Live events company AEG Presents has signed an exclusive agreement with legendary tenor Andrea Bocelli to create and manage Bocelli’s public performances for the next five years.
The partnership, announced on Tuesday (May 6), begins on January 1, 2026, and covers all live performances by Bocelli on five continents. It was formed in collaboration with Bocelli’s management team and talent agency WME.
AEG called it “the most important live performance contract in the history of Italian music.”
The deal “also strengthens the collaboration with Universal Music Group, Bocelli’s long-standing record label,” AEG said in a statement.
“I personally flew to Italy to meet Andrea at his home because I wanted to understand the man and the artist before embarking on this journey,” AEG Presents Chairman and CEO Jay Marciano said.
“I’m truly thrilled to welcome him into our family and help take his artistry to even greater heights.”
“When [Bocelli co-manager] Francesco [Pasquero] called us to discuss this vision, we immediately recognized the magnitude of the opportunity,” WME Global Co-Head of Music Kirk Sommer and Senior Partner David Levy said in a joint statement.
“We are incredibly proud to have worked closely with all parties to make this partnership a reality. M. Andrea Bocelli is not only a unique extraordinary talent but also a cultural ambassador whose legacy continues to grow.”
“M. Andrea Bocelli is not only a unique extraordinary talent but also a cultural ambassador whose legacy continues to grow.”
Kirk Sommer & David Levy, WME
With 90 million records sold, Bocelli is the world’s biggest-selling classical artist. He is perhaps best known for his 1995 recording Con Te Partirò, which became a unique top 40 hit around the world, hitting No. 1 on charts in France and Belgium.
A second version of the song – a duet with Sarah Brightman sung partly in English and titled Time to Say Goodbye – was released in late 1996 and became a top 10 hit in numerous countries, including Germany and the UK.
Since rising to prominence in the mid-1990s, Bocelli has released 15 albums in both the pop and classical genres, including hit albums Romanza and Sacred Arias. His 2009 My Christmas was the biggest-selling Christmas album that year in the US.
“This extraordinary partnership marks a fundamental new chapter for Andrea’s global career,” said Bocelli’s managers, Veronica Berti and Francesco Pasquero.
“We are extremely pleased to sign with such exceptional partners who have proven not only to be up to the challenge of this ambitious project, but who have also shown a deep commitment to the artistic vision. The next 10 years will be crucial in consolidating Maestro Bocelli’s role as a global music icon, and we are honored to become part of such a remarkable family.”
“The next 10 years will be crucial in consolidating Maestro Bocelli’s role as a global music icon, and we are honored to become part of such a remarkable family.”
Veronica Berti and Francesco Pasquero, co-managers, Andrea Bocelli
For AEG, the deal with Bocelli follows its acquisition of a stake last year in MCT Agentur, a Germany-headquartered concert promotion company, and its formation of a partnership with Cárdenas Marketing Network (CMN), a Chicago-based international Latin music powerhouse, in order to create what the companies describe as “the world leader in live Latin music.”
A division of Germany’s Anchutz Entertainment Group, AEG Presents is one of the world’s largest live events companies, and is known for operating prominent festivals like Coachella, the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, British Summer Time at Hyde Park, Stagecoach, Hangout Festival, Electric Forest, Rock En Seine, and All Points East.
The company promotes global tours for artists such as Justin Bieber, Zach Bryan, Sabrina Carpenter, Kenny Chesney, Luke Combs, Celine Dion, Elton John, Carin León, Paul McCartney, The Rolling Stones, Ed Sheeran, Taylor Swift, and Tyler, The Creator.Music Business Worldwide
