Andrea Bocelli

Early life

Andrea Bocelli was born to Alessandro and Edi Bocelli on 22 September 1958. His sight was impaired from birth due to congenital glaucoma. He stated that his mother's decision to give birth to him and overrule the doctor's advice - to abort the pregnancy due to a high possibility of the child being born with a disability - was the inspiration for him to oppose abortion.

Bocelli grew up on his family's farm, with a younger brother Alberto, where they sold farm machinery and made wine in the small village of La Sterza, near Lajatico, Tuscany, Italy, about 40 km (25 mi) south of Pisa.

Bocelli showed a great passion for music as a young boy. His mother has said that music was the only thing that would comfort him. Bocelli started piano lessons at age six and later learned to play the flute, saxophone, trumpet, trombone, guitar, and drums. His nanny, Oriana, gave him the first record of Franco Corelli, and he began to show interest in pursuing the career of a tenor. By age seven, Bocelli was able to recognize the famous voices of the time and tried to emulate the great singers.

At age 12, Bocelli lost his vision completely after being hit in the eye with a football. Doctors resorted to leeches in a final attempt to save his sight, but they were unsuccessful and Bocelli remained blind.

Bocelli also spent time singing during his childhood. He gave his first concert in a small village not far from where he was born. Bocelli won his first song competition at age 14 with "'O sole mio" at the Margherita d'Oro in Viareggio. He finished secondary school in 1980, and then studied law at the University of Pisa. To earn money, Bocelli performed evenings in piano bars, and it was there that he met his future wife Enrica in 1987. Bocelli completed law school and spent one year as a court-appointed lawyer.

Career

1992–1994: Sanremo and Il mare calmo della sera

In 1992, Italian rock star Zucchero held auditions for tenors to make a demo tape of his song "Miserere", to send to Italian tenor Luciano Pavarotti. After hearing Bocelli on tape, Pavarotti urged Zucchero to use Bocelli instead of him. Pavarotti eventually persuaded Zucchero to record the song with Bocelli, and it became a hit throughout Europe. During Zucchero's European concert tour in 1993, Bocelli accompanied him to sing the duet, and he was also given solo sets in the concerts, singing "Nessun dorma" from Giacomo Puccini's opera Turandot. Bocelli signed with the Sugar Music label in Milan after Caterina Caselli heard him sing "Miserere" and "Nessun Dorma" at a birthday party for Zucchero.

In December, Bocelli entered the preliminary round of the Sanremo Music Festival in the category of Giovani, performing "Miserere". He won the preliminary competition with the highest marks ever recorded in the newcomers' section. On 28 December, Bocelli debuted in the classical world in a concert at the Teatro Romolo Valli in Reggio Emilia. In February 1994, he entered the main Sanremo Festival competition with "Il mare calmo della sera", and he won the newcomers section, again with a record score. Following his win, Bocelli released his debut album of the same name in April, and it entered the Italian Top Ten, being certified platinum within weeks.

In May 1994, Bocelli toured with pop singer Gerardina Trovato. Four months later, he sang at Pavarotti's annual Charity Gala concert, Pavarotti International in Modena, where Bocelli sang Ruggiero Leoncavallo's "Mattinata" and sang a duet with Pavarotti, Maurizio Morante's "Notte e Piscatore". That same month, Bocelli made his opera debut as Macduff in Verdi's Macbeth at the Teatro Verdi in Pisa. He had been an agnostic, but around 1994, partly as a result of immersing himself in the works of Russian author Leo Tolstoy, Bocelli returned to the practice of the Catholic faith. He performed the hymn "Adeste Fideles" in Rome before Pope John Paul II in St. Peter's Basilica at Christmas.

1995–1997: Bocelli and Romanza

As winner of the newcomers' section at the 1994 Sanremo Festival, Bocelli was invited to return the following year. He entered the main competition with "Con te partirò" and finished in fourth place. The song was included on Bocelli's second album, Bocelli, produced by Mauro Malavasi and released in November 1995. In Belgium, "Con te partirò" became the best-selling single of all time.

Bocelli's third album, Viaggio Italiano, was released in Italy in 1996. He was invited to sing a duet with English soprano Sarah Brightman at the final bout of German boxer Henry Maske. Brightman approached Bocelli after she heard him singing "Con te partirò" while she was dining in a restaurant. Changing the title lyric of the song to "Time to Say Goodbye", they re-recorded it as a duet with members of the London Symphony Orchestra and sang it as a farewell for Maske. The single debuted atop the German charts, where it stayed for 14 weeks. With sales nearing three million copies, and a sextuple platinum award, "Time to Say Goodbye" eclipsed the previous best-selling single by more than one million copies. In 1996, Bocelli topped the Spanish singles chart with a duet with Marta Sánchez, "Vivo por ella", the Spanish version of "Vivo per lei", recorded with Giorgia for his 1997 compilation album, Romanza. He also recorded a Portuguese version of the song with Brazilian singer Sandy.

The same year, Bocelli recorded "Je vis pour elle", the French version of "Vivo per lei", as a duet with French singer Hélène Ségara. Released in December 1997, the song became a hit in Belgium (Wallonia) and France, where it reached No. 1 on the charts. To date, it is the best-selling single for Ségara, and the second for Bocelli after "Time to Say Goodbye". On 3 March, he appeared in Hamburg, Germany, with Sarah Brightman to receive the ECHO music award for "Best Single of the Year".

During the summer of 1997, Bocelli gave 22 open-air concerts in Germany, and an indoor concert in Oberhausen on 31 August. In September, he performed in concert at the Piazza dei Cavalieri in Pisa for the home video A Night in Tuscany (Italian: una notte nella Toscana) with guests Nuccia Focile, Sarah Brightman and Zucchero. The concert was also Bocelli's first concert to air on PBS, as part of the In The Spotlight series. It also marked Bocelli's debut to American audiences. On 14 September, in Munich, Germany, he received an ECHO Klassik Best Seller of the Year award for his album, Viaggio Italiano.

1998–1999: Aria: The Opera Album, Sogno and Sacred Arias

Bocelli made his debut in a major operatic role in 1998 when he played Rodolfo in a production of La bohème at the Teatro Comunale in Cagliari from 18 to 25 February. His fifth album Aria: The Opera Album was released in March.

On 19 April, Bocelli made his United States debut with a concert at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., followed the next day by a reception at the White House with then US President Bill Clinton. On 5 May, Bocelli appeared in Monte Carlo, winning two World Music Awards, one in the category "Best Italian Singer", and one for "Best Classical Interpretation". He was also named one of People magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People of 1998.

From June to August, Bocelli toured North and South America. In September, he received his second Echo Klassik award, this time for Best Selling Classical Album with Aria: The Opera Album. On Thanksgiving Eve, Bocelli was a guest on Céline Dion's television special These Are Special Times in which he joined Dion to sing "The Prayer" and he also sang "Ave Maria" solo. The duet was included on Dion's album These Are Special Times (1998) and was re-issued with the DVD of the TV special in 2007. The song also appeared on the Quest for Camelot soundtrack in 1998 and on Bocelli's album, Sogno, the following year.

In the New Year, Bocelli performed two concerts at the Bellagio hotel in Las Vegas. At the 56th Golden Globe Awards held on 24 January, "The Prayer" won the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song from the film Quest for Camelot. At the 41st Grammy Awards ceremony on 24 February, Bocelli was nominated for Best New Artist, which was won by Lauryn Hill. Bocelli and Dion sang "The Prayer" at the ceremony. The song was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song and performed by Bocelli and Dion at the ceremony held at the Los Angeles Music Center on 21 March.

From 11 to 24 April, Bocelli toured the West Coast of North America, from San Diego to Vancouver, with a final performance at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. Actress Elizabeth Taylor stood by his side on the stage during the encore, while he sang "The Prayer". At the invitation of Steven Spielberg, Bocelli sang in Los Angeles on 15 May before Bill Clinton at an event on behalf of the Democratic Party. At the end of May, he toured Portugal and Spain and sang with Portuguese Fado singer Dulce Pontes. On 27 June, Bocelli took part in the Michael Jackson benefit concert for suffering children in Munich's Olympic Stadium.

2000–2001: Verdi and Cieli di Toscana

At the 42nd Grammy Awards, Bocelli was nominated twice. "The Prayer" was nominated for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals and for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance. Bocelli performed it with Dion at the ceremony. His "World Tour 2000" started on 31 March. In May, his Sacred Arias album was voted album of the year by listeners of the Classic FM radio station in the UK. Bocelli's world tour continued from 12 to 14 May with four concerts in Japan and South Korea. At the end of the UEFA European Football Championship, he performed with Valery Gergiev and Renée Fleming at a concert on the River Maas in Rotterdam. On 6 July, Bocelli performed at New York City's Statue of Liberty for his third PBS special American Dream: Andrea Bocelli's Statue Of Liberty Concert. The concert was a dedication to his father, who died at the beginning of 2000. Bocelli was accompanied by the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Maestro Steven Mercurio with special guest Soprano Ana Maria Martinez and a surprise appearance by Sarah Brightman to sing with Bocelli on "Time to Say Goodbye". For the final encore, Bocelli dedicated "Sogno" to his late father. On 17 August, Bocelli performed in Giuseppe Verdi's Messa da Requiem at the Verona Arena in Rome.

Bocelli's seventh album, Verdi, was released on 11 September. In September, he performed three concerts in Australia. Bocelli received another Echo Klassik award for "Bestseller of the year" for Sacred Arias. In November, his first complete opera recording, La Bohème, was released. The following month, Bocelli received another award in Germany, the Goldene Europa for classical music.

In January 2001, Bocelli portrayed the main character in Mascagni's opera L'amico Fritz at the Teatro Filarmonico in Verona and again performed the tenor part in Verdi's Requiem. On 19 March, the Requiem album was released with Bocelli as tenor. From 22 March to 6 April, he toured North America accompanied by Cecilia Gasdia and the Hartford Symphony Orchestra. On 17 June, Bocelli performed at the re-opening of the Leaning Tower of Pisa. In July, he performed two concerts in Dublin with Ana María Martínez and the New Symphony Orchestra. At the Scuola Grande di San Rocco in Venice on 4 October, Bocelli presented his new album Cieli di Toscana and was recognized for having sold more than 40 million albums worldwide. In October, he opened the celebrations of the 200th anniversary of the birth of Sicilian opera composer Vincenzo Bellini in Catania. On 28 October, Bocelli sang Franz Schubert's Ellens dritter Gesang (also known as "Ave Maria", Latin for "Hail Mary") as a representative of the Catholic faith, during a memorial concert at Ground Zero in New York City for the victims of the September 11 attacks there. In November, he received the Platinum Europe Award for one million sales of the album Cieli di Toscana, and at the Italian Music Awards, Bocelli was given a special award from the Federation of the Italian Music Industry for his merits as an "Ambassador of Italian music in the world". He performed seven more concerts in the US accompanied by Ana María Martínez, and on 23 December, Bocelli sang the Italian national anthem as well as works of Bellini and Verdi at the traditional Christmas concert in the Italian Senate, which was broadcast live on television for the first time.

2002–2005: Sentimento and Andrea

In Berlin, Bocelli received a Goldene Kamera award in the "Music & Entertainment" category on 5 February. On 6 March, he received two World Music Awards in Monte Carlo: "World best selling classical artist" and "Best selling Italian artist". Five days later, Bocelli gave a concert for peace at the Basilica di San Marco a Venezia in Venice, accompanied by the orchestra of the Teatro La Fenice and conducted by Lorin Maazel. On 15 March, he took part in the opening of Walt Disney Studios Park in Marne-la-Vallée France. On 7 May, Bocelli and Tony Renis received a Telegatto Italian Television award for the soundtrack of the series Cuore. A few weeks later on 23 May, he received the 2002 Classical BRIT Award for "Outstanding Contribution to Music". On 27 May, Bocelli performed at the Villa Madama in Rome in front of US president George W. Bush and Italian president Silvio Berlusconi. The next day, he took part in "Pavarotti & Friends" charity concert in Modena in aid of Angola. In June, Bocelli again toured the US, then on 26 July and 3 August, he portrayed Lieutenant B.F. Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly at the 48th Puccini Festival in Torre del Lago. On 14 October, Bocelli and Lorin Maazel presented his new album Sentimento to a worldwide audience. Further presentations took place in Milan and New York, and the album was released on 4 November, selling over two million copies in 40 days. On 24 October, Bocelli started his Sentimento tour in Zürich; the tour took in large arenas in several European and North American cities.

In February 2003, Bocelli performed Madama Butterfly in an exclusive Monte Carlo concert, which was attended by Caroline, Princess of Hanover. The following month, he appeared as a producer for the first time at the Sanremo Festival, where the young artists Allunati and Jacqueline Ferry sang for his new record label, Clacksong. In May, Bocelli's second complete opera, Tosca, was released. However, it did not attract unanimous praise. Andreas Dorschel notices "monochrome timbre" and "little dynamic variability" in Bocelli's performance: "Whatever is suffered by Cavaradossi − torture for instance or the prospect of execution −: Bocelli does not seem to register it, but goes on in the musical equivalent of Stoic indifference." At a private benefit gala for the Royal National Institute of Blind People, Bocelli sang in front of the British royal family. The next day, he received two awards for Sentimento at the 2003 Classical BRIT Award held at the Royal Albert Hall in London – "Best selling classical album" and "Album of the year". On 24 May, Bocelli performed in a benefit concert for the Arpa Foundation for Film, Music and Art in the Piazza del Campo in Siena, with sopranos Maria Luigia Borsi and Lucia Dessanti, baritone Soo Kyung Ahn, and violinist Ruth Rogers, accompanied by Marcello Rota and the Orchestra Città di Pisa. Three days later, he was again invited to perform at "Pavarotti & Friends" in Modena and sang a medley of Neapolitan songs together with Pavarotti. In June, Bocelli continued his Sentimento tour in Athens and Cyprus. In September, Bocelli took part in a concert for the Justice ministers and Interior ministers of the European Union at the Parco della Musica in Rome. He then resumed his tour, accompanied by Maria Luigia Borsi, Ruth Rogers and Marcello Rota.

2006–2007: Amore and Vivere, Greatest hits

On 18 February, Bocelli sang at the Toyota Center in Houston during the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 2006 All-Star Weekend, and broadcast live on the TNT Cable television network.

On 26 February, Bocelli sang "Because We Believe" from his Amore album in the Carnevale section of the closing ceremony of the Torino Olympics. He also began another tour with a concert at the Piazza di Castello in Turin. In March, Bocelli was honoured by the Italian state with a Grande Ufficiale Italian Order of Merit (Grand Officer of the Italian Republic), given to him by then President of the Italian Republic, Carlo Azeglio Ciampi. The award was presented to him at the Sanremo Festival, where Bocelli performed a duet with American singer Christina Aguilera on 4 March.

From 31 March to 2 April, Bocelli took part in the Maggio Musicale in Florence, where he sang the Canto di pace (Canto of peace) by Marco Tutino and the tenor part from Gioachino Rossini's Messa di Gloria, and in Naples where he took part in Rossini's Petite messe solennelle.

In April 2006, Bocelli featured as a guest coach on American Idol, helping the finalists sing the week's themed songs, "Greatest Love Songs". He also performed on that week's results show. American Idol runner-up Katharine McPhee performed at three of Bocelli's concerts in California from 9 to 11 June, singing duets of Somos Novios and The Prayer with Bocelli. They also performed on J. C. Penney Jam: The Concert for America's Kids and recorded duet versions of Somos Novios for the resulting album, and also Can't Help Falling in Love on the CD of the Under the Desert Sky DVD.

In June, Bocelli sang the Italian duet version of "Because We Believe", "Ama, credi e vai", with Gianna Nannini at the "großen Fan Party" at the opening of the 2006 FIFA World Cup, in Berlin in front of billions of worldwide television viewers.

On 1 July 2007, Bocelli performed "The Music of the Night" from Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera, in a special musicals medley during the Concert for Diana at Wembley Stadium in London, England. Four days later, Bocelli returned to his hometown for a concert at the newly created Teatro del Silenzio in Lajatico, with guest appearances by Kenny G, Heather Headley, Lang Lang, Elisa, Sarah Brightman and Laura Pausini. The concert was later released as Vivere Live in Tuscany. In September, Bocelli debuted at the Avery Fisher Hall, in New York, with four concerts. October saw the release of the opera album of Ruggiero Leoncavallo's Pagliacci with Bocelli singing the role of Canio. In November, he won the "Best Italian Artist" and "World's Best-selling Classical Artist" awards at the World Music Awards. The following month, Bocelli finished his 2006 tour with more concerts in North America and Europe.

2008: Incanto and Carmen

On 20 January 2008, Bocelli received the Italian TV award Telegatto in platinum for Italian music in the world, in Rome. He sang "La voce del silenzio" – "The voice of silence" – and "Dare to Live" during the ceremony. To promote the album, Bocelli performed "Canto della Terra" at The Alan Titchmarsh Show on the BBC in London on 1 February and was interviewed by Fabio Fazio on the Italian talk show Che tempo che fa on RAI 3 in Italy; and performed "Canto della terra", "A te" and "Besame mucho" from the album, as well as "My Way" on 2 February; and made an appearance on The South Bank Show in London, where he sang the French aria "Pour mon âme" on 3 February. Then, on 10 February, Bocelli performed "The Prayer" at the 50th Grammy Awards, held in Los Angeles, with Josh Groban in a tribute to Luciano Pavarotti, and sang "Dare to Live" with Heather Headley the following day on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. In April, Bocelli toured in Asia with performances in Tokyo, Taichung, and Seoul.

On 7 May 2008, Bocelli sang at Steel Aréna in Košice, Slovakia, in front of 8,000 people. Six days later, he sang at the "Teatro delle Muse" in Ancona, Italy, for a charity concert for "Francesca Rava – N.P.H. Italia Onlus", a foundation that helps poor and disabled children around the world. On 23 May, he sang The Prayer with Katharine McPhee in a Las Vegas tribute concert for Canadian producer and songwriter David Foster. Bocelli later praised Filipina teenage singer Charice, whom he first heard perform at that concert. On 2 June, Bocelli performed at the Piazza del Duomo, Milan in front of 80,000 people during a concert celebrating the anniversary of the Republic of Italy's formation.

From 17 to 28 June, Bocelli played the role of Don José on stage, opposite Hungarian mezzo-soprano Ildikó Komlósi as Carmen, in Georges Bizet's opera at the Teatro dell'Opera di Roma, in Rome, for four nights. Bocelli released the complete opera recording of Carmen in Italy that same year, which he recorded in 2005. Myung-whun Chung conducted the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France and the Chœur de Radio France for the recording, and Welsh Bass-baritone Bryn Terfel, was part of the Ensemble. The recording was not released internationally, until March 2010. Carmen: Duets & Arias, a single-disc collection of some of the arias and duets of the recording, was also released in 2010.

On 20 July, Bocelli held his third concert at the Teatro del Silenzio in Lajatico, his hometown. The concert was a tribute to the cinema of Italy. Its performers included Italian composer and musician Nicola Piovani, Italian ballet dancer Roberto Bolle, Israeli singer Noa, and Charice. A week and a half later on 31 July, Bocelli performed at a concert in Vingis Park in Vilnius, Lithuania, in front of more than 18,000 people. Australian singer Tina Arena performed two duets with Bocelli – "Canto Della Terra" and "The Prayer" – at the closing stages of the concert. On 7 August, he held a benefit concert at Medjugorje, Bosnia Herzegovina, and was accompanied by the Czech National Symphony Orchestra. Then, during the rest of August, Bocelli was on tour in Australia and New Zealand for the third time. Tina Arena performed with him in all five concerts during the tour. On 26 September, during the 2008 Veneto Festival, Bocelli held a concert in the Church of the Eremitani in Padua, Italy. He was accompanied by the I Solisti Veneti orchestra, celebrating its 50th birthday and conducted by Claudio Scimone, and by the Wiener Singakademie choir. The concert was a celebration of Giacomo Puccini's 150th birthday.

2009: My Christmas, first holiday album

On 27 May 2009, Bocelli sang "Il Gladiatore", from the Gladiator soundtrack, followed by the UEFA Champions League Anthem, which is based on G.F. Handel's "Zadok the Priest", during the opening ceremony of the 2009 UEFA Champions League Final, in the Stadio Olimpico, in Rome.

On 3 November, My Christmas, his first Holiday album, produced by David Foster, was released and went on to become the best-selling Holiday album of the year.

The Andrea Bocelli & David Foster Christmas Special, the PBS special of the album, first aired on Thanksgiving night in the United States, and continued to be broadcast in the United States and Canada throughout December. In late November, the program was broadcast in Mexico and in the UK and Ireland; it later aired on 15 and 25 December, on Italia 1, in Italy, 19 December, on TVE2 and TROS, in Spain and the Netherlands, and Christmas Eve, on vtm and RTL-TVI, in Belgium and Luxembourg.

On 3 November, during the World Premiere of Disney's A Christmas Carol, in Leicester Square, London, following the switching on of the annual Oxford Street and Regent Street Christmas lights, Bocelli led the St Paul's Cathedral Choir, and more than 14,000 people across the capital, as they broke the Official Guinness World Record for the biggest ever Christmas carol sing-along, singing "Silent Night". He completed his performance in Leicester Square with, "God Bless Us Everyone", the closing song of the movie, which he provided the vocals for in English, Italian and Spanish. Bocelli returned to the United Kingdom on 16 December for an appearance on The One Show, broadcast live by BBC One, and on The Alan Titchmarsh Show which aired 18 December, on ITV1.

On 21 November, a segment of Leute Heute, a German tabloid-program on ZDF, was about My Christmas and Bocelli's meeting in Rome with Pope Benedict XVI and 250 other artists, an event which was broadcast live earlier that day in Italy, by Rai Uno. Bocelli was also joined by the Piccolo Coro dell'Antoniano, in his home in Forte dei Marmi, where they sang "Caro Gesù Bambino", a song from My Christmas that was originally recorded by the choir in 1960. Rai Uno also broadcast the performance later that day, during the Zecchino d'Oro Festival. The following day, Bocelli was among Fabio Fazio's guests on his popular Italian talk-show, Che tempo che fa, broadcast on Rai Tre. During the program, Bocelli talked about his album and performed "The Lord's Prayer", "White Christmas", and "Silent Night". It was also announced that Bocelli would return to the show on 20 December and give a live concert of My Christmas. He also took part in the annual 2009 José Carreras Gala on 17 December, where he sang Adeste Fideles, before singing "White Christmas" with José Carreras for the first time; this was broadcast live by Das Erste in Germany. Bocelli then returned to Italy for a concert in the Upper Basilica of San Francesco d'Assisi on 19 December, which was broadcast directly after the Urbi et Orbi blessing of Pope Benedict XVI, 25 December, on Rai Uno.

2010: Hollywood Walk of Fame and FIFA World Cup

On 31 January 2010, during the 52nd Grammy Awards, Bocelli, Mary J. Blige and David Foster joined forces again, singing "Bridge over Troubled Water" as a tribute to the victims of that year's earthquake in Haiti. On 2 March, he was honoured with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his contribution to Live Theater, at 7000 Hollywood Boulevard, in front of the Roosevelt Hotel. The previous day, Bocelli, along with David Foster, were honoured by L.A. Italia Film, Fashion and Art Fest during a ceremony at the Grauman's Chinese Theatre, in Hollywood, where The Story Behind The Voice, a documentary about Bocelli's life and career was shown.

On 12 March, Bocelli made an appearance on Skavlan, in Oslo, Norway, to promote his upcoming Scandinavian tour, giving a rare interview to the show's host Fredrik Skavlan, and later performing "Voglio Vivere Cosi", from his 2008 album Incanto, with Norwegian Boys' choir, Sølvguttene. Bocelli returned to Scandinavia for a concert in Telenor Arena in Bærum, Norway, on 8 April, a concert in Forum Copenhagen in Copenhagen, Denmark, on 9 April, and finally a concert in the Ericsson Globe, in Stockholm, Sweden, on 11 April. He was joined by Heather Headley and 120 musicians from the Stockholm Concert Orchestra, in all three concerts, and by Swedish mezzo-soprano Malena Ernman in his Swedish concert.

On 30 April, Bocelli sang "Nessun dorma" during the opening ceremony of the Expo 2010, in Shanghai, China. The next day, he held a concert, titled Charming China, at Shanghai Stadium. The concert was later broadcast by Shanghai TV, and by CCTV Channels throughout mainland China.

The two appearances coincided with Bocelli's Asian tour, consisting of a concert in Budokan, Tokyo, Japan, on 28 April, a concert in Jamsil Gymnasium, Seoul, South Korea, on 2 May, a concert in Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, in Hong Kong, on 4 May, a concert in Taipei Arena, Taipei, Taiwan, on 6 May, and finally a free concert, organized by the YTL Corporation, at the Singapore Botanic Gardens, in Singapore, on 8 May, attended by over 12,000 people, picked via public ballot. The concert was later broadcast, in its entirety, by Channel NewsAsia, on 28 and 29 May, and by Okto, on 30 May, in Singapore. An orchid in the Botanic Gardens' National Orchid Garden was also named after Bocelli in response to the concert. Australian pop singer Delta Goodrem performed again with Bocelli in all five concerts, after supporting him in his United States My Christmas 2009 winter tour.

2011–2014: Roméo et Juliette and Passione

In January, Bocelli gave three concerts in Germany. The concerts in Munich, Berlin, and Hamburg were all part of the Notte Illuminata Tour, launched in Pisa, at the Teatro Verdi, December 2010. In February, Bocelli performed a recital on the stage of the Metropolitan Opera house as part of the tour. In late March and early April, as part of the 2011 Latin leg of his Incanto tour, Bocelli gave concerts in Bogotá, and Panama City.

In May 2011, Bocelli held five concerts in East and Southeast Asia and was joined by New Zealand soprano Hayley Westenra during the tour. He first gave a concert in Jakarta, Indonesia. Bocelli held two other concerts in Taipei, and two concerts in Beijing. In June and July, he gave two open-air concerts at historic sites, the first at Masada, in Israel, with all proceeds dedicated to support the residents of the Israeli regions of Galilee and Negev, and the second at Syracuse's ancient Greek theatre, in Sicily, with all proceeds donated to the Fiamme di Solidarietà (Flames of Solidarity) organization, to raise awareness of issues concerning the poorest and most marginalized in Italy.

Bocelli gave a free concert on 15 September, on the Great Lawn of Central Park in New York City. He was accompanied by the New York Philharmonic, conducted by its music director Alan Gilbert, and the Westminster Symphonic Choir. The concert was broadcast throughout the United States and Canada, by PBS, and in Italy, by Rai 1. Concerto: One Night in Central Park, the live album and the DVD were released 15 November. On 25 September, Bocelli led Songs of Praise's 50th anniversary celebration, alongside LeAnn Rimes and Katherine Jenkins.

On 15 October, Bocelli performed again for Pope Benedict XVI and a crowd of 8,000 people in Vatican's Audience Hall. On 7 November, he gave an open-air free concert at Praça Rui Barbosa in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, to an audience of between 80,000 and 150,000 people. Ten days later, Bocelli performed at the Children in Need Rocks Manchester concert, gaining critical acclaim for receiving a standing ovation from a crowd of pop and indie music fans. He played the role of Romeo in Charles Gounod's opera Roméo et Juliette, at the Teatro Carlo Felice, for two performances in February 2012. Bocelli cancelled a third performance because of pharyngitis after having vocal strain throughout.

2015–2019: Cinema, collaborations and Sì

Bocelli released his fifteenth studio album Cinema on 23 October 2015. It contains renditions of classic film soundtracks and scores, featuring duets with Ariana Grande, Nicole Scherzinger and his wife Veronica Berti. The album received a nomination for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album at the 59th Annual Grammy Awards; the Spanish-language version was nominated for Album of the Year at the 17th Annual Latin Grammy Awards.

On 7 May 2016, Bocelli performed at the King Power Stadium before Leicester City's final match of the 2015–16 Premier League against Everton, as part of the club's title celebrations. On 15 December 2017, Ed Sheeran released a collaboration with Bocelli titled "Perfect Symphony". The song is a duet version of Sheeran's song "Perfect", with many of the original English lyrics sung in Italian.

In June 2018, Bocelli released the single "If Only", his first after fourteen years. On 20 September, Bocelli released the single "Fall On Me" which features vocals from his son Matteo. The two performed the song on 22 October episode of Dancing With the Stars. An English version of the song was released in October and was featured in the Walt Disney Pictures film The Nutcracker and the Four Realms as the end credit song. Both songs appear on Bocelli's album Sì, released on 26 October. On 12 October, at the request of his close friend Sarah, Duchess of York, Bocelli performed two songs at the royal wedding of her daughter Princess Eugenie, the Bach/Gounod Ave Maria, and Panis angelicus by César Franck.

On 1 February 2019, Bocelli performed a sold-out concert in 'Winter at Tantora' festival running at Al-'Ula for the first time in Saudi Arabia. On 12 April 2020, during the national COVID-19 lockdowns in Italy, Bocelli performed an Easter Sunday concert from an empty Milan Cathedral, accompanied by cathedral organist Emanuele Vianelli. The performance, titled "Music For Hope - Live From Duomo di Milano", was streamed live over YouTube, where it continues to be available for replay. About 5 million people tuned in for the live stream performance and, by 13 April 2020, over 32 million views were logged on the archived video.

2020–present: Believe and Duets (30th Anniversary)

In November 2020, Bocelli released an album, Believe. It was in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and featured recent pandemic related songs. He performed Puccini's "Nessun Dorma" during the Opening Ceremony of the 2020 UEFA European Football Championship held in Rome, Italy, on 11 June 2021. On 5 June 2022, Bocelli performed Puccini's "Nessun Dorma" during the BBC's Platinum Party at the Palace, one of the celebrations of the Platinum Jubilee of Elizabeth II.

On 21 October 2022, Bocelli released his first collaboration album with his son and daughter, Matteo and Virginia, titled A Family Christmas. On 7 May 2023, Bocelli performed "You'll Never Walk Alone" together with Bryn Terfel during the BBC's Coronation Concert to mark the coronation of Charles III. On 26 February 2024, Andrea Bocelli with his son Matteo performed at the Quinta Vergara Amphitheater Viña del Mar, Chile, at the LXIII Viña del Mar International Song Festival receiving the Gaviota Silver and Gold.

The Andrea Bocelli 30: The Celebration concerts were held on 15, 17 and 19 July 2024, at the Teatro del Silenzio in Lajatico, Italy. The events were later presented as a theatrical concert film in the United States and as a two-part television special on Canale 5 in Italy. Bocelli performed songs from his 30-year career, and was joined by several other musical guests for duets and solo performances. Guest performers included Jon Batiste, José Carreras, Sofia Carson, Plácido Domingo, Elisa, Tiziano Ferro, Aida Garifullina, Giorgia, Lang Lang, Brian May, Christian Nodal, Laura Pausini, Eros Ramazzotti, Ed Sheeran, Nadine Sierra, Shania Twain, Bryn Terfel, Franco Vassallo and Zucchero, as well as Russell Crowe, Johnny Depp and Will Smith. The show promoted the compilation album Duets (30th Anniversary), which features previously released collaborations from Bocelli's back catalog alongside new collaborations. The album was promoted by three duets: "Da Stanotte in Poi (From This Moment On)" with Shania Twain, "Vivo por Ella" with Karol G and "Rimani Qui" with Italian singer Elisa.

In 2025, the documentary Andrea Bocelli: Because I Believe was released. Bocelli made his first appearance in a feature film in Solo Mio, released in 2026, playing a dramatized version of himself. The scenes involving Bocelli were filmed at his real life villa in Tuscany, and his wife and daughter appear in the film. Bocelli performed "Nessun Dorma" at the 2026 Winter Olympics opening ceremony, held in Milan's San Siro stadium. On 10 June 2026 he was featured on "DNA (More Than a Game)", the official anthem of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with David Guetta, Ejae and Megan Thee Stallion.

Voice

Bocelli is a widely popular singer with a substantial fan base worldwide. However, he is also a polarizing figure in classical music, whose voice and performances have routinely been the subject of negative reviews by critics. Italian spinto tenor Franco Corelli praised Bocelli's voice after hearing it for the first time during a master class in 1986, in Turin, and he later gave Bocelli private lessons.

Puerto Rican soprano Ana María Martínez, who regularly performs with Bocelli, said: "More than anything, Andrea has something that is unique in that he brings this light that is always around him. And this purity of heart and beauty of sound just touches the listener. It can't be described."

Celine Dion said while introducing him during her Christmas Special for These Are Special Times, in 1998, that "if God had a singing voice, he must sound a lot like Andrea Bocelli", and David Foster, a producer of the album, often describes Bocelli's voice as the most beautiful in the world. Similarly, jazz singer Al Jarreau, who performed with Bocelli on the "Night of the Proms" tour in Europe in 1995, described him as "the most beautiful voice in the world", and American talk show host Oprah Winfrey commented on her talk show: "[W]hen I hear Andrea sing, I burst into tears." After attending Bocelli's concert at the Hollywood Bowl in 2009, British-American actress Elizabeth Taylor said, "My mind, my soul were transported by his beauty, his voice, his inner being. God has kissed this man and I thank God for it." Taylor had been a passionate fan of Bocelli since the beginning of his music career in the mid-1990s. Other fans include Albert II, Prince of Monaco, who invited the tenor to sing at his wedding, as well as Sarah, Duchess of York, and actress Isabella Rossellini.

Bocelli's voice, more specifically his interpretation of opera, has been regularly criticized by classical music critics. These include Bernard Holland of The New York Times and Andrew Clements of The Guardian. In 1999, The New York Times chief music critic Anthony Tommasini in his review of Bocelli's North American opera debut at the Detroit Opera House in the title role of Massenet's Werther commented, "The basic colour of Mr. Bocelli's voice is warm and pleasant, but he lacks the technique to support and project his sound. His sustained notes wobble. His soft high notes are painfully weak. Inadequate breath control often forces him to clip off notes prematurely at the end of phrases." In December 2000, Tommasini again criticised Bocelli, this time for his La bohème album when he stated that Bocelli "still has trouble with basic things, like breath support" and his voice had been "carefully recorded ... to help it match the trained voices of the other cast members in fullness and presence."

Recognition

Honours

Grand Officer of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic (Grande Ufficiale Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana) awarded in Rome, on 4 March 2006.

Grand Officer of the Order of Merit of Duarte, Sánchez and Mella by the President of the Dominican Republic, Leonel Fernández in 2009, for his contributions to International art and culture.

Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, for his contribution to live theater, at 7000 Hollywood Boulevard, in 2010.

Gold medal for Merit by the president of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić in 2022.

Knight of the Civil Order of Savoy by Emanuele Filiberto of Savoy in 2025.

Selected awards

Winner of the 1994 Newcomers section of the Sanremo Music Festival.

ECHO music award for "Best Single of the Year" for "Time to Say Goodbye", in 1997.

ECHO Klassik "Best seller of the year" award for his album, Viaggio Italiano in 1997.

Bambi Award in 1997.

Two World Music Awards, one in the category "Best Italian Singer", and one for "Best Classical Interpretation" in 1998.

ECHO Klassik, for "Best selling classical album" with Aria: The Opera Album in 1998.

ECHO Klassik for "Bestseller of the year" for Sacred Arias in 2000.

Two 2000 Classical BRIT Awards for "Best selling classical album" and "Album of the year" for Sacred Arias in 2000.

Goldene Europa for classical music in 2000.

Goldene Kamera award in the "Music & Entertainment" category 2002.

Two World Music Awards, for "World best selling classical artist" and for "Best selling Italian artist" in 2002.

Telegatto award for the soundtrack of the series Cuore in 2002.

2002 Classical BRIT Award for "Outstanding Contribution to Music" in 2002.

Two 2003 Classical BRIT Awards for "Best selling classical album" and "Album of the year" for Sentimento in 2003.

Personal life

Bocelli met his first wife, Enrica Cenzatti, while singing at piano bars early in his career. They were married on 27 June 1992. Their first child, son Amos, was born on 22 February 1995. Their second son, Matteo, was born on 8 October 1997. The couple separated in 2002.

On 30 April 2000, Bocelli's father, Alessandro Bocelli, died. His mother encouraged him to honor his commitments, and so he sang for Pope John Paul II, in Rome, on 1 May, and immediately returned home for the funeral. At his 5 July performance, filmed for PBS as American Dream—Andrea Bocelli's Statue of Liberty Concert, Bocelli dedicated the encore Sogno (Dream), from his 1999 album Sogno, to the memory of his father. His mother and brother continued to live in the family home after his father's death.

Bocelli lives with his second wife and manager, Veronica Berti. They met in 2002 and married on 21 March 2014, at the Sanctuary of Montenero in the coastal town of Livorno, Italy. In September 2011, the couple announced that Berti was expecting her first and Bocelli's third child. Their daughter Virginia Bocelli was born 21 March 2012. The couple live in the Tuscan town of Forte dei Marmi on the Mediterranean. Bocelli's first wife and two sons live in the couple's previous residence in the same comune, in Versilia.

On 12 November 2022, Andrea, Matteo and Virginia (aged 10) sang together at the Royal Albert Hall during the UK Festival of Remembrance.

A section of the beach in Jesolo, on the Italian Adriatic coast, was named after Bocelli on 11 August 2003.

In October 2013, Bocelli bought a second home in North Miami Beach.

Bocelli is a fan of the Italian football club Inter Milan. In an interview in Pisa, he told a group of Inter fans that "My passion for Inter started during my college years, when Inter was winning everything in Italy and the world. When Inter won the Champions League in 2010, I was with my friends and I was listening to the game on the radio, and everything was a little bit in advance so I was celebrating before them. That night I was also brought to tears of joy. The treble is a feeling no one in Italy will be able to equal".

Teatro del Silenzio

In 2006, Bocelli convinced the municipality of his hometown Lajatico to build an outdoor theatre, the "Teatro del Silenzio". He serves as its honorary president and performs usually for one night only, every July; the rest of the year, the theatre does not operate.

Since its opening in 2006, guest performers have included Plácido Domingo, José Carreras, Sarah Brightman, Katherine Jenkins, Zucchero, Laura Pausini, and Elisa. Bocelli's guests have also included instrumentalists Lang Lang, Chris Botti, and Kenny G. The 2007 concert was released on CD and DVD in 2008.

Discography

Studio albums

Il mare calmo della sera (1994)

Bocelli (1995)

Viaggio Italiano (1996/1997)

Aria: The Opera Album (1998)

Sogno (1999)

Sacred Arias (1999)

Verdi (2000)

Cieli di Toscana (2001)

Sentimento (2002)

Andrea (2004)

Amore (2006)

Incanto (2008)

My Christmas (2009)

Passione (2013)

Cinema (2015)

Sì (2018)

Believe (2020)

Duets (2024)

Collaborative albums

A Hymn for the World (1997)

A Hymn for the World 2: Voices from Heaven (1998)

Verdi's Requiem (2000)

Carmen: Duets & Arias (2010)

A Family Christmas (2022) with Matteo Bocelli and Virginia Bocelli

Filmography