MILAN (CelebrityAccess) – Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli will perform at the historic Duomo cathedral in Milan, Italy, on Easter Sunday.
The performance, which is being called ‘Music For Home,’ will stream worldwide exclusively on Bocelli’s Youtube channel beginning at 6pm UK time, 10am PST, and 1PM EST Sunday, April 12, 2020. There will be no audience present, and strictly no access for the public in compliance with government regulations on COVID-19.
Bocelli, who will be accompanied only by the cathedral organist, Emanuele Vianelli, playing one of the world’s largest pipe organs, will perform “carefully selected pieces, specially arranged for solo voice and organ for the occasion,” including a version of “Ave Maria” by Bach/Gounod and Mascagni’s “Sancta Maria.”
“On the day in which we celebrate the trust in a life that triumphs, I’m honored and happy to answer ‘Sì’ to the invitation of the City and the Duomo of Milan,” said Bocelli in a statement. “I believe in the strength of praying together; I believe in the Christian Easter, a universal symbol of rebirth that everyone – whether they are believers or not – truly needs right now. Thanks to music, streamed live, bringing together millions of clasped hands everywhere in the world, we will hug this wounded Earth’s pulsing heart, this wonderful international forge that is reason for Italian pride. The generous, courageous, proactive Milan and the whole of Italy will be again, and very soon, a winning model, engine of a renaissance that we all hope for. It will be a joy to witness it, in the Duomo, during the Easter celebration which evokes the mystery of birth and rebirth.”
“I am happy Andrea has accepted our invitation,” added the Mayor of Milan, Giuseppe Sala. “This year, Easter will be very different for all of us. The joyous serenity that usually comes with this day, has been greatly troubled by the pandemic we are experiencing. I am sure that the extraordinary voice of Bocelli will be the embrace we are missing these days, a strong, special hug, capable of warming the heart of Milan, Italy and the world.”
The Andrea Bocelli Foundation (ABF) has started a fundraiser to help hospitals purchase all the instrumentation and equipment necessary to protect their medical staff during the COVID-19 pandemic. To donate, visit the foundation’s GoFundMe page HERE or email development@andreabocellifoundation.org.
