South Jersey Magazine - Marlton / Medford

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SJM_Bocelli_1121 - FINAL_SJM Feature 11 / 19 / 21 1 : 45 PM Page 1 OR NEARLY THREE DECADES , renowned Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli has captivated audiences with his soothing yet powerful voice . Throughout his illustrious career , he has earned six Grammy Award nominations as well as six Latin Grammy Award nods and has sold over 90 million records worldwide . ? A man of deep compassion , he founded the Andrea Bocelli Foundation ( ABF ) in 2011 , with a mission to empower people and communities suffering from disease , poverty and social exclusion . On Easter of 2020 , Bocelli sang at the deserted Duomo of Milan , on the invitation of the city and the Arch - diocese of Milan . “ Music for Hope ” is believed to be one of the biggest musical livestream performances of all time , with over 2.8 million peak concurrent viewers and the largest simultaneous audience for a clas - sical livestream in YouTube history . The video received more than 28 million views in its first 24 hours . In his 1999 autobiography , The Music of Silence , Bocelli shares gripping and inspiring memories of his early life and offers readers a glimpse into his love of classical music . The captivating book inspired the 2017 movie of the same name , featuring Antonio Banderas . Last November , Bocelli released his 17th studio album , Believe , which quickly topped Billboard’s classical albums charts . This month , he returns to the area for a one - night - only performance of his Believe tour at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia . South Jersey Magazine recently spoke to the classical singing sensation and multi - instrumentalist about his love of music , his beautiful family and impressive career . ? ? amiliar ? ? amiliar Famed tenor Andrea Bocelli returns to the stage to reconnect with Voice his global audience Voice others , such as Plácido Domingo , José My grandfather gave me my first small Carreras , Luciano Pavarotti in opera ; horse when I was 8 years old . Later , as Céline Dion , Barbra Streisand , Stevie an adolescent , I asked my father if I Q & A Wonder , Tony Bennett . The list goes on could have a larger horse , and after a and on . The choice of a vocal partner great deal of resistance , he gave me a is a complex one : To explain , I can mare that was raven black , named You’ve had the chance to work compare it to what a painter evaluates , Andris . . . . For me , horseback riding is with several other artists , span - when mixing two colors , considering not only my favorite childhood sport , ning many genres of music . Do which nuances emerge when they are but also a privileged means of motion . you enjoy branching out , so to combined . In the same way , we Still today , in the Tuscan lands where I speak , and what were some of singers try to find fellow artists that was born and raised , I sometimes the more memorable collabora - can bring the chemistry of a duet to move around on horseback . I appre - tions for you ? life , in which — when it “ works ” — the ciate the intelligence of this extraordi - I’ve always loved finding travel com - expressive qualities of both are nary animal ; its ability to express panions [ and ] collaborating with col - enhanced and amplified . affection , fickleness , the complicity leagues , on stage or in the recording that you establish when riding , its studio . It’s a challenge that I’ve been Asa young boy growing up in the ability to heighten the rider’s emo - passionate about from the start of my countrysideyou began horse - tions . Inevitably you create a very career . I learned something from each , backriding . Can you tell us a bit intense relationship with your horse . and a lot from some . It has been a aboutthis lifelong love of As with people , the connection can be great privilege to mix my voice with horses ? greater or weaker . . . . I remember , for 2 4 | S O U T H J E R S E Y M A G A Z I N E | V O L U M E 1 8 , I S S U E 8 | S O U T H J E R S E Y M A G A Z I N E . C O M

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SJM_Bocelli_1121 - FINAL_SJM Feature 11 / 19 / 21 1 : 45 PM Page 2 example , a wonderful animal — an Ara - bian horse named Giasir . When he died , I was so upset that I decided to dedicate a poem to him in his memory . During lockdown , I unfortunately had to give up seeing my beloved horses . But I returned to horseback riding as soon as condi - tions permitted . This spring , I took on quite an ambitious project , considering my not - so - young age : I wanted to embark on a journey of a few hundred kilometers ( almost 200 miles ) , together with my wife , Veronica , completely on horseback , following the ancient road — Via Francigena — running from Rome to Lajatico , my town of birth . In 2011 , you and your wife founded the Andrea Bocelli Foundation . What inspired you to do that ? What are the hopes and goals of the foundation ? The commitment to philanthropy , my wife’s and mine , is age - old , albeit expressed in ways that were quiet and “ private . ” Then , at the time of Veronica’s pregnancy , we felt the need to create something that was more stable and structured , so as to not squander the wealth of relations and bonds of mutual trust we had established with so many people . The Foundation took shape from the concept that unity is strength : We can do a lot on our own , but we can do much more together . The ABF is an extraordinary adventure that has grown very much in recent years , operating at the international level in the fields of education and technology research , fol - lowing its stated mission of “ empow - ering people and communities . ” It is a large , extended family that launches projects throughout the world , offering opportunities for people and communi - ties to express their talent . Starting in 2011 , ABF raised more than 40 million euros and funded the building of nine schools in Italy and in Haiti , giving over 3,500 students access to education . It ensures daily access to drinking water to over 400,000 people and basic health care in five of the most poor and remote communities in Haiti . In addition , the foundation implements and promotes educational programs that use music as a further tool for social inclusion and valorization of talent . On Easter Sunday of 2020 , you per - formed in an empty cathedral in Milan , which was streamed and watched live by tens of millions of people worldwide . Your perfor - By Karen Nimetz manceprovided a message of S O U T H J E R S E Y M A G A Z I N E | V O L U M E 1 8 , I S S U E 8 | S O U T H J E R S E Y M A G A Z I N E . C O M | 2 5

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