Carly Paoli

Classically trained as a mezzo-soprano, British-Italian vocalist Carly Paoli moved with ease between opera and musical theater, propelling her independently issued first album straight to number two on the British classical charts. A great-niece of Puglian folksinger Luigi Paoli, she spent her childhood in the historic market town of Mansfield in central England. Early exposure to vintage MGM musicals on television sparked her ambition to sing professionally, prompting vocal lessons at age nine. Her timbre proved ideally suited to classical repertoire, leading her to the Royal Northern College of Music for further study. Following graduation she embarked on international engagements, and her appointment as brand ambassador for the Swiss watchmaker Bedat & Co. brought an invitation to sing at a charity gala hosted by multi-million-selling songwriter and producer David Foster, whose past collaborators include Josh Groban and Michael Bublé.

Foster’s support placed her among leading classical artists; she soon appeared alongside José Carreras and Andrea Bocelli at large-scale benefit events in Florence and Rome. Italian audiences warmly received the bilingual singer, who made frequent television appearances there. Her 2016 debut single “Ave Maria,” composed by Romano Musumarra with lyrics by Grant Black—son of the Oscar-winning Don Black—served as the official anthem for Pope Francis’ Jubilee celebrations. Praised for her sweet, clear tone and powerful reserves, Paoli moves seamlessly between operatic and musical-theater delivery. Her June 2017 debut album, Singing My Dreams, largely comprising classical crossover material and produced by Musumarra with several lyrics contributed by Paoli herself, entered the U.K. classical chart at number two.