Giorgia Fumanti

Giorgia Fumanti (born February 22, 1975) is an Italian soprano (operatic pop / crossover), composer, producer and arranger now based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Her music is best compared to that of Andrea Bocelli, Sarah Brightman and Enya. Her debut EMI album "From My Heart" reached the top 20 on the Billboard Crossover Chart. She has sold over 1.2 million copies of her albums so far. Career: Giorgia Fumanti was born in the Tuscan village of Fivizzano and grew up in the nearby town of Aulla, which remains her family home. As a teenager she sang in the Città di Aulla Choir. She nearly completed a law degree, but left law school 2 exams from finishing. She became a yoga teacher then. At the age of 23 she decided to sing professionally. Giorgia enrolled in the Conservatorio di Musica "Arrigo Boito" in Parma, where she studied for three years. In 2002, Fumanti relocated to Montreal, Canada to work with manager, Maurice Velenosi of MCM Entertainment Management, and in 2004, her first album, entitled Like a Dream was released on Canadian independent label Isba Music Entertainment. The album featured her take on the music of Vangelis. She was soon signed with Angel Records/EMI, and in March 2007, she released the album From My Heart worldwide. From My Heart was produced by Craig Leon, and features her musical version of Sting's 'Fields of Gold' (Campi d'Oro), and four Ennio Morricone pieces including themes from The Mission, Cinema Paradiso and Once Upon a Time in the West. It was recorded in the Abbey Road Studios in London with the English Chamber Choir, and the Netherlands Media Orchestra. 2008 saw Giorgia Fumanti's third studio album take form. Entitled Je Suis, the majority of the songs were in French, with a few Italian songs in between. Je Suis was also released on Isba Music Entertainment, in association with Universal Music Canada, and was initially released across Canada, and on the internet in November 2008. In addition to a credit in Artistic Direction, Giorgia also earned writing credits on 4 of the 14 songs on Je Suis. The duet "Le Plus Grand Amour Qui Soit" featured a 9-year old singer Jacob Guay. The album also featured versions of Sarah McLachlan's "Angel", Albinoni's "Adagio", Chopin's "Notturno", and Bach's "Ave Maria". Then in 2009, the album Magnificat was released. A collection of mainly sacred and classical arias, Giorgia sang 3 versions of Ave Maria (Caccini, Schubert, and Bach/Gounod), and renditions of Louis Armstrong's "What a Wonderful World", and Billy Joel's "Goodnight My Angel". For the 2010 Shanghai World International Expo, Giorgia Fumanti along with Chinese baryton, Liao Chang Yong, sang the theme song "Better City, Better Life" and appeared on many Chinese TV shows produced by the Shanghai Media Group, CCTV, Beijing TV and Dragon TV. A regular featured artist and special guest in China and Asia, Giorgia Fumanti sang at the 2011 Chinese New Year CCTV - Internet Spring Festival Gala, as well as at the December 31, 2010 New Year's Eve Gala TV show for CCTV in Beijing. She has also performed at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, at the closing ceremony of the Shanghai Special Olympics, sang the National Anthem at the NHL All Star Game in Dallas and has appeared on several PBS TV Specials in the USA. She has shared the stage with Jose Carreras, Michael Bolton, Lang Lang, Justin Hayward (Moody Blues), Chinese pop icon Wei Wei and Han Hong, famous Chinese tenors, Yu Qiang Dai and Ding Yi, the 12 Girls Band from China, The Russian Red Army Choir, Italian pop stars Zucchero, Lucio Dalla and Gino Paoli, as well as famous Greek tenor Mario Frangoulis, crooner Patrizio Buanne, Irish tenor John McDermott, Benise and The Canadian Tenors. She is currently signed to Universal Music with a new album, "Elysium" to be released in the spring of 2011. Performances: In January 2007, Fumanti made her U.S. TV debut, singing the Canadian National Anthem for the NHL All-Stars Game in Dallas, Texas. In March 2007, she performed on the PBS Concert Special Heavenly Voices along with musical artists Ryland Angel, Sasha & Shawna, and the Tim Janis Ensemble. The concert, now available on DVD, was filmed in Miami, Florida, and featured footage of each performer's homeland. She toured Southeast Asia in the winter of 2006/2007 with star tenor José Carreras, including performances in Korea, Hong Kong, and Taiwan (for a New Year's Eve Concert). In June 2007 she performed again with Carreras at the Hampton Court Palace Festival, along with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. She recorded a Christmas Concert with Canadian-Irish Tenor John McDermott at the Rose Theater in Brampton, Ontario, on June 26, 2007 (to be aired in November and December 2007). The concert was also recorded on CD and DVD. Fumanti performed in an American Summer Tour along with the other performers of the PBS Special Heavenly Voices. The tour included Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Nashville, Tennessee; Raleigh, North Carolina; San Francisco, California; Portland, Oregon; Seattle, Washington and Minneapolis, Minnesota. In Autumn 2007, she toured with the Asian musical group, 12 Girls Band, with shows in North America and Hawaii. In September 2007, she performed in four Canadian concerts with Italian singer, Zucchero. On October 11, 2007, Giorgia went to Shanghai, China, for the Special Olympics World Summer Games, Closing Ceremonies. She was chosen to represent the Americas, among 4 other singers from 5 continents to sing a new version of "We Are The World". Early in 2008, Giorgia sang a duet with superstar Chinese pop icon Wei Wei, and the Fairchild TV/ Shanghai Media Group's "Chinese New Year All Star Show 2008". The show also marked the first time she sang in the Mandarin language. In November 2012, Giorgia will be performing in the Pittsburgh area with the North Allegheny High School Concert Choir and Upper St. Clair High School Choir. Charity work: Giorgia Fumanti served as the Spokesperson for Actions Montreal, the Québec Multi-Ethnic Association for the Integration of Persons with Disabilities AMEIPH. She also served a 2 year term as World Ambassador for the Cerebral Palsy Association of Quebec (L'Association de paralysie cérébrale du Québec), performing concerts, meeting with members and media to increase awareness of the condition.

Source: Wikipedia

Text from this biography licensed under creative commons license