During the summer of 1953 Oreste was in Malta for a short holiday while his name continued to appear in the British press. The August 1953 edition of Opera Magazine singled out the leading singers for that year's outstanding vocal achievements: NORMA – Maria Callas, ORPHEUS – Kathleen Ferrier, AMNERIS – Giulietta Simionato, ADALGISA – Ebe Stignani, BORIS GODUNOV – Nicola Rossi Lemeni, CAVARADOSSI – Oreste Kirkop.

It was therefore no surprise that the Covent Garden management began to show keen interest in engaging Oreste Kirkop which finally led to an invitation for a number of guest appearances. His debut at Covent Garden in the leading tenor role in Rigoletto took place on January 18, 1954. With this role Oreste became the first Maltese tenor ever to sing a major role at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden. The following day the London press acclaimed Oreste and gave prominence to his vocal and histrionic talents. The Star reported in big headlines – "Kirkop, superb at Covent Garden, made the amorous Duke a pleasure to hear and watch and the opera had to halt while each aria was applauded, something that does not often happen at Covent Garden". The Daily Express – "Oreste Kirkop, 28 year old Maltese tenor was one of the four stars who shone at Covent Garden last night in Rigoletto". The Daily Mail – Oreste Kirkop, a young Maltese tenor accorded a hearty share in the plaudits at the end of Rigoletto last night had the aura of success about him. He acts with confidence and has physical as well as vocal grace. He sang the famous part of the Duke of Mantua with superb technique".

After his successful guest appearances at Covent Garden, Oreste Kirkop turned his thoughts toward America. Andrew Porter, a discerning critic of The Financial Times covering a London production of Tosca after Oreste had left for America, reminded its readers that "with Oreste Kirkop's departure for Hollywood, we have lost a splendid Cavaradossi".

Hollywood eagerly awaited its new star and spared no effort to launch its new discovery. The name of Oreste Kirkop, the singing star from the Island of Malta appeared on every newspaper, while top notch personalities, including Bob Hope and Bing Crosby introduced the new singer as ORESTE, to millions of viewers on American TV. For Paramount Pictures he undertook the title-role in ‘The Vagabond King' with music by Rudolph Friml playing opposite a star studied cast – Kathryn Grayson, Sir Cedric Hardwick and Rita Moreno. Much admired in its time, the film was shown wildly in America and throughout Europe. It was also featured by the BBC in 1964 among the great musical milestones of the silver screen.

Among the first to sing straight opera in Las Vegas between 1956 – 58, Oreste found new audiences and adulation through an exclusive contract signed with the NBC Opera Company. He appeared in 57 American cities singing leading tenor roles.

His engagements included the first ever TV production of Rigoletto which was beamed live from New York. He was also in great demand to appear on all America's principal television personality shows including ‘Shower of Stars'. After three years in Hollywood, Oreste, at his own request, left Paramount Pictures. Recognising Oreste as a performer of significant box-office impact, Covent Garden withdrew two of its 1958 – 59 productions in order to offer him the leading tenor roles in La Boheme and Rigoletto. Following his return to Covent Garden, the Daily Mail of April 9, 1958 wrote: "One could have imagined at Covent Garden last night that Puccini wrote the part of Rodolfo in La Boheme for Oreste Kirkop".

Oreste's first ladies included some of the world's legendary prima-donnas among them Dame Joan Sutherland as Gilda in Rigoletto and the Metropolitan Opera soprano Dorothy Kirsten, with whom he gave two concerts at the famous Hollywood Bowl accompanied by the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra to a capacity audience of 40,000.

Back in London he was again constantly in demand to appear in television shows. One critic summed up the reason for Oreste Kirkop's meteoric rise to fame: "With a voice whose opulence sweeps up in splendid climaxes, in turn exultant, compassionate, tender, now ringing like a trumpet call, now with high notes opening like a flower on a stem, Oreste Kirkop, the Hollywood singing star enchains his audience. His repertoire ranges from entreating Neapolitan songs to operatic arias and with each melodic cameo is a little story -- Bravissimo!"

His short but dazzling career in the U.K. followed by his three year stint in the United States of America, enabled Oreste to make his wish come through to retire early in his career and return to Malta, which he did in 1960. He spent the rest of his years in retirement with his wife and two daughters. He died on May 10, 1998, just two months short of his 75 th birthday.

Good tenors like Oreste Kirkop are a rare breed. The voice was of a remarkable quality used with intelligence and great artistry. Even when singing at extreme dynamics, under pressure, Oreste's voice retained its characteristic glowing beauty.

But apart from his singing, he was also a great personality on stage. Personality is almost as important as the voice. One could easily pick him out of a crowd, because his private personality was an extension of the great personality on stage. And this combination is a rare quality indeed.

In recognition of his art and for establishing himself not only as a great artist but also as Malta's singing Ambassador during the Fifties, the postal authorities issued a postage stamp with his image as the Duke in Rigoletto.