+*..Il Divo ..+*

Il Divo

Il Divo have taken opera into the mainstream on a global scale. They are now firmly established on the world stage breaking all the rules and records in the process.
The phenomenal sales of their albums and concerts are testament to their amazing success story.
Their debut self-titled album has sold over 5 million copies - smashing Led Zeppelin’s 25 year-old record of being the only band to achieve a number 1 album without a single release! They have hit the number one slot in 13 countries and achieved top 5 placing in twenty-five countries. Their follow-up Ancora and huge 2006 World Tour looks set to do it all over again.
It’s taken just a few years to arrive at this stage. The idea of a mould-breaking quartet was originally conceived in 2001 with the intention to take popular songs, old and new to a whole new level. Il Divo finally came together in December 2003 after a worldwide search with rehearsals and recording sessions taking place immediately after.
The result was a classic debut album featuring stand out tracks like ‘Nella Fantasia’, ‘Regresa A Mi’ and ‘A Mi Manera’. A generation of fans have been wowed by the heartstopping arrangements and vocal performances delivered by the four principals.
Likewise Ancora takes original music and well-known tracks, both old and new, and turns them into masterpieces.
Modern classics such as Mariah Carey’s ‘Hero’ and ‘Unchained Melody’ are given a classical twist while ‘I Believe in You’ is a stunning duet performed with Celine Dion.
This album of unforgettable tracks was recorded in London and Sweden with recording giants Per Magnusson and David Kreuger as well as world-renowned producer Steve Mac who also produced their debut album.
Il Divo quite simply… extraordinary.

Carlos Marin

Full name: Carlos Marin
Voice: Baritone
Birthday and place of birth: 13/10/68, in Germany but originally Spanish
Family details: One sister
Life outside Il Divo: It’s Il Divo 24 hours a day! Even when we sleep we dream about Il Divo. I don’t have a life outside Il Divo.
Personal ambition: To have all the knickers on my wall of all the beautiful girls that they throw to us on stage!
Based in Madrid, Carlos established a considerable reputation singing leading roles in the Spanish versions of Les Miserables, The Man from La Mancha and Beauty and The Beast. After vocal masterclasses with Alfredo Kraus, Monserrat Caballe and Jaime Aragall, in recent years Carlos has charmed audiences worldwide and won critical acclaim as 'primo baritono' in many operas, including renowned works such as La Traviata, The Barber of Seville, La Boheme and Madame Butterfly.

David Miller

Full name: David Miller
Voice: Tenor
Birthday and place of birth: 14/04/73, San Diego, California
Family details: Two sisters
Life outside Il Divo: I like to make electronic techno music and short film pieces about Il Divo - more of which will be coming fans, rest assured!
Personal ambition: To be musical in my life, as well as in my work.
David is a graduate of Oberlin conservatory in Ohio where he took a BA in Vocal Performance and a Masters degree in Opera Theatre. For the last 10 years he has been based in New York and has sung over 45 operatic and music theatre leading roles with opera companies all over South and North America, Australia and Europe including Tony in Westside Story at La Scala in Milan. Most recently, he appeared on Broadway as Rodolfo in Baz Luhrman's acclaimed production of Puccini's La Boheme.

Sebastien Izambard

Full name: Sebastien Izambard
Voice: Vox populi
Birthday and place of birth: 07/03/73, Paris
Family details: I'm an only child
Life outside Il Divo: Flying - I love to fly again but I need to renew my licence.
Personal ambition: I would love to write an opera with the rest of the guys!
Sebastien is the only self-taught singer in the group. He is also an accomplished songwriter who plays guitar and piano. He has lived in Paris and produced for many other French artistes. In 2001 he performed with Johnny Haliday as a guest in his sold-out performances at the Paris Olympia. In 2002, Sebastien played one of the leading roles in the Richard Cocciante penned musical Le Petit Prince. He was working on a solo album when he joined Il Divo in 2003 and plans to contribute original material to the group's repertoire.

Urs Buhler

Full name: Urs Toni Buhler
Voice: Tenor
Birthday and place of birth: 19/07/71, Switzerland
Family details: One brother and three sisters
Life outside Il Divo: I have a couple of motorbikes I’m restoring, and I just like to spend time at home and in the garden.
Personal ambition: Doing whatever I am doing in my life as best as I can. At this moment that means being one of the four members of Il Divo, doing my work here as best as I can so I can be proud of what I’m doing.
Urs began singing publicly aged 17 with Conspiracy, a hard rock band based in his home town of Luzern, where he attended the Academy for School and Church Music. He later moved to Amsterdam, where he studied Voice at the Amsterdam Conservatory under the tutorage of Udo Reinemann. Urs also benefited from private tuition with the late Swedish tenor, Gosta Winbergh and the French tenor, Christian Papis. In addition to a season at the Salzburg Festival, where he sang with the choir under the direction of Claudio Abbado, Urs has spent the past seven years in Holland singing oratorios and performing with the Netherlands Opera.