Il Volo's Biography

Il Volo (English: The Flight) is a trio of Italian operatic pop teenage tenors, consisting of Piero Barone, Ignazio Boschetto, and Gianluca Ginoble.

Personal

Gianluca Ginoble was born on February 11, 1995 in Roseto degli Abruzzi (province of Teramo), in the Abruzzo region of central Italy, and grew up in the nearby hilltop town of Montepagano (population 1207). Piero Barone was born on June 24, 1993, in Naro (population 8700) near Agrigento (Sicily). And, Ignazio Boschetto was born in Marsala Sicily on October 4, 1994, but grew up in Bologna (population 362,000 in north-central Italy). 

Although they didn't know each other until the competition, they all lead similar lives in that they were popular in school, and because of their outstanding voices, even as children, often were the leads in school music programs and plays.

Career

Ti Lascio Una Canzone (2009-2010)

The three pop-opera singers started their career in 2009, when they met on the second edition of the Italian RAI TV music competition show Ti Lascio Una Canzone, held in Sanremo. On May 2, 2009, Gianluca Ginoble won the competition, singing Andrea Bocelli's "Il Mare Calmo Della Sera".

During the competition, the 3 singers were chosen to perform as a trio the Neapolitan evergreen "'O Sole Mio". After the competition, they continued to perform together under the names The Tryo, Il Trio, and finally Il Volo.

In 2010 the trio participated in the charity single "We Are the World 25 for Haiti", remake of the 1985 hit song "We Are the World". In February 2010 they performed the songs "Granada" and "Un Amore Così Grande" during the 60th Sanremo Festival. Also at that festival the trio performed for Queen Rania of Jordan (Regina Rania di Giordania).

Il Volo (2010-present)

• The name of the trio was changed to Il Volo in the fall of 2010.
• Their first self-titled album was recorded in 2010 in the Abbey Road Studios in London and produced by Tony Renis and Humberto Gatica. It was released in Italy on November 30, 2010 and peaked at number 6 on the Italian Albums Chart, receiving the Gold certification by the Federation of the Italian Music Industry.
• The international edition of the album was released on April 12, 2011 and was promoted in the United States with a performance during the final 3 results show of the American Idol's tenth season. The group sang "'O Sole Mio", which was released as a single in the United States in early 2011. The album debuted at number 10 on the Billboard 200 and at number 1 on the Classical Albums, selling 23,000 copies in its first week. The album is also entered at the Top 10 in other countries, such as Belgium, France and the Netherlands and topped in Austria.
• A Spanish version of the album was released and peaked at number 6 in Mexico, at number 3 on the Billboard Classical Albums chart, at number 4 on the Top Latin Albums chart and at number 1 on the Latin Pop Albums chart. This version was certified Gold in Mexico by AMPROFON for the sale of 30,000 copies and won a RIAA Latin Gold Award for the sale of 50,000 copies in United States.
• The trio performed for the TV show The Talk in February 2011 and October 13, 2011.
• On May 19th 2011 the trio dazzeled the American Idol audience and viewers with their flawless rendition of the neapolitan standard "'O Sole Mio".
• On July 31, 2011 the trio performed "'O Sole Mio" and "This Time" for the President's Star Charity show in Singapore to help raise funds for the handicapped.
• On September 4, 2011 the trio performed "'O Sole Mio" and "Smile" for the MDA Labor Day Telethon.
• On September 11, 2011 the trio made a cameo appearance on the series finale of Entourage.
• Il Volo was nominated for two Latin Grammy Awards in Best Pop Album by a Duo or Group with Vocal for Il Volo (Edicion en espanol) and in Best New Artist.
• On November 21, 2011, Il Volo released, only in digital format, their first EP called Christmas Favorites, that contains a duet with Pia Toscano. In the same date, their debut album will be re-released in a special edition that will include also the tracks from Christmas Favorites.

Voice Type

Although called three young tenors, Il Volo is composed by two Tenors (Ignazio Boschetto and Piero Barone) and one Baritone (Gianluca Ginoble), as stated on many interviews with the group. It is likely that Piero Barone is a Spinto Tenor (easy to reach the high tenor notes), Ignazio Boschetto is a Lyric Tenor (a full rich tenor that can be heard over an orchestra), and Gianluca Ginoble, while technically a Baritone, can also be labeled a Heldentenor (a Baritone with a strong upper register, that are common among Wagner operas).