Favorire l’emersione dei talenti è la finalità del coro ‘ABF Voices of Italy – Napoli’, un progetto attraverso il quale l’Andrea Bocelli Foundation – Ente Filantropico, intende concretizzare un’opportunità educativa di alta qualità, valorizzando le risorse del territorio per realizzare un nuovo
spazio educativo, vocazionale, aperto ed inclusivo.

Attraverso la possibilità di sperimentare e coltivare le proprie attitudini grazie alla musica e al canto, e grazie al team multidisciplinare formato da educatori, psicologi e musicisti locali – formati e coordinati a livello internazionale da ABF, il progetto vuole così restituire la “voce” a bambine e bambini, ragazze e ragazzi, ma anche rappresentare una concreta possibilità di crescita professionale per i giovani del territorio. Il progetto si fonda su programma formativo integrato che vede la pratica vocale inserita all’interno di una più ampia cornice educativa, finalizzata all’acquisizione, lo sviluppo ed il consolidamento di competenze socio-emotive e trasversali.

Il coro stabilisce la sua sede presso “Cristallini 73” a Rione Sanità, spazio “messo a disposizione dal partner di progetto locale Fondazione di Comunità San Gennaro, ed è composto da 42 coristi di età compresa tra i 6 e 16 anni, provenienti da famiglie che vivono nel territorio.

La Fondazione San Gennaro- afferma il Presidente Pasquale Calemme- a nome della comunità locale, delle organizzazioni e delle famiglie del territorio, esprime una profonda gratitudine e una gioia grande per l’inizio di questo nuova esperienza. La scelta e l’impegno di ABF qui nel Rione Sanità rafforza il cammino di una comunità che ha puntato ad uno sviluppo centrato sulla forza trasformativa della cultura, sull’empowerment educativo e la tessitura di legami ispirati dalla fiducia e dall’apertura accogliente.

In coerenza con la mission ABF Empowering people and community, il progetto “ABF Voices of Italy– Napoli” fa parte del programma strategico di più ampio respiro “ABF Voices of” (abfvoicesof.org) ideato da ABF al fine di promuovere occasioni di empowerment attraverso la creazione di cori in Paesi e situazioni di svantaggio sociale, economico, culturale. ABF lavora per introdurre la musica come linguaggio innovativo per permettere ai giovani di crescere in armonia e di avere occasioni di esibirsi e di avvicinarsi al mondo dell’arte e della cultura.

Presenti all’incontro il Presidente Andrea Bocelli Foundation Stefano Aversa, il Direttore Generale ABF Laura Biancalani, il Presidente Fondazione di Comunità San Gennaro Pasquale Calemme, il fondatore ABF Andrea Bocelli con la sua famgilia, i rappresentanti della rete educativa e del Terzo Settore del territorio e le famiglie). La collaborazione con Fondazione San Gennaro e il progetto “ABF Voices of” in un contesto come Rione Sanità offrono l’occasione per lavorare allo stesso tempo sul potenziamento delle competenze dei bambini attraverso la musica, dei giovani del team locale attraverso la formazione e l’internazionalizzazione, e della comunità attraverso la riqualificazione degli spazi di Cristallini 73.

At 11:45am ET, Maestro Bocelli will be accompanied by his family members and the Foundation’s leadership to flip the ceremonial “switch” of the Empire State Building’s famed Tower Lights, which will flood the city’s skyline in blue and white that evening. They will then make their way to the renowned open deck Observatory on the 86th floor, to admire the festive views of Manhattan and beyond, marking a truly special and symbolic moment in ABF’s journey.

With a focus on children and youth, the “ABF Voices of” program was developed by the Foundation to unlock the potential of participants through the creation of regional choruses in disadvantaged areas. The program is a natural extension of the Foundation’s tireless work to expand its mission of “empowering people and communities” and introducing music as an innovative language and tool to promote inclusion. One that is in line with the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda Goal #4.7 and underscores the world’s cultural diversity and richness, ultimately preparing children and youth to become true Global Citizens.

Maestro Bocelli, ABF Founder, stated “I believe that music and art have the power to change lives. It’s what fuels us so that we may live fully, with passion and drive. It is especially essential in situations of poverty or catastrophe, when nurturing talent can often be relegated to the sidelines. Singing all together, in a group, means learning to exist side by side, in harmony, unlocking crucial tools for a peaceful coexistence, while at the same time underlying the fundamental importance of each and everyone’s role in a community and beyond, empowering our sense of worth.”

“ABF Voices of” is the evolution of the “Voices of Haiti” pilot launched in 2016. The pilot’s success resulted in performances in some of the most awe-inspiring settings including the United Nations General Assembly (2016) and the Vatican during an audience with His Holiness Pope Francis (2017). Subsequently, the global “ABF Voices of” program was announced at the UNESCO General Assembly in 2018, with a chorus of Italian and Ukrainian children titled “ABF Voices of Peace – Italy” launched in 2022, and “ABF Voices of Jerusalem” being planned to launch in 2023.

On the occasion of the Empire State Building lighting, ABF will also unveil its first White Paper titled “A unique approach to empowerment: key learnings from ABF educational projects,” which charts the work undertaken by the Foundation since its inception to elevate approaches to education both in Italy and beyond through a number of strategic projects.

Veronica Berti Bocelli, ABF Vice Chair concluded: “We are delighted to be in New York at the world’s most famous office building to celebrate the incredible achievements of our choristers from Haiti, Italy and Ukraine. It has been a privilege to see our ‘ABF Voices of’ project grow from an innovative pilot back in 2016 into such a success story, evolving into a global educational model seeking to empower people and communities in need. I am very excited by our next chapter, ‘ABF Voices of Jerusalem,’ which will commence in early 2023.”

Rounding up ABF’s 2023 activities, ABF celebrates the holiday season with a short film featuring a special participation of Maestro Andrea Bocelli, his family and a group of children from the ABF projects, including “ABF Voices of” choristers. The special performance is available here (link).

AMSTERDAM, 5 September 2022 – Catawiki, the leading online marketplace to buy and sell special objects, and the Andrea Bocelli Foundation (ABF) announce a strategic partnership with the objective to raise funds for “ABF Voices of”, an acclaimed project focused on empowering youth through their participation in life-changing choruses.

Between 5th to 18th September, Catawiki will offer a unique online global charity auction (link) featuring unique experiences and items tied to Andrea Bocelli’s personal life and career, and the exceptional opportunity to experience first-hand some of his strongest passions such as music, chess, and art. Items in auction also come from Maestro’s family and friends, such as singers Matteo Bocelli and Giovanni Caccamo, as well as ABF itself which, since 2011, has been dedicated to empowering people and communities both in Italy and abroad. 100% of the funds raised will finance the “ABF Voices of“ project, an ongoing creation of innovative choruses in socially, economically, and culturally disadvantaged countries and circumstances. A key date around the initiative is the world-famous tenor’s concert in Marostica (Italy) on 14th September; an event themed to the town’s famed biannual live-action reenactment of a chess game once played in the Renaissance by two men “battling” for the hand of a local noblewoman.

Maestro Bocelli, ABF Founder, stated, “The power of music education, along with the support system of a community, has the potential to radically and positively impact lives. Having experienced the immense value the ‘ABF Voices of’ project has had on the almost 100 children who have participated in this project to-date is remarkable, and gives me hope that – through projects like this – future generations will continue to foster a message of hope and peace in the face of adversity.”

Collectors and enthusiasts can bid on a number of one-off items at a varied range of price points, ensuring support of the “ABF Voices of” project is accessible to all. Some of the key highlights include:

• Engage the Maestro in a chess match, experiencing one of his favourite passions as an avid player, and in line with the Marostica concert theme.
• Own a piece of art from the Bocelli foundation’s history – a Fer Forgè art piece, which was handcrafted in the Haitian region where the ‘’Voices of’’ Haiti pilot project began.
• Once in a lifetime opportunity to be taken into the heart of Bocelli’s cultivated world with a unique experience for two people beginning with the Maestro’s 2023 Teatro del Silenzio concert in his hometown of Lajatico, Italy, where the “ABF Voices of Peace – Italy” chorus made its debut this year. Attendance to the concert will be followed by meet and greets with the Maestro and an ABF fundraiser dinner at Bocelli’s home in the heart of Tuscany.
• Other objects include autographed memorabilia from the Maestro and his son, singer Matteo Bocelli, tickets to one of Giovanni Caccamo’s upcoming concerts, and much more.

“Since its founding, Catawiki has been committed to using its global marketplace to host charity auctions that feature special objects and support projects that generate concrete social impact,” said Ravi Vora, CEO at Catawiki. “We are thrilled to work alongside the esteemed Andrea Bocelli Foundation and offer our millions of passionate users the opportunity to access unique items and exclusive experiences related to the world of Andrea Bocelli, at the same time empowering people and communities around the world.” he concluded.

Lajatico, Italy (July 29^th, 2022) – The Andrea Bocelli Foundation (ABF) has launched the “Voices of Peace – Italy” project, a choir made up of Italian and Ukrainian children from challenging backgrounds with the objective to accompany them on a journey of empowerment that will lead to the expression of their full potential. This unique project was created following ABF’s efforts to host refugees families fleeing the Ukraine-Russia conflict. Arriving to the Le Marche region of Italy in March 2022, families are receiving accommodations, psychological and cultural integration assistance led by a team of interdisciplinary experts on-the-ground. ABF has strong ties to Le Marche as it has built three award-winning schools and innovative education programs in the region following the 2016 earthquake in collaboration with public authorities and the support of donors from around the globe (Sarnano 2018, Muccia 2019, Camerino 2020). ABF is in fact still very active in the region with innovative programming within its schools as well as the development of a fourth project, a vocational center in San Ginesio, expected to be completed in 2023. It is within this context that the “Voices of Peace – Italy” was born.  

The new choir is made up of 37 children aged between 6 and 18 taking lessons at the ABF “E. De Amicis” school in Muccia and the ABF “F. Corelli” Music Academy in Camerino. Following two months of intensive training program, the choristers have been able to develop their talents thanks to highly specialized training, while benefiting from a wealth of educational, cultural, and real-life opportunities. Indeed, the ultimate objective is to strengthen the students’ real-world skills, stimulate their creativity and offer them more choices to succeed in life. But even more so, to allow them to become flag bearers of a universal message of peace. Last night, the choir had their global debut with a special performance as part of the grand finale of Maestro Bocelli’s annual Teatro del Silenzio concert in his hometown of Lajatico in the heart of Tuscany, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for children who have been to-date faced with challenging situations.

Maestro Bocelli, ABF Founder, stated, “I am convinced that education – music and beyond – contribute to the only type of revolution one could hope for: the one within one’s self.” He added, “Educating talent, particularly in complex contexts where emergencies shift efforts elsewhere, is a courageous and essential challenge. One that can be considered critical since the art of singing together leads to acquiring and putting into action fundamental values for a peaceful coexistence, as well as the importance of the self’s role within a broader community.”

The “Voices of Peace – Italy” project is part of the strategic “ABF Voices of” program developed by the Foundation to promote opportunities for empowerment through the creation of choirs in socially, economically, and culturally disadvantaged countries and situations. Indeed, ABF works daily to introduce music as an innovative language to enable students to grow in harmony and have the opportunity to perform and approach the world of art and culture. This project is the evolution of the “ABF Voices of Haiti” pilot launched in 2016 and which led to performances in some of the most awe-inspiring settings such as the United Nations General Assembly (2016) and at the Vatican during an audience with His Holiness Pope Francis (2017).

The global “ABF Voices of” program was announced at the UNESCO General Assembly in 2018, and its next project – launching in late 2022, will be focused on empowering youth in Palestine.

Veronica Berti Bocelli, ABF Vice Chair, concluded, “We are proud to build on successes from our Voices of Haiti pilot for the creation of the ‘Voices of’ program. Starting with this noble and innovative initiative in Italy, we look forward to seeing how the development various projects around the world – including Palestine later this year – will help empower people and communities in need.”

Per sostenere i giovani talenti di “ABF Voices of”:

“Music is lifelong friend. It is a universal language that has the power and the ability to affect awareness and help make us better”. These are the words of our founder. And that is why we are celebrating the start of a global project: “ABF Voices of”, which was conceived and developed out of a belief in the extraordinary educational potential of the study and practice of music (through the closest instrument that we can use: our voices). This holds even truer for those people who have grown up in destitution and difficult places and thus starved of beauty, who have a great desire to learn. (the Andrea Bocelli Foundation and UNESCO signed a memorandum of understanding at the same time, with the aim of collaborating on music education projects as empowerment tools, which will be announced in the coming months, starting with Mali. The initiatives will be based on UNESCO’s experience in leading education projects to provide psychological and social support to countries affected by disasters and conflicts, in line with the Seoul Agenda on arts education.Furthermore, an important partnership with the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Culture has been signed to develop the project in vulnerable places in the Middle East.)

“ABF Voices of” will be launched in 2020 and over the next few years it will be developed in priority regions, which will potentially include Palestine, Syria and Iraq – thanks to the agreement with the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Culture to develop the project in vulnerable places in the Middle East – as well as in Haiti where it is already well-known that we are present and active. The pathway for the communities and students involved in the new launches will actually reflect the experiences of the Haiti pilot project, with the general goals of helping students to cultivate their talent, improve their team building skills, develop leadership skills and provide them with the tools required to help empower their communities.

The “ABF Voices of” program was created in 2014 out of the work of a multidisciplinary team that designed an innovative methodology for social inclusion and personal expression through music education. And it was right in Haiti, in January 2016, that the Foundation launched the Voices of Haiti pilot project by introducing music education in 30 schools supported by our local partner, the Fondation St. Luc (including 5 ABF-Fondation St. Luc schools). From the pool of 12,000 students enrolled in the schools, ABF went on to select 60 of the most talented boys and girls to form the first “Voices of Haiti” choir. And the result was a multi-year educational project for 60 students (aged between 9 and 15 years old) which provided the tools required to stimulate their creativity and personal growth. The choir, which is still active today, involves activities that include weekly half-day seminars consisting of lessons, auditions, music therapy, recreational activities and even meals. The result: performances in some of the most majestic settings in the world, such as the General Assembly of the United Nations in 2016, and at the Vatican, in 2017, during an audience with His Holiness Pope Francis. (Meanwhile, in Italy ABF has worked to introduce best practices in music education as part of the official curriculum for schools built by the Foundation after the earthquake that struck central Italy in 2016: Sarnano 2018, Muccia 2019, Camerino 2020. More recently, in November 2019, the “Alessandro Bocelli” Zerosei Center in Lajatico, Tuscany, the hometown of Maestro Bocelli, adopted the same methodology. )

As with all ABF’s educational projects,”ABF Voices of” is strategically aligned with the 17 Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations, especially goal no. 4: Quality education. More specifically, the program aims to support goal 4.7, which highlights the importance of providing learning tools that promote inclusion, as well as highlight diversity and cultural richness throughout the world, thereby preparing children and young people to become global citizens.

The personal transformation we have witnessed in recent years in the children and their communities has exceeded our expectations and has prompted ABF to increasingly invest in this strategic approach. It is our well-founded hope that thanks to the force and power of music education,”ABF Voices of” will become an integral part in the lives of children and young people living in difficult conditions. Thanks to this new program, we hope to extend an opportunity for personal growth worldwide through the powerful tool of music, thus promoting self-discovery and full self-expression.

Laura Biancalani

Paris, France / Florence, Italy (November 13th, 2019) – Today, the Andrea Bocelli Foundation (ABF) has launched “ABF Voices of”, an ambitious program that aims to scale up psychosocial support for disadvantaged children and youth in vulnerable regions. Through the creation of regional choruses and other educational activities, ABF seeks to empower participants and their communities through the tool of music by reinforcing skills, stimulating creativity, fostering collaboration, and offering more opportunities to succeed in life. As with all Andrea Bocelli Foundation education programs, the endeavor is strategically aligned with the United Nation’s 2030 Sustainable Development Goal #4 (Quality Education).

The Andrea Bocelli Foundation and UNESCO also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the objective to collaborate on music education projects as a tool for empowerment to be developed and unveiled in the coming months, beginning in Mali. This will build on UNESCO’s experience in conducting projects on education for psychosocial support in countries affected by disasters and conflicts, in line with the Seoul agenda on Arts Education. The importance of arts education for inclusion and social cohesion was the key topic of a panel discussion held at UNESCO Headquarters, “Symphony 2030: creative arts education for inclusion”, in the margin of the UN agency 40th General Conference.

The “ABF Voices of” program has been in development since 2014 through the work of a multidisciplinary team that designed an innovative methodology for social inclusion and personal self-expression through music education.

Maestro Andrea Bocelli, Andrea Bocelli Foundation Founder, stated, “Since 2011, the Andrea Bocelli Foundation has worked tirelessly to empower people and communities in susceptible circumstances to help them overcome barriers and reach the expression of their full potential.” He added, “With “ABF Voices of”, the positive psychosocial effects of music education will provide invaluable opportunities for youth currently living in some of the most complex areas of our time”.

A proven music education methodology

As ABF began developing the “ABF Voices of” program in 2014, the Foundation worked to infuse music education into key projects both in Italy and Haiti.

In Haiti, in January 2016, the foundation established the Voices of Haiti project by introducing music education into 30 schools supported by local partner, Fondation St Luc (these include 5 ABF-Fondation St Luc schools). From a pool of 12,000 students enrolled in these, ABF selected 60 of the most talented boys and girls to form the first “Voices of Haiti” chorus. The result is a multi-year training project for 60 students (aged 9-15 years) which provides the tools necessary to stimulate creativity and personal growth. Still active today, activities include weekly half-day workshops comprised of lessons, rehearsals, music therapy, play time and even meals, all of which has led to performances in some of the most awe-inspiring settings such as the United Nations General Assembly (2016) and at the Vatican during an audience with His Holiness Pope Francis (2017).

On the other hand, in Italy, ABF worked to introduce best practices in music education as a part of the official curriculum for schools constructed by the Foundation following the 2016 Central Italy earthquake (Sarnano 2018, Muccia 2019, Camerino 2020). Most recently, in November 2019, even the Centrozerosei pre-kindergarten school in Maestro Bocelli’s hometown of Lajatico (Tuscany) adopted this very same methodology.

The personal transformation witnessed over the years for children and their immediate communities has exceeded expectations and has driven ABF in the power of this strategic approach.

The “ABF Voices of” Program

ABF’s new “ABF Voices of” program will begin in 2020 and over the course of the coming years will be developed in priority regions that potentially include Palestine, Syria and Iraq. The journey for communities and students involved in the new rollouts will mirror the Haiti pilot project experiences with the overarching objectives to help students cultivate talent, enhance team building capabilities, develop leadership skills and help empower their communities.

Laura Biancalani, Andrea Bocelli Foundation President, remarks, “We hope that with the power of music education, “ABF Voices of” will become an integral part of the lives of children and youth living in challenging conditions. With this new program, we hope to extend a world-class personal growth opportunity through the powerful tool of music, all helping to promote the discovery and full expression of the self.”

“ABF Voices of” is strategically aligned with the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals, particularly Goal #4: Quality Education. More specifically, the program seeks to support the Goal’s target 4.7, which stresses the importance of offering learning tools that promote inclusion and underscore the world’s cultural diversity and richness, thus preparing children and youth to become Global Citizens.

About the Andrea Bocelli Foundation

The Andrea Bocelli Foundation (ABF) was established in July 2011 by Maestro Andrea Bocelli and his family to “give back” after being inspired by the affection and positivity received from fans and partners around the world. ABF has since grown into an independent non-profit led by world-class professionals that oversee the strategic development of projects in Italy and abroad.

The Foundation’s core mission is to empower people and communities in situations of poverty, illiteracy, distress due to illness and social exclusion by promoting and supporting national and international projects that promote the overcoming of these barriers and the expression of their full potential.

Since 2011, ABF has raised over 30 million Euros in fundraising efforts resulting in key initiatives such as the construction of 8 schools in Italy and Haiti that offer daily access to a world-class education to over 3,000 students. Additionally, ABF has created projects that guarantee the welfare assistance for almost 409,000 people through various initiatives including providing access to clean water and HIV treatment.

Come the fall, the Graduation Day ceremony

It was in September 2016 when the first New York trip marked the official international debut of “Voices of Haiti”. Fully in keeping with the foundation’s mission, the creation of a children’s choir was the result of a brave and exciting gamble. A project – created together with our local partner, the Fondation St. Luc – that, right from the very beginning, was conceived as a stable and structured teaching aid, able to offer Haitian children and youngsters from underprivileged backgrounds an opportunity to develop their talent through highly specialized training, while benefiting from a wealth of opportunities that are potentially valuable for their futures.

Made up of 60 children and young people aged 9 to 15 years, selected from thousands of Haitian students (who, nevertheless, have access to music education thanks to ABF), the choir has developed through strict weekly training that is based on international professional standards. “Voices of Haiti” has regularly performed in Haiti and abroad, in the United States as well as in Europe, on extremely prestigious stages. During every tour a few important initiatives are planned – which are an integral part of the project – with the aim of making the educational experience as broad as possible, and these also include gaining a deep understanding of the culture, customs and traditions of their host countries.

In 2018, the choir’s training cycle achieved a noteworthy educational milestone, to the extent that our little singers were able to take part in the recording of two songs from the album “Sì”, also performing in the two events held in New York in December, in front of 20,000 spectators in “Madison Square Garden”.

The first school cycle is coming to a close in these weeks of early summer. We have followed the artistic training of our little choristers closely, we have seen them be amazed, moved, develop a passion, make sacrifices, grow and mature, while becoming increasingly aware of their potential. And we also confess that for us, the ABF team, it is not at all easy, from an emotional point of view, to accept that the first members of the choir have reached the end of their training, even though it is right that they do so, due to physiological reasons concerning their changing voices.

15 million in funds disbursed and 19 empowerment projects created: these are the figures that testify to ABF’s presence in Haiti. This is a place where, with a combination of head and heart, with determination and affection, the foundation has experimented, created and refined a veritable philanthropic method that has proven to be successful (and therefore replicable in other areas that are just as in need).

After five years of activity, of projects and results achieved in partnership with the local team Fondation St. Luc, from access to education to health care, commodities and prevention, we are celebrating the completion of the first school cycle concerning the choral training of “Voices of Haiti”.

While we await the graduation ceremony, and to celebrate our young singers who have shared the stage with Andrea Bocelli so many times, it is the simple and enlightening words of our founder which we would like to remind you of here, once again: “Education is the seed of a journey of knowledge, of skill, of awareness, that can transform you and consequently the community that you belong to. Education helps to bring about the only great revolution that is possible and desirable, the inner one”.

The Christmas spent by the “Voices of Haiti in New York was a special one. A year after their last trip outside their country, a year in which they have continued to work hard and with discipline every Saturday, sharing their new goals and little exciting results, the young choristers have grabbed their backpacks and flown to New York.

This new experience is in addition to their joyful participation in the new CD, “Sì”, from ABF founder, Maestro Bocelli, which was released on October 26 and which includes the “Voices of Haiti” as guests on two songs. This was a participation that came from the desire of Maestro Bocelli and ABF to give a voice and opportunities to these young singers as a full expression of the Mission of the Foundation: Empowering people and communities.

The young Haitians’ schedule in New York saw them busy for a week with rehearsals and performances, including Maestro Bocelli’s two concerts in Madison Square Garden in front of a warm audience that welcomed and supported the show with thunderous applause and palpable emotion.

The trip was also a chance for the young choristers to take part in a few meetings with friends and supporters of ABF, to whom they will bring their experiences and vitality. Furthermore, a series of interdisciplinary initiatives were organized with the aim of offering them a broad educational experience – on every trip – which includes gaining a deep understanding of the culture, customs and traditions of the country that is hosting the performances.

The presence of the Caribbean children’s choir alongside Master Bocelli once again aims to draw international attention to Haiti and celebrate the strength of its colors and its people as part of a message of universal value, that of music.

And the presence of the “Voices of Haiti” choir alongside Master Bocelli it has been possible thanks to many friends and donors as Sabrina and Mike Ferry and their network, Gelb production, Intimissimi, Falconeri, Moncler, Sarabanda, Everlast, Gianna Meliani, Renzo and Arianna Rosso, Only the Brave Foundation, Abraham Kadar, Ribalta Restaurant, MSC Cruises, Avion Group, Sugar Music, Sultana Distribution, DHL , Carrie and Aron Rubinstein, Sing for Hope and Monica Yunus, Stefano Marinari and Luca Rossetti, Run Multimedia, Massimo Nebuloni and Alex Monti, Sara Formicola, Andrea Bocelli Team ( Luca Scota, Paolo Marchetti, Ivano Berti, Andrea Taglia, Francesco La Camera, John Gibbon), Studio Legale LCA, Rhona Samuels, Olimpia Hildago. Thanks to the ABF e Fondation St Luc teams, and to Maestros Eugene Kohn, Malcolm Merriweather, Wenson Delice.

“Voices of Haiti”, conducted by Maestro Malcolm J. Merriweather, already have a few important international performances behind them, from the United Nations to the Teatro del Silenzio, and from the Lincoln Center Global Exchange to the general audience with Pope Francis.

The choir is composed of 60 Haitian children aged between 9 and 15 years coming from the most vulnerable areas of Port-au-Prince. Many of them live in the Cité Soleil, the biggest slum of the capital. Thanks to music they have had the chance to get away from violence and poverty by working hard on their own potential. By working on one’s talent, creating opportunities for growth and education for individuals, extremely valuable opportunities are created for the themselves, the group and the whole community.

The Christmas that awaits the “Voices of Haiti” choristers in New York will be a special one. A year has passed since their last trip outside their country and during this time they have continued to work hard and with discipline. Every Saturday they met in the rehearsal room and shared their new goals and little exciting results. Such as their participation on the new CD, “Sì”, from ABF founder, Maestro Bocelli, which was released on October 26th 2018 and features the “Voices of Haiti”. This was a participation that came from the desire of Maestro Bocelli and ABF to give a voice and opportunities to these young singers as a full expression of the Mission of the Foundation: Empowering people and communities.

“Voices of Haiti”, conducted by Maestro Malcolm J. Merriweather, already have a few important international performances behind them, from the United Nations to the Teatro del Silenzio, and from the Lincoln Center Global Exchange to the general audience with Pope Francis.

The choir is composed of 60 Haitian children aged between 9 and 15 years coming from the most vulnerable areas of Port au Prince. Many of them live in the Cité Soleil, the biggest slum of the capital. Thanks to music they have had the chance to get away from violence and poverty by working hard on their own potential. By working on one’s talent, creating opportunities for growth and education for individuals, extremely valuable opportunities are created for themselves, the group and the whole community.

The presence of the Caribbean children’s choir alongside Master Bocelli once again aims to draw international attention to Haiti and celebrate the strength of its colors and its people as part of a message of universal strength, that of music.

The young Haitians will be in New York for a week, for rehearsals and to take part in a few meetings with friends and supporters of ABF, to whom they will bring their experiences and vitality. Furthermore, they will be involved in a series of interdisciplinary initiatives with the aim of offering them a broad educational experience – on every trip – which includes gaining a deep understanding of the culture, customs and traditions of the country that is hosting the performances.

Creating growth and empowering opportunities: ABF’s Mission finds a further concrete application within the new unreleased album by Andrea Bocelli, out on October 26th.

A very special participation, that of the choir “Voices of Haiti”, the expression of one of the projects that the Andrea Bocelli Foundation has created in Haiti with its local partner Fondation St Luc.

The choir is composed of 60 Haitian children aged between 9 and 15 years coming from the most vulnerable areas of Port au Prince. Many of them live in the Cité Soleil, the biggest slum of the Capital. Thanks to music they have had the chance to get away from violence and poverty by working hard on their own potential. In fact with determination, tenacity and discipline, they have all embarked on a journey of structured studies.

Their participation in the CD comes after a few important international performances alongside Maestro Bocelli (from the United Nations to the Teatro del Silenzio, from the Lincoln Center Global Exchange to the general audience with Pope Francis) and comes from the desire of Maestro Bocelli and ABF to give a voice and opportunities to these young singers as the full expression of the Mission of the Foundation: Empowering people and communities.

By working on one’s talent, creating opportunities for growth and education for individuals, extremely valuable opportunities are created for the whole community. “Voices of Haiti” is an extraordinary exercise in discipline and team building and an in-depth work on self-awareness and one’s own potential.

The “Voices of Haiti” will resonate in 2 tracks of the new album: “Dormi Dormi” and “Gloria gift of love”.

The project is the result of a musical educational project launched within the schools built in Haiti by ABF together with its local partner Fondation Saint Luc, which involved 12,000 children, from whom the 60 choir singers were selected.

In this Caribbean country, ABF works every day to create opportunities of empowerment and talent development. In the schools established since 2012, every day around 3,000 students have free access to education, they receive vaccines and medical treatment for themselves and their families on a regular basis.

Furthermore families also receive training on hygiene, disease prevention such as cholera and HIV, agriculture and activities that can improve their personal and social life. Schools are a reference point in the communities and most of them are located in the most remote areas of the island.

For information on the project visit: voicesofhaiti.org