Bio : Andrea Bocelli

Recognized the world over as an icon of the greatest Italian vocal tradition, to date Andrea Bocelli has sold over 90 million records. He perfected his singing under the guidance of his mentor, Franco Corelli, and became widely famous after winning the Sanremo Music Festival in 1994. At the same time, he started his dazzling classical career, performing masterpieces from the opera repertoire on stage – conducted by Lorin Maazel, Seiji Ozawa, and Zubin Mehta.

The record-breaking artist, whose concerts are attended by huge crowds, has broken every record: his countless accolades include a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, which he was honored with in 2010. Throughout his career, Andrea Bocelli has received 6 Grammy Award nominations and 6 Latin Grammy Award nominations. He has performed for four Presidents of the United States of America, three Popes, the British Royal Family, many Prime Ministers and also at the ceremonies of the Olympic Games, the Universal Expo in Shanghai in 2010, at the Universal Expo in Milan in 2015 (together with the Orchestra of the Teatro alla Scala) and at the inauguration of Expo Dubai on September 30, 2021, where he achieved yet another personal success that was broadcast worldwide.

In 2011, he founded the Andrea Bocelli Foundation to enhance the wealth of relationships and the bond of trust that he has been able to establish and maintain wherever he goes around the world, where he is inevitably considered a musical and ethical point of reference.

On Easter Day, April 12, 2020, the Maestro performed at the deserted Duomo of Milan, at the peak of the pandemic. The “Music for Hope” event was conceived as a moment of prayer and hope and is considered one of the largest musical live-stream performances of all time.

In 2023, UMG released three new opera productions (“Lucia di Lammermoor,” “La forza del destino,” and “Otello,” respectively) with the Tuscan tenor in their respective leading roles.

On October 21, 2022, “A Family Christmas” was released, an album featuring the voices of Andrea Bocelli and his children, Matteo and Virginia, together for the first time. As a trio, the Bocelli family performed “The Greatest Gift” from his recent record on November 12 at the Royal Albert Hall in the presence of the British Royal Family for the “Festival of Remembrance” dedicated to the memory of Queen Elizabeth II.

In 2023, the documentary (and docuseries) “The Journey” was released worldwide, following the artist as he traveled on horseback along a stretch of the Via Francigena with his wife, Veronica, from the Basilica of San Pietro – where he received the blessing of the Holy Father – to his hometown, Lajatico.

It was here, in July 2024, after an acclaimed concert in London’s iconic Hyde Park, that Andrea Bocelli celebrated his thirty-year career on the stage of the “Teatro del Silenzio” in front of over forty thousand people, celebrated by fellow artists such as José Carreras, Plácido Domingo, Ed Sheeran, Lang Lang, Laura Pausini, Johnny Depp, Will Smith, Russell Crowe, and many others. The event became a film, distributed in over 50 countries in cinemas and on television and becoming the most significant broadcast special in the classical world ever.

The Italian-American documentary film “Because I Believe” – directed by Cosima Spender – was officially presented during the 49th Toronto International Film Festival (September 2024). It recounts Maestro Bocelli’s story from behind the scenes, with never-before-seen footage, interviews, and clips spanning the length and breadth of his extraordinary artistic career, incorporating both his public and private worlds.

The double CD “Duets” was released on October 25, 2024, and featured a collection of Andrea Bocelli's greatest duets from throughout his career, as well as new exceptional collaborations.

On October 5, 2025, the Maestro made a triumphant return to the stage of the Metropolitan Opera House in New York, headlining a long-sold-out recital marked by repeated standing ovations and entirely devoted to Puccini’s operatic masterpieces.

Just weeks earlier, on September 13, 2025, he was among the principal artists of the “Grace for the World” concert in St. Peter’s Square, Rome, performing before more than one hundred thousand people and tens of millions of television viewers. The event marked the conclusion of the World Meeting on Human Fraternity, conceived to celebrate universal brotherhood and to send a message of peace at the threshold of the 2025 Jubilee.

Maestro Bocelli was honored by the Italian Republic with the title of Grande Ufficiale of the Italian Order of Merit (Grand Officer of the Italian Republic) and was bestowed the title of Ambassador of the Italian Republic of San Marino. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in Opera Singing from the “G. Puccini” Music Conservatory in La Spezia and a Bachelor’s degree in Law from the University of Pisa, Italy. During the Opening Ceremony of the World Economic Forum 2015 in Davos (Switzerland), Andrea was honored with the prestigious Crystal Award, which recognizes the artist, the man, and the philanthropist. In 2016, the University of Macerata bestowed him with an Honorary Degree in Modern Philology. In May 2023, he also received the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Medical Humanities and Sciences from Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia. On November 14, 2023, he was awarded an additional honorary degree in Social Policy and Services Management by the University of Naples Federico II, as the first graduate of the esteemed institution's 800th academic year.

On November 20, 2025, at the Casa Dorada in Buenos Aires, Maestro Bocelli was bestowed with Argentina’s highest honour—the Order of May for Merit, at the rank of Commander, presented by President Javier Milei.