Urs Bühler
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Urs Bühler | |
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 Urs Bühler in concert on Il Divo's World Tour 2007
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Urs Toni Bühler |
| Born | July 19, 1971 Willisau, Lucerne, Switzerland |
| Genre(s) | Operatic pop |
| Occupation(s) | Musician |
| Instrument(s) | Singing, electric guitar, piano, violin, drums, clarinet |
| Years active | 2004–present |
| Label(s) | Sony BMG |
| Associated acts | Il Divo |
Urs Toni Bühler (born July 19, 1971 in Willisau, Lucerne, Switzerland) is a classically-trained tenor and member of the operatic pop musical quartet, Il Divo.
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[edit] Early life
His musical training started at the age of five, when Bühler began singing in a choir and also learned to play violin, clarinet, piano, guitar and drums. His musical career, though, started when he was fifteen in an entirely different genre from lyrical song, being a member of a cover band and later the lead singer of a heavy metal band called "Conspiracy" when he was seventeen years old in Luzern. At the same time, he was already receiving music lessons at the Academy for School and Church Music.[1] His progress in the field led him to move to Amsterdam in the Netherlands, where he studied voice at Sweelink Conservatorium with Udo Reinemann, a well known German baritone. Under the private tutoring of Swedish tenor Gösta Winbergh, member of Stockholm’s Royal Opera, and French tenor Christian Papis, Urs enriched his classical repertoire. He sang in the choir of the Dutch opera and even performed for one season in the Salzburg Festival under the direction of Claudio Abbado. Urs spent the last seven years prior to his commitment to Il Divo in Holland, singing oratorios and performing with the Netherlands Operaa Gezelschap (NOG).[2]. Despite many performances there are only a handful of recordings available of him before Il Divo.
[edit] Il Divo
In December 2003, he became a member of the international musical quartet Il Divo along with Carlos Marín (Spain), Sébastien Izambard (France), and David Miller (United States).
Besides their musical experience and prowess, the members of Il Divo are also recognized for their impeccable taste in fashion, dressing almost exclusively in Armani suits, along with their handsome looks. As a result of this, their first album, called Il Divo became a worldwide multiplatinum selling record when released in November 2004, entering Billboard at number four and selling five million copies worldwide in less than a year and knocking Robbie Williams from the number one spot in the charts. Their second album, Ancora, was released on November 7, 2005 in the United Kingdom. Il Divo's third album, Siempre, was released on November 21, 2006 in the United States and on November 27, 2006 internationally.
[edit] Private life
Urs once dated Dutch actress and soprano Jackie van Oppen for 3 years while living in Amsterdam, Holland.[3] In 2001 Urs began dating violinist Valerie Brusselle [4], till the end of 2006 when the relationship ended.
[edit] Discography
- Johan Sebastian Bach, Johannes Passion, 2003
- Il Divo (as member of Il Divo, 2004)
- Ancora (as member of Il Divo, 2005)
- The Christmas Collection (as member of Il Divo, 2005)
- Voices from the FIFA World Cup (as member of Il Divo, 2006)
- Siempre (as member of Il Divo, 2006)
[edit] Performances
- Der Vogelhändler.Nieuwstad Operette in Nieuwegein. 2002.
- Eine Nacht in Venedig (plays leading role, Caramello). Nieuwstad Operette in Nieuwegein. 2003.
- Johannes Passion. Oude Kerk, Delft. With Philharmonisch Koor Toonkunst Rotterdam. April 17, 2003.
- Ba-ta-clan. Opera Minora. Zee-festival. May 25, 2003.
- Il Divo Live Concert. Recorded at the Teatro Clásico in Mérida, Spain. For the "Encore" DVD, 2005.
- Il Divo World Tour Concert 2006
- Il Divo World Tour Concert 2007
