Having improved under the guidance of Franco Corelli, Andrea Bocelli initially reached an important level of fame when he won Sanremo Music Festival in 1994. At the same time he started his dazzling classical career, by facing on stage – directed by Lorin Maazel, Seiji Ozawa and Zubin Mehta – the titles of important lyrical repertoires: from Macbeth and Il Trovatore to Madame Butterfly, La Bohème, Tosca up to French masterpieces such as Werther, Carmen, Roméo et Juliette. Among the most recent recordings Manon Lescaut under the baton of Plácido Domingo, Turandot and Aida conducted by Zubin Mehta.
A record holding artist, of concerts in front of huge audiences, he beat all disco records. Numerous recognitions include the star on the Walk of Fame of Hollywood that has been shining since 2010 in his honour.
He has performed for four U.S. presidents, three Popes, the British Royal Family, several Prime Ministers, and at ceremonies for the Olympic Games, Shanghai World Expo and Expo Milan 2015 (accompanied by the Orchestra of the Teatro alla Scala).
In October 2015, Andrea Bocelli’s fifteenth and latest pop album, Cinema, was released in 75 countries. Cinema is dedicated to the movie soundtrack genre and includes 16 timeless pieces that have touched the hearts, and contributed to the memories, of several consecutive generations. Cinema has received a 2017 Grammy nomination for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album.
To celebrate 20 years since the original release of his best-selling album, Romanza, Bocelli worked towards a 20th Anniversary Special Edition of the same which was released worldwide in the autumn of 2016. This special re-mastered edition of Romanza boasts 3 bonus tracks including 2 brand new versions of the wildly popular and highly commended song “Con Te Partirò” (“Time To Say Goodbye”).
Convinced that solidarity is the only intelligent response to inequality, and that therefore, it is not only a surge of the heart and a moral duty, but also an act of intelligence, his name since the 90s has been among those of people involved in important events related to philanthropy and to the support of the disadvantaged.
In 2011 Andrea Bocelli has given birth to the Andrea Bocelli Foundation (ABF) in order to enhance, and not to disperse the richness of relationships, and the bond of trust that he has gained, and gains, with many people, in every part of the world he has been, where he is, inevitably, considered, a point of reference in music but also in ethics.
The Foundation was created to help people in difficulty, due to illness, disability, poverty and social exclusion, by promoting and supporting national and international projects that foster the overcoming of such barriers and help them to realize their full potential.
At the opening of the World Economic Forum 2015 in Davos, Andrea Bocelli was bestowed the Crystal Award, a prestigious recognition of the work he has carried out as an artist, man and philanthropist.