Renowned Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli says he is looking forward to bringing his voice, and his orchestra, to the Cayman Islands this weekend when he performs here for the first time.
As of Monday, tickets for the fundraising concert at Pedro St James set for Saturday, 25 Feb., which were selling for up to $2,500, are 80% sold out, according to organisers.
In a statement issued this week, Bocelli said, “There are few places in the world I have not yet sung. After over a quarter of a century of concert career, it is a great honor and thrill to be able to share my singing passion for the first time on the territory of the Cayman Islands.”
He added, “It will be a very special debut due to fact of the philanthropic nature of the event, and how particularly happy I am to be able to make my contribution to the LRN Charitable Company Ltd. This is an extraordinary pursuit of early diagnosis and the fight against cancer.”
Funds raised at the concert will go to the LRN Charitable Company Ltd., which was founded by Dr. Ronald Nutt and his wife Lynda Nutt, with the aim to help develop new cancer-detecting technology.
Lynda Nutt said they chose Pedro St James as the backdrop to the concert “because we are proud to call Cayman our home”.
“We wanted to dedicate this performance to the love we feel for these islands,” she said.
Local musicians, including four string musicians and one flutist, will be playing with Bocelli and his orchestra, she said, with the flutist performing a duet with the tenor as well.
‘The power of art and prayer’
In his statement, Bocelli said, “I believe in the potential and empowerment of humanity, and in the extraordinary force generated when we come together combining energies, hope, and constant commitment. I believe in the power of art and prayer, in the extraordinary and beneficial positive energy, along with the hope that is able to unleash.
“It will be a privilege to be able to sing together with native artists of the Caymans, in the
splendor of a place whose beauty stimulates in it, an attitude of wonder in front of creation and its Creator.”
Ronald Nutt co-invented and co-developed the PET-CT scan, which is widely used in the medical field to help diagnose cancer. He is now working on developing a more advanced technology for detecting cancers, known as ‘Time Resolved, Positron Emission Tomography, or TPET, and holds two patents for it.
The LRN Charitable Company Ltd. was founded for the purpose of “continuing the global
advancements in the battle against cancer by improving early detection technologies
through their new initiatives”, Lynda Nutt said in a statement.
Cancer-screening tool
“We believe this new technology will qualify as a screening tool for most cancers occurring in the human body,” she said. “When the goals of very low radiation dose requirements and lower cost of scanning are met, TPET scanning will be similar to that of breast cancer screening and can be made more available to everyone. The funds raised from this performance will help support our efforts.”
She added, “This unique evening is all about a great cause and a great performance. Andrea Bocelli united the world with his emotionally charged Music for Hope with his performance from Duomo Cathedral in Milan, Italy. We now look forward to his performance of hope here in Cayman to make a difference in the lives of the millions of people who are affected by cancer.
“We are enthused that this pivotal change will begin right here in Grand Cayman. We want to share a message of hope with our community. With the grace and love of God, may we all be united while we celebrate this great evening together.”
Bocelli performed his Music for Hope concert in the empty Duomo Cathedral in April 2020. More than 3 million in COVID lockdown around the world watched that concert live on his Youtube channel. By this week, more than 43.7 million people had watched the video.
Born visually impaired, Bocelli became completely blind at the age of 12 as a result of a football accident. As well as being an acclaimed tenor, Bocelli also plays several instruments, including piano, flute and saxophone.
He rose to fame in 1994, when he won the newcomer’s section of the Sanremo Music Festival in his native Italy.
Since then, he has made more than 20 studio or live concert albums of both pop and classical music, and has sold more than 80 million worldwide.
Related Videos
