Andrea Bocelli

Andrea Bocelli was born on September 22, 1958, in Lajatico, Italy. He became interested in music at an early age. He was only six years old when he began studying piano, later learning flute and saxophone, and he was often asked to sing at family gatherings and at school. Visually impaired from birth, he became blind at the age of 12 following a soccer injury.

According to his website, Bocelli had his first taste of success in a singing competition in 1970. He continued to hone his talent, studying voice with Luciano Bettarini. His parents wanted him to become an attorney and while at University of Pisa, Bocelli studied law and later became a court appointed lawyer after graduating from law school. But he did not abandon his music. Bocelli studied with Franco Corelli and took up playing piano in bars to pay for his lessons.

One of Bocelli’s first lucky breaks came in 1992 when he recorded a demo tape of “Miserere” for Zucchero Fornaciari, with the song co-written by U2’s Bono. That recording was heard by famed tenor Luciano Pavarotti, for whom the track was originally written. Pavarotti then encouraged Fornaciari to use Bocelli for the song. In the end, Bocelli and Pavarotti performed “Miserere” together, which became a Europe-wide smash hit.

A singer on the rise, Bocelli competed in the Sanremo Festival in 1994. He won the top honors in the newcomers’ category. That same year, Bocelli released his first album in Italy, Il Mare Calmo Della Sera. He scored a major hit in Europe a short time later with Bocelli, which featured “Con Te Partiro.” The song later became a popular duet with Sarah Brightman as “Time to Say Goodbye,” which appeared on his 1997 album Romanza.

With Sogno (1999), Bocelli cemented his status as an international singing sensation. The hit record included a duet with Celine Dion on the song “The Prayer.” More popular albums soon followed, including 2001’s Cieli di Toscana and 2006’s Amore. He also earned Grammy nods for Best New Artist in 1999 and in 2000 for “Sogno” (Best Male Pop Vocal Performance) and “The Prayer” (Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals).

In 2015, Bocelli released Cinema, his 15th studio album. The tenor had longed to create an album of his favorite movie songs originally performed by singers such as Frank Sinatra and Mario Lanza. The album features his renditions of classic soundtrack favorites such as “Maria” from West Side Story, “Moon River” from Breakfast at Tiffany’s, “No Llores Por Mi Argentina, from Evita, and “Por uno cabeza” from Scent of a Woman. The album also features duets with Ariana Grande and Nicole Scherzinger.  His most recent collaboration is with none other than the most popular singer song writers of today Ed Sheehan.

Andrea will be performing in Montreal on October 21 for Ticket Information