Andrea Bocelli Will Give Solo Performance at Cathedral of Milan To Be Streamed Live on Easter
Easter marks a time of joy and celebration after a dark season. Easter Sunday is a staple in many families, but this year, it will be looking very different.
No grand choir performances, no big Easter meal, no multi-family Easter egg hunts for the kids: No, this year most of the celebrating won’t be done in churches and will be limited to immediate family units.
With that in mind, famed singer Andrea Bocelli is offering a taste of that joy that we might otherwise miss out on by live-streaming an intimate concert featuring himself and organist Emanuele Vianelli in the Duomo di Milan.
“On Easter Sunday (April 12, 2020 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,” his Facebook page shared on Tuesday.
“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.
“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,” he continued.
“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.”
Monsignor Gianantonio Borgonovo, archpriest of the Duomo di Milan, spoke of how this performance would be a balm of healing and encouragement to everyone who listens.
“Our ‘Hallelujah’ is an invitation that we placed in the ark forty days ago and that the flood, which has overwhelmed us all, almost made us forget the joy of expressing it on the day of Easter,” he said.
“The voice and word of Andrea Bocelli reminds us that the reason for our hope does not come from us but it is a gift that comes from God.”
“This is what it means to promote, from our Duomo – the home of the people of Milan – and through the voice of Bocelli, the confidence that the Spirit of the Risen Crucifix will help us shape the days granted to us in the Kingdom of the One who wanted a new humanity, united and fraternal.”
Giuseppe Sala, Mayor of Milan, echoed Borgonovo’s sentiments.
“I am happy Andrea has accepted our invitation,” he said. “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.”
If you would like to take part in this celebration, you can do so from the comfort of your own home and watch it live at 10 a.m. PST, 1 p.m. EST, 6 p.m. in the UK, and 7 p.m. CET on Bocelli’s YouTube channel.
Truth and Accuracy
We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.
