Panajia was born in Rome.
He graduated from the Santa Cecilia Accademy while studying for a degree in sociology.
Panajia studied with
Paolo Silveri, Maria Alos, Giuliana Raimondi.
Panajia won international vocal competitions such as
"Spoleto", "Enrico Caruso" in Milan, "Mattia Battistini" in Rieti, and was a finalist in other competitions such as "Voci Verdiane" in
Busseto.
Important highlights of his career are:
the world premiere
of Le cri de Mohim by Tabachnik at the Tonhalle Concert Hall with the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande in Zürich,
Il tabarro in Spoleto,
the role of Giasone (receiving many compliments from the great soprano Joan Sutherland
no surprise as she had, like Bonynge, a strange taste as far as tenors) in the world premiere of Medea by Pacini in Savona
under the baton of Richard Bonynge,
Rigoletto with Luciana Serra at the Teatro Giacosa in Savona and La Spezia under the baton
of Massimo De Bernart,
Iris at the Wexford Festival, Traviata with the Rome Opera on tour in Japan,
four editions of Carmina burana
in Rome for the Santa
Cecilia Accademy,
Rinuccio at Torre del Lago Puccini Opera Festival,
Carmina
burana in Düsseldorf and Essen with The Philharmonic of the Nations Orchestra conducted by Justus Frantz,
world premiere of Incanto di
natale at the Teatro La Fenice and Teatro Sociale di Rovigo,
Verdi's Requiem at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam,
José at the Teatro Nacional Claudio Santoro in Brasilia,
Pagliacci and Tabarro in
Spoleto,
Rodolfo in La bohème at the prestigious Puccini Opera Festival in Torre del Lago,
Verdi's Requiem at the Opera de Bellas
Artes of Mexico City,
a Verdi and Bellini Gala with the Palermo Symphony Orchestra,
Riccardo with the Saarbrücken
Opera,
Butterfly at the Bielefeld Opera,
Aida at the Politeama Greco di Lecce,
Tosca and Butterfly at the Zagreb
National Theatre,
Cavalleria rusticana and Le villi at the Dal Verme Auditorium in Milano with the Orchestra dei Pomeriggi Musicali di Milano,
Gioconda in Livorno, Pisa and Lucca,
Vesperae solennes de confessore by Mozart in NY Carnegie Hall,
Turandot in
Tirana,
Turandot in Seoul,
concerts in Greece,
La bella dormiente by
Respighi in Nagoya.
In October 2005 he sang a concert for the Pope at the Vatican while in November 2005 he sang three performances of
Gioconda at the Athens State Opera,
Traviata in Korea,
in March 2006 a concert in Cyprus,
again an operatic
gala opposite Natalia Ushakova at Carnegie Hall on 22 May 2006,
Medea by Pacini semistaged with the Orchestra Sinfonica
Siciliana in June 2006 in Taormina ...
Reference: Panajia's meanwhile defunct page on www.myspace.com
