Early life
Born in Siena on 14 October 1963, Italian opera singer discovered his love of performing and music at a young age, and began studying music at the age of just nine. At age 17, he then moved to study at the Conservatorio di Musica 'Luigi Cherubini' in Florence and was quickly performing as a tenor on the world stage.
In 1989, Alessandro won the first prize at the Concorso Lirico Internazionale in Mantova, heralding his future successful career. But what sets Alessandro apart from many in the classical scene is is desire to continue the example of performers like Russell Watson and Charlotte Church by bringing opera to a wider audience.
Music career
Having quickly established himself as one of classical music's most exciting up-and-coming stars, he then moved into more populist recording. Feeling other attempts at mass-market opera had moved a little too far into the pop camp, the Italian began dreaming of creating a more soulful "pop-opera" classical crossover sound.
It was a dream he shared with renowned composer Romano Musumarra, and after hearing Safina in concert, Romano knew he'd found the voice he'd been looking for in his own projects. The two soon set about their first collaboration, an album simply entitled: Alessandro Safina.
The series of successful albums which followed seemed to indicate that Alessandro's aspiration of bringing opera back to the people was now becoming a reality. In 2001, he also contributed to the Baz Luhrmann film Moulin Rouge!'s soundtrack and performed during the Royal Variety Show.
Personal life
Alessandro married the dancer Lorenza Mario in 2001, and the couple welcomed a son, Petro, in 2002. The opera singer split from Lorenza in 2011. He later began a relationship with Laura Maria Calafeteanu, with whom he welcomed a son, Christian, in 2015.
