DUBAI: Some dreams really do come true. When Saudi opera singer Sawsan Albahiti was still a university student in the UAE, she had a very particular dream about performing with the artist who inspired her the most — Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli.
“I don’t know why, but he was always wearing a blue suit and I was wearing black,” she tells Arab News.
On Jan. 26, Albahiti — dressed in black — sang Bocelli’s signature song “Time To Say Goodbye” (“Con te partiro” in Italian) with Bocelli (who wore a blue tuxedo) and Italian soprano Serena Gamberoni as the closing number of his concert at AlUla’s Maraya Theater.
Sawsan Albahiti and Andrea Bocelli backstage at the Maraya Theater on Jan. 26. (Supplied)
“To perform with the person that inspired you to do what you always dreamed of doing is, of course, the biggest deal ever,” Albahiti says. “I remember when I was studying in the UAE, whenever I went to Dubai Mall I’d go to the dancing fountains, and they would play his song with Sarah Brightman, ‘Time To Say Goodbye.’ I’d always get goosebumps and tear up. I was always so fascinated by the beauty and the magic in his voice. He made me love this whole art. I always dreamed of performing this song with him.”
Albahiti also gave a pre-show and a solo performance at the special concert, which was organized by the Royal Commission For AlUla.
Albahiti says it was typical of Bocelli to invite a local artist up on stage to perform with him, and highlights his generosity as a performer.
“Between his singing parts, he turned to me and said in Italian, ‘Prego,’ meaning ‘You are welcome here,’” she says. “There was a massive roar and a standing ovation when we finished the song.”
This wasn’t the first time that Albahiti has met Bocelli. Their first encounter took place in 2021, and it was an emotional one.
“He was so humble and kind,” she recalls. “I told him, ‘You are the reason why I went into opera. You inspired me.’ And he teared up. His story is a very inspiring one, full of challenges. On top of the physical disability of blindness, he also faced difficulty at the start of his career getting the recognition he deserved from producers and record labels. But he kept on going. He pursued his dream.”
