Bocelli is currently on his Romanza – 30th Anniversary World Tour, and during the Raleigh, North Carolina stop, he will be joined by several members of the Elon community.
Gretchen Bruesehoff, adjunct assistant professor of music, several Elon University students and an Elon alum will perform with famed Italian singer Andrea Bochelli during his Romanza – 30th Anniversary World Tour on Friday, Feb. 20 at the Lenovo Center in Raleigh.
The group will perform as part of Bocelli’s choral ensemble through Bruesehoff’s membership with North Carolina Opera. For each show, Bocelli partners with local organizations to perform with him, and it will be the second time Bruesehoff has performed with the singer.
“It’s very exciting, and it’s just so special to be a part of something so big,” said Bruesehoff.
When the performance needed five more male voices, three tenors and two bass baritones, Bruesehoff turned to the Elon students and alumni she knew would be interested in the experience.
“I think we should be practicing what we preach to our students,” said Bruesehoff. “And because I perform regularly, they’re able to watch me perform, but it’s not as often they get to perform alongside me. So, to work with me as a colleague through the process is a fun experience for all of us.”
Anthony Hotakainen ’26, Hashini Amarasinghe ’26, George Zemla ’27, JT Loveless ’28, Isaiah Flowers ’28, Michael Mintz ’29 and alumni Travis Foust ‘23 were chosen to perform. As a first-year student, it’s a new experience for Mintz, and his family will be traveling from New Jersey to see the performance.
“It’s going to be really fun,” said Mintz, an acting, and music in liberal arts double major. “I’ve never done something at this level, especially with other professionals, let alone something with opera. I think this is going to be a life-changing experience and something I will carry with me forever.”
Bruesehoff, along with the Elon students and alum, have rehearsed with the chorus five times in Raleigh and will do one full run-through before the show at the Lenovo Center on Friday.
“For some of the students, they don’t have as much experience singing in another language. In this concert, we have to sing in Italian, Latin, and English. I rehearsed with the students from Elon outside of the official rehearsal process,” she said. “I’m an Elon alum as well, and that is what has always drawn me to Elon: the community, the mentoring, the real-life experience that we offer here. Being able to do this together is something that we’ll remember forever.”