Andrea Bocelli Announces 'Voices Of Haiti' Choir To Be Featured On Upcoming Album Out October 26

Creating growth and empowering opportunities: The Andrea Bocelli Foundation's mission finds a further concrete application within the forthcoming album by Andrea Bocelli, out on October 26. 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 Foundation St Luc. The "Voices of Haiti" choir, comprised of 60 Haitian children aged between 9 and 16 years old from the most vulnerable areas of Port au Prince, are directed by Maestro Malcom J. Merriweather and will be featured in two tracks on 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 Foundation Saint Luc, which involved 12,000 children, from whom the 60 choir singers were selected.

The choirs participation in Bocelli's upcoming album , "Si," follows a handful of important international performances alongside Maestro Bocelli, including a performance at the United Nations and the Teatro del Silenzio, the Lincoln Center Global Exchange and the general audience with Pope Francis.

The choir 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.

Many of them of the choir patrons are from Cité Soleil, the biggest slum of the Capital. Thanks to music, they have been given 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

In this Caribbean country, ABF works every day to create opportunities of empowerment and talent development. In the schools, established in 2012, every day around 3,000 students have free access to education and 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 Voice of Haiti choir, please visit voicesofhaiti.org

Image Courtesy of Decca Records