2009 Andrea Bocelli

From a small vineyard in Lajatico, a Tuscan village in Italy, a boy singing opera could be heard often during Andrea Bocelli's childhood. Born in 1958, opera has been his lifelong passion. He dreamed of being a great tenor in his country's tradition and had piano lessons at six, played the church organ shortly thereafter, learned flute and saxophone, and always, sang opera. At age 12, he won the first of many singing competitions. That same year he became completely blind when a soccer accident accelerated an already slow loss of eyesight from congenital glaucoma. His infirmity never slowed his will to succeed.

Practicality eventually eclipsed dreams, and Andrea studied law in Pisa. To earn tuition, he sang in bars. After becoming a public defender, he continued his bar gigs for sheer joy. When his idol, the tenor Franco Corelli, held a master class, Andrea enrolled. He continued private lessons with the great one and quit lawyering to devote all his time to singing.

In 1992, Italian rocker Zucchero needed a demo to convince Luciano Pavarotti to perform with him on a song he co-wrote with U2's Bono. Zucchero held auditions for a tenor, choosing Andrea. When Pavarotti heard the demo, he said (famously) 'Who's this fellow? You don't need me!' Although Pavarotti did make the recording, neither star forgot the young tenor. Zucchero invited him on tour to sing the Pavarotti part in the duet, and Pavarotti himself invited Andrea to sing at a concert he hosted.

Andrea Bocelli, International Star, was born, and accolades were showered upon him as his star rose. He was 1994's Best New Artist at the prestigious San Remo Classical Festival, and his first album, IL MARE CELMO DELLA SERA, went platinum. In 1996, his duet with Sarah Brightman, 'Time To Say Goodbye' won an Echo Award, Best Single of the Year. At 1998's World Music Awards, he won Best Italian Singer and Best Classical Interpreter. His duet 'The Prayer' with Celine Dion was Oscar-nominated and won a Golden Globe in 1999, while he received a Grammy nomination as Best New Artist. That same year, his album ARIA won an Echo for Classical Album of the Year, and his album SACRED ARIAS became Billboard's #1 classical within weeks of its release (ARIA was #2 and his older album, BIAGGIA ITALIANO, #3). In 2000, he received two Grammy nominations, and his CIELI DI TOCANI became the best-selling classical album in the world. At the 2002 World Music awards, he won as Best Classical Artist.

His concerts sell out tickets throughout the world. That thrilling voice with crossover appeal - opera to pop and back - has gained new fans for opera. He has won over most serious opera critics with purity of voice, though they were skeptical that a bar singer with popular recordings was truly great. A joyous man, Andrea Bocelli is married and the father of two sons, living in an old farmhouse in his home village. He is, deservedly, one of the most beloved performers of our time.