BESOTTED BY BOCELLI
Posted by
Melodie @ 4:57AM PST
FROM THE PROVIDENCE JOURNAL, November 20, 2003
Vic Fusco is a straight arrow, a 54-year-old who runs the family oil-delivery business in the Hartford suburbs. But he confesses to one all-consuming, costly vice.
Fusco has just dropped $1,000 to hear Italian singing sensation Andrea Bocelli Sunday at the Dunkin' Donuts Center -- that's a $500 ticket for him and another for a woman whom he had not met, but who runs a Bocelli Web site.
Actually, top-priced tickets are a mere $275. But for an extra $225, Fusco and the Web site proprietor, Melodie Collins, get to attend a "meet-and-greet" session after the show. To sit in the front row and meet the singer, the price tag is $1,000 per seat.
"I'm a little nutty," said Fusco, who'd been out working the garage at Fusco Bros. in Windsor, Conn., when reached on the phone. Sunday's concert at The Dunk will be Fusco's fourth time hearing Bocelli in the flesh.
"If he weren't going to be local [meaning Providence], I'd go anywhere to hear him,'' he said.
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BOCELLI PERFORMANCE A STUNNING SUCCESS
Posted by
Melodie @ 8:52AM PST
Raising almost $700,000 to benefit the Vision of Children Foundation,
International classical recording superstar Andrea Bocelli gave a sold-out performance at the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego in La Jolla�s Sherwood Auditorium on November 11 to benefit the Vision of Children Foundation. Singing to a packed house, the highly acclaimed tenor was joined onstage by soprano Ana Maria Martinez for several arias.
Mr. Bocelli agreed to stop in San Diego - his only date in the Los Angeles, Orange County or San Diego County areas - solely for this event. Thanks to the opera star�s amazing generosity with his talent, and overwhelming support from Vision of Children supporters, the Foundation was able to raise almost $700,000, over 92 per cent of which will go directly into research.
Since its inception in 1991, the Foundation has been able to fund over thirty researchers, identify the gene that causes genetic vision disorders, clone it, and work to find a cure for childhood genetic blindness and vision disorders.
After the performance, guests sipped champagne and tasted an array of fabulous desserts. Sam and Vivian Hardage were privileged to welcome Andrea Bocelli to the stage, where the singer spoke eloquently of his support for The Vision of Children Foundation. Truly, An Evening With Andrea Bocelli was a night none of the guests will ever forget.
http://www.visionofchildren.org/
BOCELLI FILLS NEW ARENA WITH VERSATILE VOICE
Posted by
Melodie @ 11:33AM PST
Save Mart Center faces daunting task of amplifying classical sounds of opera.
By George Warren
Special to the Fresno Bee
Smooth, rich and streaming with emotion,the voice of Andrea Bocelli filled the new Save Mart Center on Friday in a concert that featured a variety of music from baroque to a song by Bocelli himself.
The renowned tenor was joined by soprano Ana Maria Martinez and the Fresno Philharmonic Orchestra.
An excited buzz rang through the arena as the lights dimmed and conductor Steven Mercurio took the stage. He led "The Star-Spangled Banner" and then lit into Berlioz's Overture from "Benvenuto Cellini." This work served many purposes, and it was fascinating to watch.
Mercurio exited the stage briefly and returned leading Bocelli to the front of the stage. The full house received him with a great ovation; Bocelli is a man whose voice is loved all over the world.
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