Andrea Bocelli
Biography
Operatic tenor Andrea Bocelli has recorded four complete operas, has sold forty-five million albums worldwide, most of them in his trademark popular classical style and the shelves at his home in Pisa, Italy are groaning with music industry awards.
He was born with congenital glaucoma, and was blinded at the age of 12 by a brain hemorrhage, which he suffered when hit on the head playing football. As a child he played the church organ and at the age of 12 he won his first award - the Margherita d'Oro in Viareggio - singing 'O sole mio'.
Andrea trained to become a lawyer, but after practising for a year, he decided a legal profession wasn't for him and took up music full-time.
Music
In the years following his breakthrough success, Andrea performed at Paris, Bologna, Torre del Lago, the Vatican and the White House.
He has toured North and South America with Celine Dion and was the first singer to perform the first live opera broadcast on the internet in its entirety. He has continued to expand his career with live appearances at world class events, including singing during the NBA's 2006 All-Star Weekend in Houston and singing 'Because We Believe', from his 2006 album Amore, during the Closing Ceremony of the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino, Italy.
Bocelli is best known for his performance with Sarah Brightman on the song, 'Con Te Partirò' ('Time to Say Goodbye), the classical pop duet which broke sales records and topped charts across Europe for months. Andrea's albums regularly top the classical album charts.
Discography
2008 - Incanto
2007 - The Best of Andrea Bocelli: Vivere
2006 - Amore
Leoncavallo: Pagliacci (with Ana María Martínez et al)
2005 - Werther
2004 - Il trovatore
Andrea
2003 - Tosca
Viaggio italiano
2002 - Sentimento
2001 - Cieli di Toscana
2000 - Verdi
La bohème
1999 - Sogno
Sacred Arias
1998 - Viaggio italiano
Hymn for the World 2
1997 - Aria - The Opera Album
Hymn for the World
1996 - Viaggio Italiano
II mare calmo della sera
Romanza
1995 - Bocelli
1994 - II mare calmo della sera
Andrea Bocelli: An Exclusive Interview
On the eve of his mammoth arena tour, the superstar tenor chats exclusively to Classic FM.
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A wedding, two listeners and Andrea BocelliA romantic trip to see the Italian tenor in New York was enough to prompt our competition winners to tie the knot.
