As long as there is peace, I can renounce my voice: Andrea Bocelli

Music will save the world and the war is humanity’s fault, Italian tenor, songwriter, and composer Andrea Bocelli aka “Maestro” told Türkiye Newspaper's correspondents Pırıl Cennet, Kevser Erbay, and journalists in a press conference in Istanbul.

Bocelli will meet music lovers in Istanbul on June 8, 2024, with the organization of BWO Entertainment and CEO Event.

Bocelli, who has achieved success with his album sales, answered questions about the "30th Anniversary Concert" he will perform at Besiktas Tupras Stadium at the meeting held in Feriye Palace.

"Music speaks to the human soul and affects the spirit. I can renounce my voice for the improvement of current conditions worldwide. As long as there is peace, I can renounce my voice. Because wars are idiotic and I see wars as a fault of humanity," Bocelli said and emphasized that music has a unifying power and opens new dialogues between people.

“We believe in the unity of God. Everyone worships for themselves. What we are doing in the world is very painful. While we live our own religious beliefs, we must respect other beliefs,” he added.

Bocelli stated that it was another excitement to give a concert in the stadium.

“The number of audience increases and it is a pleasure to address a large audience. Music has some unknowns. Of course, it is not easy to fully evaluate the acoustics in the stadiums,” Maestro stated.

Bocelli stated that the beauty of his voice was a gift from God, but he made great efforts to protect and improve it.

"I do whatever it takes to be in shape with my voice and music. It is very nice to be in Istanbul. I can't explain it by talking for a short time. This is not a place that can be described briefly. I feel very lucky to be here. There is an energy in me and I feel it in my audience too. When I appear in front of people, I ask myself. 30 years have passed and sometimes I am amazed. Although there are cultural differences in your country, you can combine this with art and music,” he emphasized.

Andrea Bocelli (C-L) attends a press conference, in Istanbul, Türkiye, Nov. 4, 2023. (Photo by Kevser Erbay)

'ART AND MUSIC TO SAVE WORLD'

Veronica Berti Bocelli, the wife of Maestro, talked about the work of the Andrea Bocelli Foundation and said that they use music as a tool to reach people in need of help.

"Andrea always says that art and music will save the world. With our foundation, we are doing charity work around the world. We have been active in the reconstruction of schools. We have emphasized music in the schools we have opened. We invest especially in children because children are our future,” Veronica Berti Bocelli said.

Elena Clemente, Consul General of Italy in Istanbul, stated that she had been listening toBocelli with excitement since she was a little girl that Bocelli represented the magnificent aspects of Italy, and that she was looking forward to the concert.

Andrea Bocelli, who has broken attendance records with his concerts attended by tens of thousands of people in many countries, has also achieved many firsts in his artistic life.

Nominated for the Grammy Award 6 times and the Latin Grammy Award 6 times throughout his career, Bocelli also has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

In 2013 and 2016, Bocelli was the only artist to participate in the prestigious National Prayer Breakfast event attended by United States (US) President Barack Obama and many heads of state from around the world. On December 11, 2017, he was invited to the NASDAQ Stock Exchange in New York and became the initiator of the famous "bell ringing" ritual that started to be traded on stock exchanges around the world.

His album "Si", released in more than 60 countries in 2018, was a historic success, topping the United States and the United Kingdom charts for a long time.

Bocelli was honored by the Republic of Italy with the title of "Grand Knight of the Republic of Italy" and received the title of Ambassador of the Republic of Italy to San Marino.

Source: Newsroom