Belmont musicians join Bocelli on tour

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Holden Cessna of Clearville was among more than 85 Belmont University student musicians from the University Orchestra and Chorale who took the stage alongside world-renowned tenor Andrea Bocelli in February, performing in the Nashville and Birmingham stops of his “Romanza — 30th Anniversary World Tour.”

The students performed with Bocelli, Sunday, Feb. 22, at Legacy Arena at the BJCC in Birmingham, Alabama, and Monday, Feb. 23, at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, joining a professional orchestra conducted by Maestro Steven Mercurio.

The opportunity traces back to October 2025 when Belmont students performed with Bocelli during “An Evening of Hope” at Belmont’s Fisher Center for the Performing Arts, a landmark concert that launched the University’s Hope Transforms campaign. Moved by the students’ professionalism and talent, Bocelli invited the students to join him on tour.

Selected through a professional audition and selection process modeled after industry standards, Belmont’s student musicians performed as paid professionals alongside faculty principals and guest artists. The engagement mirrored the fast-paced realities of the global touring industry, requiring precision, flexibility and excellence at the highest level.