Third cultural ambassador keeps a low profile

A Dutch-Maltese conductor of international repute has quietly served as Malta’s Ambassador for Culture for the past four years, largely without public notice.

Unlike his fellow ambassadors, tenor Joseph Calleja and interior designer Francis Sultana, the appointment of Lawrence Renes has remained mostly under the radar since his designation in 2021.

His name only recently came to wider attention following a parliamentary question concerning the benefits granted to Malta’s cultural ambassadors.

In his reply, Culture Minister Owen Bonnici confirmed that Malta currently has three cultural ambassadors, all holding ceremonial titles without formal diplomatic authority. Bonnici specified that Renes is the only ambassador to receive remuneration.

According to the minister, Renes, who was born in the Netherlands to a Maltese mother from Birgu, receives an annual honorarium of €5,000, in addition to reimbursement for expenses incurred in the course of his duties.

Calleja and Sultana, by contrast, are not compensated but are issued diplomatic passports, which do not confer diplomatic immunity.

Research by The Shift indicates that Renes has collaborated repeatedly with the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra and contributed to several initiatives during Valletta’s tenure as European Capital of Culture in 2018. Although he spent many childhood summers in Malta, Renes has never resided permanently on the island.

Minister Bonnici also noted that Calleja is the only ambassador appointed for an indefinite term. Since 2013, the internationally acclaimed tenor and his representatives have received substantial public sponsorship for his annual concerts in Malta and for performances at government-linked events.

Calleja’s recent engagements include a €60,000 contract for a concert at the Council of Europe next month, as well as performances at Malta’s Osaka Expo pavilion, Independence Day celebrations in Rome, and Johann Grech’s Mediterrane Film Festival.

In earlier years, Calleja also performed for Henley & Partners, the firm responsible for promoting Malta’s controversial citizenship-by-investment scheme, which targeted affluent clients from Russia, China, Saudi Arabia, and other non-EU countries.

To date, the government has declined to publish any of Calleja’s contracts, whether awarded directly or through his local representatives.

Meanwhile, Francis Sultana, who serves as Chief Executive of London’s David Gill Gallery, has held a prominent position on the board of MICAS (the Malta International Contemporary Art Space). His involvement included participating in the selection of artworks for the centre, some of which were acquired at a cost of hundreds of thousands of euro to taxpayers. In several cases, the artists chosen were also clients of David Gill Gallery, where Sultana is CEO.