Luca Brugnoli

[Surpinto]

LOL, there's even more on social media

[fan_de_LoK]

Lucas is announced to perform two solo concerts in Japan on November 19 and 20, three weeks after the Libera tour in Japan.



It would not be surprising if this trip goes to the Philippines as well, where Luca is also present for solo concerts.

[Luckdragon]

Lucas is announced to perform two solo concerts in Japan on November 19 and 20, three weeks after the Libera tour in Japan.

It would not be surprising if this trip goes to the Philippines as well, where Luca is also present for solo concerts.

F4-sxXsaUAAVBvp.jpg (178.22 KiB) Viewed 8601 times

F4-sxXsaUAAVBvp.jpg (178.22 KiB) Viewed 8601 times

UPPER TEXT:

"A boy soprano that can only be heard now."

"A boy's singing voice before his voice changes resonates for a limited time. Please enjoy the excitement of his songs along with the clear tones. Don't miss this chance to enjoy a precious moment surrounded by the magic of music."

LOWER TEXT:

"The Japan Boys Choir Association has invited the British boy soprano soloist Luca Brugnoli to give a concert in Japan. Luca, who is a member of a famous British boy's choir and is very active with other projects including the release of the long-awaited solo album 'Rise Up' in May, will come to Japan in November and hold a solo concert. Incorporating his song and dance, there is no doubt that he will break new ground. After winning the BBC Young Chorister of the Year award, he has continued to perform at numerous music concerts."

[Surpinto]

Lucas is announced to perform two solo concerts in Japan on November 19 and 20, three weeks after the Libera tour in Japan.

It would not be surprising if this trip goes to the Philippines as well, where Luca is also present for solo concerts.

That's a lot of travelling and shows! Best of luck to him

[Luckdragon]

That's a lot of travelling and shows! Best of luck to him

He also announced today that he has been invited to attend one of the most prestigious secondary schools in his area. Congrats to him and good luck. He will be a busy young man.

[Surpinto]

He also announced today that he has been invited to attend one of the most prestigious secondary schools in his area. Congrats to him and good luck. He will be a busy young man.

Wow!

Looking like he'll be singing with their choir also.

[Luckdragon]

Luca's solo concerts in Japan have been cancelled but he will still be appearing there with Libera.

His concert in Manila will still go forward.

[GlennJalmas]

This was recently posted in the Facebook group page Libera Philippines. There's not enough details as of now as to when and where this will happen,also no official announcement yet from Libera itself but this is truly something that Filipino fans are looking forward to since the group have visited way back in 2019.

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_ ... tid=CDWPTG

[fan_de_LoK]

it now appears that this Facebook announcement was not about Libera but about Luca's solo concert in the Philippines.

[Surpinto]

Luca's schedule is jam-packed with travel both independently and with Libera so he'll be super busy for some time to come. Good for him and thanks for the link.

[Luckdragon]

Luca just put a video of “When You Believe” on YouTube from his concert on 24 June as guest soloist with Dominic Ferris at the Cuckfield Music Festival. I was at this concert, so thought I’d contribute a report (I wrote most of this the day afterwards, but then had a busy week and never got around to finishing it; something I do too often).

The concert was held at Holy Trinity Church, a small but charming building with a large number of doves of peace hanging from the ceiling, in a leafy village looking out across a valley towards the South Downs. A very pleasant spot, although its situation on a south-facing slope made it something of a suntrap on a day of 30°C temperatures.

Luca sang seven songs:
Pie Jesu (Lloyd Webber)
Parla Più Piano (Love Theme from The Godfather)
I Am (new song written by Dominic Ferris and his mother; reminded me a bit of “Do Not Stand at My Grave and Weep” in terms of both mood and content.)
When You Believe (duet w/D. Ferris)
Hushabye Mountain
Bring Him Home
Memory

A recording of the entire concert is now available to Luca's ongoing supporters and those who participate in the following fundraiser. It's not a professional recording but the audio and video are still quite good--like sitting in the middle of the front row. If you enjoy showtunes, you'll love Luca's songs in this concert.

[justin]

Luca in Concert - A Night to Remember with Luca and friends
22 November 2023

Preface

When the news broke that Luca would be having a solo concert in the Philippines, it did not actually come as a massive surprise to me. Luca had a meteoric rise in the treble world in the past couple of years (COVID notwithstanding), going far in the BBC YCOTY by achieving the runner-up award, releasing a solo album and Christmas single, was the main soloist in Libera etc., accomplishments which caught the eye of the venerable Mr. Roberto De Ocampo ("Mr. D"), the chief architect of the very successful Libera concerts held in the Philippines a few years back. Needless to say, Mr. D certainly appreciated the unique talent Luca had, and was the main driving force behind the organization of this solo concert.

So it was on a balmy afternoon that I found myself in metro Manila waiting (fairly anxiously I might add) for the start of an undoubtedly very exciting event. I had last seen Luca in concert with Libera during their Japan tour, where he had taken a step back from doing the high notes and solos. I also had the distinct pleasure of seeing him perform a short repertoire as a solo artist at a small concert last Christmas. As such, there were several questions on my mind - first and foremost, how has Luca's voice matured so far? Secondly, what will Luca's friends add to the performance and will they mesh well? Thirdly, what will this concert reveal about Luca's future career and musical direction as a singer? Suffice to say, these three questions were answered very positively indeed.

The Setting

Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium at RCBC Plaza, where the concert was held, is a fairly modern and intimate venue which seats around 400 people. The seating was in an arc facing the stage, so everyone had a good view and enjoyed similar acoustics. The lighting setup was professionally done, providing a warm and welcoming ambience. Staging was simple but tasteful, with a stunning Steinway Model D concert grand piano in a commanding position on the centre-left of the stage, and a solitary standing microphone centre of stage. The right half of the stage was intentionally left empty for other performers. There was no question as to who would be the focus of the evening's performance. The event was entirely sold out, with notable attendees like the British Ambassador to the Philippines in the audience. The evening's performance started with Mr. D delivering a speech on the enduring partnership and friendship between the Philippines and the UK, and how such partnership has brought about numerous opportunities for youths of both countries to have cultural exchanges. Part of those cultural exchanges were the Libera concerts, with concert proceeds going to support underprivileged children in the Philippines. It was then explained that Luca, Dominic and Darcey (as the representatives from the UK) and Regina Saban (as the representative from the Philippines) have been brought together for the evening's performance as an example of the continuing relationship between the two countries. Then, both countries' national anthems were sung, and the concert started in earnest.

The First Question

Luca performed a very diverse repertoire inspired by his interests in various musical genres such as classical, pop and musical theatre. Several pieces some of us may have heard him sing before over the past few years, such as 'Memory', 'When Christmas Comes to Town', and 'Fields of Gold'. He also took the effort to learn 'Pilipinas Kong Mahal', a famous Filipino patriotic song which was extremely well received by the audience. I was very pleased to see that Luca's voice has matured beautifully, developing a pleasant and well supported lower range while not losing too much of the brilliant shining upper range that he was known for as a treble. I would describe his vocal timbre as warm, colourful and slightly breathy in the mid-low range, but pure and ringing in the upper range. While there is no doubt that Luca - and his voice - is going through the inevitable transition, it seems like he is managing just fine. As many of us who have gone through our own voice change would appreciate, managing not to crack while speaking is already a herculean task. Having to sing a fairly difficult repertoire which requires him to utilise the full extent of his vocal range is even more so! Massive kudos to Luca and his mentor(s)’s efforts in this regard!

Back to Luca's lower range, it was on full display in his duets with Dominic and Regina, in songs like 'When You Believe' and 'The Prayer'. Luca has also developed a slightly richer – but not overdone or exaggerated – vibrato when he belts. This was most apparent in those pop/musical-related songs like 'Memory', 'Never Enough' and ‘You Raise Me Up’. For those of us who have been so accustomed to hearing Luca hitting stratospheric high notes, rest assured that he most certainly CAN still sing them near effortlessly, as seen in 'Bring Him Home' and ‘Bring Me To Life’. The latter came as a bit of a surprise, where Luca sang with a backing track – which featured his own voice! It also demanded some of the highest notes in his entire set list. It was also a delight to hear him perform his original piece ‘I Am’, an emotional piece written specifically for him by Dominic. While the piece was not the most technically demanding, Luca’s innate musicality and understanding of the message of the piece shone through, which made it perhaps one of my favourite pieces of the evening.

The Second Question

Starting off with Dominic Ferris, the musical director of the concert and Luca's mentor. To be frank, I did not know much about Dominic prior to this concert, other than he is an accomplished pianist and one-part of the performing group ‘The Piano Brothers’ (the other part being Elwin Hendrijanto, the original composer of ‘Nusantara’, the song which eventually became 'Sing for our World' sung by Libera). But when Dominic's fingers started dancing across the Steinway's keys, I understood immediately that he is not just an accomplished pianist, but also a complete performer and entertainer. He had a commanding stage presence, and was incredibly energetic, dynamic and enthralling while performing. He does not just play the music, but he seemingly becomes one with the music, and wordlessly invites you in for a musical voyage. He was effervescent and flamboyant while playing the jazzy ‘Autumn Leaves’, but had the softest, most delicate touch while caressing the keys in ‘Cinema Paradiso / Moon River’. Dominic also possesses a gorgeously deep voice, performing ‘When You Believe / I Believe’ as part of a duet with Luca. I was later told that Dominic was creatively involved in every single aspect of the concert, including the lighting and sound. I can only say that Luca is very lucky to have Dominic as his mentor and creative partner.

Darcey Redman, a young lady whom I was told studies ballet with Luca back home and had never performed internationally before, was remarkably confident and elegant on stage. I am not an expert in dance by any means, but to my untrained eye, her pirouettes, leaps, twirls and flips during ‘Parla Piu Piano’ and ‘Fields of Gold’ seemed well executed. Her dance routines added an additional layer of meaning to the songs, and provided a touch of dynamism and spiritedness to two songs which are generally quite calm. She was positively beaming throughout her performance, and I am sure Luca must have been very pleased to have a close friend on stage with him as well. I wish to congratulate Darcey for a job well done!

Last, but certainly not least, Regina Saban was a revelation. A young soprano who won the 2022 edition of NAMCYA (National Music Competitions for Young Artists) in the Philippines, she reminds me of Lea Salonga, with a voice that is made for musical theatre and also Disney (Lea Salonga was the voice behind numerous famous Disney classics such as ‘Reflection’ and ‘A Whole New World’). On a side note, it would have been nice to hear her sing ‘I Dreamed a Dream’ alongside Dominic. Anyways, she was the perfect duet partner for Luca, as she was seemingly on the same wavelength as Luca and knew exactly how to mesh with his voice. Her solo performance of ‘Somewhere Over The Rainbow’ was among the best I have ever heard, and she received a rapturous applause from the audience at the end of the song. It was a treat to get to know her, and I hope to see her in concert again in the near future.

The Third Question

I think Luca is at a stage of experimentation since his voice is still in flux, where he is trying to find his footing and discover what sort of artist he truly wants to be. As a singer raised in the finest English choral traditions, he has a proper foundation in music to draw from and also the technical ability to back it up, but he has also made it abundantly clear that he does not want to be “just another cross-over boy chorister”. In my humble opinion, I think his performance at this concert shows very promising signs, where there is enough originality and adventurousness in his music, a willingness to deviate from the norm, and a desire to avoid just covering the same, tired pieces many of those who came before him did. I enjoyed his original piece ‘I Am’, and would certainly like to see more original pieces from him, as it allowed his personality to shine through and gave him the freedom to express himself; something doing a cover of a well-known song would perhaps not have allowed. Perhaps Luca might also want to work a bit on his stage presence – although I think this has probably more to do with teenage awkwardness and also his training as a boy chorister, where he was expected to stand very still – but I am sure Dominic would be able to give some pointers in that regard. Regardless, Luca’s future as a solo artist seems very bright indeed.

Final notes

To conclude, I think Luca’s concert was quite a success, and a great starting point for Luca’s solo career by introducing himself (and his music) to the world. It was well worth my trip to the Philippines, and I hope there would be more opportunities to see Luca in concert again in the near future, be it in Asia or elsewhere. In the meantime, I eagerly await Luca’s new single ‘Somewhere In My Memory’, which is due to be released on 1 December.

P.S. I must attend Dominic’s (or The Piano Brothers’) concert at least once in the near future.

[GlennJalmas]

Thank you very much Justin for sharing your detailed review of Luca's concert. I completely agree with you in saying that the show was quite a success and a great starting point for his solo career in the music industry. Luca is indeed a versatile singer of his age,having to cross between different song genres is truly extraordinary and gifted of him. I'm looking forward to see more of what Luca can offer individually as a performer in the future.
On the other hand,it was a pleasure meeting you at the concert Justin. The brief conversations that we've had was amazing,thank you.

[Surpinto]

Yes, I too must express my gratitude for your detailed review. I'm sure that you were likely the sole member of LDF in attendance able to give us such insights into Luca’s progress. While I have little to say in response not having seen the performance, I think it's clear to everyone that Luca is progressing into the next stage of his journey. For that I think we all wish him well.

[Yorkie]

Nice report Justin, thanks for your write up.