Opera and classical music have in Andrea Bocelli not only one of their most acclaimed and recognized voices worldwide, but also one of their most faithful believers. The iconic Italian tenor is convinced that this musical genre must overcome its status as a “niche phenomenon” to become a massive act.
“Opera is the paradise of music; I’ve always believed that,” Bocelli tells Billboard Español in Mexico City, where he will offer a free concert on Saturday (April 18) at the iconic Zócalo, accompanied by the Minería Symphony Orchestra, the Mexican group Los Ángeles Azules and singer-songwriter Ximena Sariñana.
“Opera was born a long time ago as a popular musical phenomenon,” he continues. “The opera audience today is a cultured audience, but I realize that people in general appreciate, understand and enjoy it, which makes me suspect that the problem with this type of music is the difficulty of communicating it to the masses.”
Opera has been a recognized art form for over 400 years and has been delighting audiences since 1607, according to the English National Opera’s official website. Its first performance was recorded with Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo, which was presented as a carnival spectacle at the Ducal Palace of Mantua.
“Great composers like Beethoven, Bach, Schubert, Chopin — all of them do good for the soul and spirit,” Bocelli points out. “Classical music is a type of music that works as therapy, and this has been scientifically proven. I think people are more than ready to embrace this type of music, as long as there are the right channels or means to disseminate it.”
This is why he believes schools should embrace the role of promoting classical music and opera to introduce them to young people. “It’s never too late,” he says.
Regarding the criticism that actor Timothée Chalamet received after declaring in a February interview with Variety that “no one cares about this anymore,” referring to ballet and opera, Bocelli states, “Beauty has no expiration date.”
“When a work of art, whether musical or otherwise, is of great depth or substance, it doesn’t go out of style, just as Michelangelo’s Pietà or DaVinci’s Mona Lisa will never go out of style. These are all immortal pieces that will always evoke emotions in those who admire them,” he adds.
An example of making opera more accessible and reaching other audiences is, precisely, the free show Bocelli will offer on Saturday at Mexico City’s Zócalo.
“Speaking of the duet I’ll do with this Mexican group [Los Ángeles Azules], I’m very curious,” the tenor says. “I’m very happy to be able to do this collaboration because they always enrich [the experience].”
After his performance in Mexico, Bocelli will continue his Romanza 30th Anniversary World Tour 2026 celebrating his acclaimed 1997 album Romanza, which became the best-selling Italian album and the best-selling predominantly non-English album of all time, according to Universal Music.
On the Billboard charts, Romanza topped World Albums for a whooping 51 weeks and reached No. 5 on Classical Albums, while ranking No. 35 on the all-genre Billboard 200 (where Bocelli has accumulated 29 entries, including nine top 10s and one No. 1, in 2018, with Si.)
“I remember the success of Romanza caught me by surprise,” Bocelli recalls. “I had to learn to manage my strength and energy because, from then on, the world felt small to me as I started traveling across it, far and wide, several times.”
He shares that for this commemorative tour — which will visit the U.S. in two legs, in September and December — he had to relearn the songs from the album because some tracks had already left his repertoire. However, he says, “Feeling the love and appreciation the audience has for these songs made me feel it was the reward for this experience.”
