thursday to next Sunday at 7.30pm at the Manoel Theatre, Valletta.

www.teatrumanoel.com.mt/