While studying singing, piano and music theory, Dr. Joseph Talia gained valuable experience and early success competing in vocal Eisteddfods, as well as making appearances on television. He was also awarded a scholarship to the Australian National Opera School in Melbourne. He later studied in Milan with Fernando Bandera, Vladimiro Badiali and Aldo Azzali, was engaged to sing Rodolfo in La Boheme and Alfredo in La Traviata at the Teatro Eliseo in Rome, and performed as a concert artist in Milan, Vercelli, and other Italian cities. His repertoire consists of over 50 major tenor roles in operas as diverse as Don Giovanni, La Boheme, Madame Butterfly, Tosca, Il Tabarro, Cavalleri Rusticana, La Traviata, Rigoletto, Il Corsaro, Faust, Carmen, The Merry Wives of Windsor, The Consul, Albert Herring, The Merry Widow, Die Fledermaus, Student Prince and many others. Dr. Talia maintains a successful studio in Melbourne where apart from his regular students, he teaches visiting students from New Zealand, Europe, Japan, China and Korea. He is also in demand as an adjudicator of international competitions, such as the Paolo Tosti, in Ortona, the Mattia Battistini International in Rieti, and The Izmir International in Turkey. He has conducted International master classes, in Australia, New Zealand, Spain, Italy, Belgium and other European centres. He has also collaborated with such luminaries as Rolando Panerai, Gabriella Tucci, Afro Poli, Francisco Ortiz, Carmen Bustamanti, Gabriela Fontana, Salvatore Fisichella, Vincenzo La Scola, Roman Vlad, Gianni Tangucci, Alberto Triola. Dr. Talia has pursued tertiary studies in business administration with an emphasis on the Arts. His doctoral thesis addressed the issue of cultural hegemony and the economics of the performing arts. Throughout this time he devoted himself to the study of vocal pedagogy via the works of the old masters and whatever vocal science was then available. His special interest has resulted in his current work. Dr. Talia was artistic director of Melbourne City Opera from 1996 to 2014, and the Globe Opera Company for ten years before that. He has been involved in over 140 opera productions and has directed such masterpieces as La Boheme, Carmen, Andrea Chenier, Tosca and La Rondine. Dr. Talia has been awarded the Order of Australia Medal for his dedicated services to opera over a period of four decades.
