Andrea Bocelli Performs Live Easter Concert from Italy's Empty Duomo Cathedral
Andrea Bocelli is making sure everyone’s Easter is music-filled despite the fact that many church-goers across the globe will be unable to attend services in-person due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
The Italian opera star will perform a solo concert, Andrea Bocelli: Music for Hope, this Easter Sunday from the Duomo cathedral in Milan, Italy, and it will be live-streamed on his YouTube channel. Since the Duomo in Milan has been closed amid the outbreak, Bocelli, 61, and cathedral organist Emanuele Vianelli will perform songs like “Ave Maria” and “Sancta Maria” to an empty venue.
“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,” Bocelli said in a statement Tuesday. “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,” he continued. “It will be a joy to witness it, in the Duomo, during the Easter celebration which evokes the mystery of birth and rebirth.”
Bocelli also posted a statement about the performance to his Twitter page on Tuesday which read, “On Easter Sunday at 6PM UK, by invitation of the City and of the Duomo Cathedral of Milan, Italian global music icon Andrea Bocelli will give a solo performance representing a message of love, healing and hope to Italy and the world.”
On Easter Sunday at 6PM UK, by invitation of the City and of the Duomo Cathedral of Milan, Italian global music icon Andrea Bocelli will give a solo performance representing a message of love, healing and hope to Italy and the world.
set your reminder: https://t.co/bAZZGFpKKF pic.twitter.com/v1PgZ0wPZE— Andrea Bocelli (@AndreaBocelli) April 7, 2020
Giuseppe Sala, Milan’s mayor, said in a statement that he’s “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.”
In addition to Sunday’s concert, Bocelli will perform on April 18 for Global Citizen and the World Health Organization’s virtual concert, One World: Together at Home. The special will raise money through the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund to support local and regional charities providing food, shelter and healthcare to those in need amid the ongoing health crisis.
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Through his Andrea Bocelli Foundation, Bocelli has also started an emergency GoFundMe campaign to purchase medical equipment such as respirators and monitors to send to a hospital in Camerino, Italy. So far, they’ve been able to donate four respirators and have reached $133,715 of their $150,000 goal as of publishing time.
Andrea Bocelli: Music for Hope will be live-streamed on Sunday at 1 p.m. EST on YouTube.
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