A ROYAL CHRISTMAS
With Special Guest
Denyce Graves*
The Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra and the Westminster Concert Choir
ON TOUR
New York City , Long Island, New Jersey, Phoenix,
Boston , Chicago, Fresno, Washington D.C.

New York, NY November 7 th, 2005 – The most spectacular Holiday celebration ever , A Royal Christmas celebrates the best of the holiday season with the most popular songs and carols and the excitement of the Nutcracker Ballet.  Starring an international cast led by the reigning tenor sensation Andrea Bocelli and featuring one of today's most exciting vocal stars, Denyce Graves, A Royal Christmas also boasts a supporting cast of 175 dancers, singers and musicians including The Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra, The Westminster Concert Choir, principal & solo dancers from London’s Royal Ballet, Winnipeg’s Royal Ballet, Russia’s Bolshoi Ballet, Ukraine’s Kyiv Ballet and Canada’s Shumka Dancers. Critics have tagged A Royal Christmas “majestic,” “elegant,” “a royal treat,” and “an evening of one gem after another.” A Royal Christmas is truly a magical event that audiences won’t want to miss.

Andrea Bocelli , the reigning tenor sensation, has broken box office records in arenas across North America. He is the number one selling crossover artist in the world and his signature song Time to Say Goodbye has sold a staggering 28 million copies. Bocelli is an operatic tenor so irresistible that he reminds us why opera was once pop music. Whether he's wowing a worldwide TV audience on the Oscar or Grammy telecast , or rediscovering the ageless beauty of a Verdi aria, Andrea Bocelli takes his listeners to a very special place.

A Royal Christmas features Bocelli’s favorite Sacred Arias – some of the most beautiful and inspired music ever written. The repertoire of this music offers fond memories for the Tuscany-born tenor. “I have known these pieces since childhood,” Bocelli recalls. The Italian tenor lifts his voice to new inspirational heights in such beloved fare as the world’s favorite Ave Maria, Franck’s Panis Angelicus, Silent Night, and other Christmas favorites.

One of the music world's most sought after recitalists, Denyce. Graves combines her expressive vocalism and exceptional gifts for communication with her dynamic stage presence, enriching audiences around the world. Ms. Graves continues to gather unparalleled popular and critical acclaim in performances on four continents. Her career has taken her to the world's great opera houses and concert halls. The combination of her expressive, rich vocalism , , elegant stage presence , and exciting theatrical abilities allows her to pursue a wide breadth of operatic portrayals as well as delight audiences in concert and recital appearances. Ms. Graves joins Andrea Bocelli through Chicago.

The Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra is one of the world’s most respected and premier orchestras. Whether performing at their home, London’s Royal Albert Hall or traveling the world the orchestra receives rave reviews from admiring audiences and critics alike. The orchestra and Andrea Bocelli toured North America together in 1998 and have performed together at Royal Albert Hall. Granted the title “Royal” by her majesty Queen Elizabeth, the Royal Philharmonic and its players have shared the stage with the greatest musicians in the world.

For over 80 years the Westminster Symphonic Concert Choir has set the standard for choral excellence through hundreds of recordings and performances with orchestras all around the world. Westminster has served as the chorus of choice for both the Philadelphia Orchestra and the New York Philharmonic. Westminster is the only choir in America with over 150 recordings with principal orchestras in New York, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Pittsburgh, Boston, Atlanta, San Francisco, Amsterdam and Berlin. Conductors of the Westminster Symphonic Choir have included Bernstein, Ormandy, Steinberg, Stokowski, Toscanini, Leinsdorf, Levine, Macal, Masur, Mehta, Muti and Ozawa. The choir has been in-residence at the Spoleto Festival USA since 1977 and for the Festival of Two Worlds in Spoleto, Italy for 23 years.

A Royal Christmas has exclusively gathered together spectacular principal and solo dancers from renowned ballet companies around the world to perform the most popular selections from the The Nutcracker. Among the p P articipants include participants will be stars from the Royal Ballet (Covent Garden, London), the Royal Winnipeg Ballet ( Canada), the Bolshoi Ballet ( Russia), and the Kyiv Ballet ( Ukraine).

A Royal Christmas will also feature the acclaimed Canadian dance troupe Shumka with their unique and high-spirited interpretation of Ukrainian folk dance. As mice, they will battle the soldiers in The Nutcracker ” and perform the famous Ukrainian kick dance, the Hopak.

A Royal Christmas will tour 8 cities and run from November 30 through December 11. Don’t miss this opportunity to hear one of the world’s greatest voices in a joyous and unforgettable celebration of the Christmas spirit . and certainly one that you will never forget.

A Royal Christmas starring Andrea Bocelli is produced in a joint partnership by Princeton Entertainment and Classic Enterprises.

TOUR DATES: