Andrea Bocelli, the superstar tenor, will live stream an Easter Sunday concert from Milan's famed Duomo cathedral. Just like practically every other church in the world, the pews will be empty and Bocelli will be accompanied only by organist Emanuele Vianelli. The concert will stream live on Bocelli's YouTube channel Sunday at 10 a.m. ET.
Plenty of other artists have announced live streams as venues shut down due to the spread of the coronavirus, but Bocelli's live concert from an empty Duomo — which is normally full for Easter mass — will be one of the more striking examples of the extent to which the pandemic has altered public life.
The stream will not be the Italian tenor's first attempt to help out during the coronavirus crisis. Italy has been hit hard by the pandemic, and Bocelli's foundation has raised more than $140,000 via GoFundMe to help hospitals purchase supplies. He will also be part of Global Citizen's huge "One World: Together At Home" event on April 18.
In a statement released Tuesday, Bocelli said he hopes that the Easter concert, which will consist mostly of spiritual songs like "Ave Maria," will provide some comfort to viewers regardless of their religion.
Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.
