Il Divo North American Tour to Launch with Canadian Concerts

 Recently named Artist of the Decade at the Classic BRITS, Il Divo is the most successful international musical break-out story of the millennium, selling more than 25 million albums and pioneering the classical crossover genre. The world foremost classical crossover quartet kick off their highly anticipated North American Tour in Canada on May 18, 2012 with 12-performances taking place across the country with stops in Windsor, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Halifax, Moncton, Saint John, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Saskatoon, Winnipeg and London.
Canadian jazz-pop sensation, Nikki Yanofsky has been invited to open for Il Divo at select Canadian shows.  Nikki Yanofsky’s phenomenal voice and jazz style made her an international success at age 15; she has worked with legendary artists like Herbie Hancock, Dianne Reeves and Wyclef Jean and was catapulted to the international stage with her stellar performance during the 2010 Winter Olympics’ Opening Ceremonies.
The Canadian dates are part of a massive 2012 world tour which criss-crosses six continents; with the group already performing sold out shows at leading venues across Europe, UK, Australia, South Africa, Japan and Asia. Currently receiving rave reviews across the UK, this week sees them perform two sold out nights at London’s Royal Albert Hall before ending the European leg playing to 24,000 people across 2 shows in Lisbon, Portugal.
Tickets for the North American performances are on sale now and include exclusive VIP packages in each city. Select VIP Packages include excellent reserved seats and unparalleled access to numerous perks including Meet & Greets, Photo Opportunities, Autographed Limited Edition Memorabilia, Merchandise and more! The North American leg of the Il Divo world tour is presented by AEG Live.   To purchase tickets for the tour go to ildivo.com and aeglive.com.
The IL DIVO 2012 world tour, the group’s fourth, follows the release of the quartet’s latest album, Wicked Game (on Syco/Columbia Records) and provides a new mark of achievement for the signature vocal blend and unique operatic arrangements which have captivated millions and launched a classical-crossover sensation. Wicked Game, the group’s fifth studio album, includes the title track (a dramatic reworking of the Chris Isaak classic), an emotionally beautiful rendering of Roy Orbison’s ’Crying,’ a heavenly song inspired by Samuel Barber’s ’Adagio for Strings’ called ’Dove L’Amore’ and a stunning version of the unforgettable ’Time To Say Goodbye’.
With an all-new production and show designed by Creative Director Brian Burke (Artistic Director of ’La Reve’ and Celine Dion’s 5 year run of ’A New Day’ at Caesars Palace, both in Las Vegas), the 2012 tour promises to incorporate a stunning visual and musical mix of fan favourites such as ’Unbreak My Heart’, ’Somewhere’ & ’My Way’ as well as premiering songs from their new album Wicked Game all performed with a full orchestra.
Il Divo’s Carlos Marin, Sebastien Izambard, David Miller and Urs Buhler are widely regarded for utilizing their exceptional voices, cultural diversity and wealth of operatic training to bring a fresh approach to romantic and popular songs.  Their quintessential sound is an effortless blend of classical and pop, often dubbed pop-opera, that has kept the quartet in high demand around the world.   Their most recent "An Evening With Il Divo" tour, which spanned most of 2009, saw sold out shows across 130 cities.  Il Divo received the Billboard Breakthrough Award for one of the biggest grossing tours of the year.
Their ground-breaking success has brought an entirely new sound to vocal music and the group has earned more than 150 gold and platinum awards in 33 countries. Their first four albums, Il Divo, Ancora, Siempre and The Promise have achieved 50 #1 album chart positions internationally.

About Il Divo
The dramatic rise of Il Divo has been incredible in its speed and ground-breaking in its success over the last six years, bringing an entirely new sound to the world of popular music. Launched in the UK late 2004, after a worldwide search of the international opera houses and concert halls by pop impresario Simon Cowell, the group were christened Il Divo - an Italian word meaning ’Divine Performer’. Their multi-national identity reflects the universal appeal of their music; combining the individual talents of tenor David Miller from the USA, vox populi Sebastien Izambard from France, tenor Urs Bühler from Switzerland, and baritone Carlos Marin from Spain. Conquering the hearts of fans and the charts of nations all around the world, the group has garnered over 150 gold and platinum awards in 33 countries. Their first world tour was a complete sell out, reaching 69 cities across 18 countries and was followed by a broader 2007 tour drawing continuous standing ovations across 30 countries. The prestigious honor of joining Barbra Streisand on tour in North America, and many unique high profile performances such as the opening & closing ceremonies of the FIFA 2006 World Cup (at which they sang the official theme song with Toni Braxton), and a performance at The Purple Inauguration Ball in Washington for President Obama, have also been key highlights.
About Nikki Yanofsky
With a soulful voice to rival singers twice her age, Montreal’s Nikki Yanofsky is a natural born entertainer. . Six short years ago, she performed at the international jazz festival of Montreal at the age of twelve. This made Nikki Yanofsky the youngest headliner ever. A year later, the singer made her first recording for the Verve label. She is listed alongside stars like Etta James, Diana Krall and Natalie Cole on a tribute album to Ella Fitzgerald, and in 2008 released her own live CD/DVD Ella...Of Thee I Swing. It earned her two Juno Award nominations; one for New Artist and another for Best Vocal Jazz Album. More recently, the 18-year-old vocalist released her first studio album, Nikki, which includes standards as well as original work. It was produced by Grammy winners Jesse Harris (Norah Jones) and the legendary Phil Ramone (Frank Sinatra, BB King, Ray Charles).  The album debuted in Canada at #1 on the Billboard Jazz Chart, #6 on the Billboard Pop Chart and was certified gold within 3 months.