Alfred Giovanni Roncalli Boe (born 29 September 1973) is an English tenor and actor, notably performing in musical theatre. He is best known for his performances as Jean Valjean in the

musical Musical is the adjective of music Music is generally defined as the The arts, art of arranging sound to create some combination of Musical form, form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise Musical expression, expressive content. Exact def ...

Les Misérables ''Les Misérables'' ( , ) is a French historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published in 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century. In the English-speaking world, the novel is usually referred to by its original ...

'' at the Queen's Theatre in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, the '' 25th Anniversary Concert'', the 2014 Broadway revival and the '' All-Star Staged Concert''. He played the lead role in '' Finding Neverland'' on Broadway beginning 29 March 2016. As well, Boe shared a

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...

with the other members of the ensemble cast of

Baz Luhrmann Mark Anthony Luhrmann (born 17 September 1962), known professionally as Baz Luhrmann, is an Australian film director, producer, writer and actor. With projects spanning film, television, opera, theatre, music and recording industries, he is re ...

's 2002 revival of ''

La bohème ''La bohème'' (; ) is an opera in four acts,Puccini called the divisions '' quadri'', '' tableaux'' or "images", rather than ''atti'' (acts). composed by Giacomo Puccini between 1893 and 1895 to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuse ...

'' in 2003. He has sold more than one million albums in the United Kingdom. One of his most recent performances include Together in Vegas (with Michael Ball). On October 2022 he announced that he would be doing a solo tour in 2023.

Background

Boe, the youngest in a family of nine children, was born in

Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside resort in Lancashire, England. Located on the northwest coast of England, it is the main settlement within the borough also called Blackpool. The town is by the Irish Sea, between the Ribble and Wyre rivers, and ...

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a Historic counties of England, historic county, Ceremonial County, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significa ...

, and brought up in nearby

Fleetwood Fleetwood is a coastal town in the Borough of Wyre in Lancashire, England, at the northwest corner of the Fylde. It had a population of 25,939 at the 2011 census. Fleetwood acquired its modern character in the 1830s, when the principal lando ...

. He is of Irish and Norwegian descent. His mother and father named him after the Italian name of

Pope John XXIII Pope John XXIII ( la, Ioannes XXIII; it, Giovanni XXIII; born Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli, ; 25 November 18813 June 1963) was head of the Roman Catholic Church, Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City, Vatican City State from 28 Oc ...

. He attended St Wulstan's and St Edmund's School and Cardinal Allen Catholic High School in Fleetwood. His earliest musical memories were of listening to his father's Richard Tauber records and he discovered

Puccini Giacomo Puccini (Lucca, 22 December 1858Bruxelles, 29 November 1924) was an Italian composer known primarily for his operas. Regarded as the greatest and most successful proponent of Italian opera after Verdi, he was descended from a long li ...

's ''

'' for the first time. Boe's first public performance, aged 14, was at Fleetwood's Marine Hall in a "Songs from the Shows" presentation organised by inspirational local singing teacher Lottie Dawson. He said that although he sang only a couple of lines he was extremely nervous. At the age of 17, Boe became an apprentice mechanic at the TVR factory in Bispham, Blackpool. He enjoyed entertaining his colleagues by singing opera arias while he polished the cars, and one day was overheard by a client with connections in the music industry who was so impressed that he suggested Boe should go to London and audition for the

D'Oyly Carte Opera Company The D'Oyly Carte Opera Company is a professional British light opera company that, from the 1870s until 1982, staged Gilbert and Sullivan's Savoy operas nearly year-round in the UK and sometimes toured in Europe, North America and elsewhere. T ...

. His audition was a success and he gave up polishing cars to embark on a singing career. Boe has not been able to trace the customer who suggested he go for the audition, having lost the man's

business card Business cards are cards bearing business information about a company or individual. They are shared during formal introductions as a convenience and a memory aid. A business card typically includes the giver's name, company or business ...

Singing and acting career

Boe moved to London and studied singing at the

Royal College of Music The Royal College of Music is a music school, conservatoire established by royal charter in 1882, located in South Kensington, London, UK. It offers training from the Undergraduate education, undergraduate to the Doctorate, doctoral level in a ...

, the National Opera Studio and the

Royal Opera House The Royal Opera House (ROH) is an opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London. The large building is often referred to as simply Covent Garden, after a previous use of the site. It is the home of The Royal ...

's Vilar Young Artists Programme. In 1999 and 2000, he was featured as the "opera dude" on albums by

the Clint Boon Experience The Clint Boon Experience (stylised as The Clint Boon Experience!, also known as CBX) are an English alternative rock band formed by ex- Inspiral Carpets keyboard player Clint Boon after Inspiral Carpets disbanded in the mid 1990s. Backgro ...

, led by the former organist of the

Inspiral Carpets Inspiral Carpets are an English rock band, part of the late-1980s/early-1990s Madchester movement. Formed in Oldham in 1980, the band's most successful lineup featured frontman Tom Hingley, drummer Craig Gill, guitarist Graham Lambert, bassi ...

. In 1999 he sang Ernesto for Scottish Opera in their Opera-Go-Round production of ''

Don Pasquale ''Don Pasquale'' () is an opera buffa, or comic opera, in three acts by Gaetano Donizetti with an Italian libretto completed largely by Giovanni Ruffini as well as the composer. It was based on a libretto by Angelo Anelli for Stefano Paves ...

'', touring widely throughout Scotland.

Broadway and West End

, who had spent two years looking for the lead for his Broadway production of ''

'', approached Boe for the role. Boe subsequently appeared (credited as Alfred Boe) on the 2002 Broadway Cast Recording released by Bazmark Live. Boe and the other principal leads received the Tony Honors for Excellence in Theatre in 2003. He has also sung the role at

Glyndebourne Glyndebourne () is an English country house, the site of an opera house that, since 1934, has been the venue for the annual Glyndebourne Festival Opera. The house, located near Lewes in East Sussex, England, is thought to be about six hundre ...

and the

English National Opera English National Opera (ENO) is an opera company based in London, resident at the London Coliseum in St Martin's Lane. It is one of the two principal opera companies in London, along with The Royal Opera. ENO's productions are sung in Englis ...

. In 2006, Boe was signed to the Classic FM Presents label as their first signing in a new venture for the radio station, and his album ''Classic FM Presents Alfie Boe'' reached number three in the UK classical chart. At the 2006 Canterbury Festival, on 27 October, Boe performed with soprano

Hayley Westenra Hayley Dee Westenra (born 10 April 1987) is a New Zealand classical crossover singer and songwriter. Her first internationally released album, '' Pure'', reached number one on the UK classical charts in 2003 and has sold more than two million ...

at a concert in Canterbury Cathedral. In November 2006 he was signed to the

EMI Classics EMI Classics was a record label founded by Thorn EMI in 1990 to reduce the need to create country-specific packaging and catalogues for internationally distributed European classical music, classical music releases. After Thorn EMI demerged ...

label and his first album on that label, ''Onward'', was released in March 2007. Boe toured the United Kingdom with the Fron Male Voice Choir in February 2007 and took part in the first Classic FM

webcast A webcast is a media presentation distributed over the Internet using streaming media technology to distribute a single content source to many simultaneous listeners/viewers. A webcast may either be distributed live or on demand. Essentially, web ...

concert with soprano

Natasha Marsh Natasha Jane Marsh (born 1975) is a Wales, Welsh soprano singer. A highly regarded performer in both opera and oratorio, her debut album, ''Amour'', topped the classical album charts in 2007. She has toured with artists such as G4 (band), G4, Russ ...

in March. The same month, he was appointed as an ambassador of the Prince of Wales Arts & Kids Foundation, a British educational charity working to inspire and educate children by introducing them to the arts. Boe's role being to bring music, and opera in particular for those children involved. In April, Boe starred opposite

Lesley Garrett Lesley Garrett, CBE (born 10 April 1955) is an English soprano singer, musician, broadcaster and media personality. She is noted for being at home in opera and "crossover music". Early life Garrett was born in the town of Thorne, near Doncas ...

and Willard White in the ITV ''Music of Morse'' concert at the

Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London. One of the UK's most treasured and distinctive buildings, it is held in trust for the nation and managed by a registered charity which receives no govern ...

. He was also nominated for a

Classical BRIT The Classic BRIT Awards (previously Classical BRIT Awards) are an annual awards ceremony held in the United Kingdom covering aspects of classical and crossover music, and are the equivalent of popular music's Brit Awards. The awards are org ...

for Best Album, missing out to

Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained worldwide fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John Lennon. On ...

at the ceremony on 3 May 2007. Boe performed with Michael Ball in the

production of '' Kismet''. His live performance of the song " Stranger in Paradise" from ''Kismet'' on the Michael Parkinson show was released as a download single on 25 June 2007. In August, Boe realised an ambition to record an album of Neapolitan songs which was released in November under the title ''La Passione''. On 24 August 2007 he performed at the

Arundel Festival Arundel ( ) is a market town and civil parish in the Arun District of the South Downs, West Sussex, England. The much-conserved town has a medieval castle and Roman Catholic cathedral. Arundel has a museum and comes second behind much large ...

alongside

. On 19 October 2007 he performed at Canterbury Cathedral during the Canterbury Festival. Boe performed at the annual Festival of Remembrance at the

on 10 November 2007. On 31 January 2008, Boe performed at the Pleasure Beach Arena,

to more than 1,600 local children in a special Music Quest concert to introduce the classics to a new generation. The concert celebrated the end of the Music Quest three-year project, which was sponsored by the Prince of Wales Arts & Kids Foundation and Classic FM MusicMakers.

''Les Misérables''

On 3 October 2010, Boe took the role of Jean Valjean in a concert performance of the musical ''

'' at the O2 Arena in London to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the show, released on DVD and

Blu-ray The Blu-ray Disc (BD), often known simply as Blu-ray, is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released on June 20, 2006 worldwide. It is designed to supersede the DVD format, and capable of s ...

Disc. The concert encore performance of " Bring Him Home", credited as the "Valjean Quartet" – Boe with

Colm Wilkinson Colm Wilkinson (born 5 June 1944), also known as C. T. Wilkinson, is an Irish tenor and actor who is best known for originating the lead role of Jean Valjean in ''Les Misérables'' (in the West End and Broadway) and for taking the title role i ...

, John Owen-Jones and Simon Bowman, each of whom has portrayed Valjean in various theatrical productions, was re-recorded at the Abbey Road Studios and released as a charity CD single and download on 13 December 2010. On 16 December 2010, Boe once again performed as Valjean in the

Royal Variety Performance The ''Royal Variety Performance'' is a televised variety show held annually in the United Kingdom to raise money for the Royal Variety Charity (of which King Charles III is life-patron). It is attended by senior members of the British royal ...

in front of

Charles, Prince of Wales Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person to ...

and

Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall Camilla (born Camilla Rosemary Shand, later Parker Bowles, 17 July 1947) is Queen Consort of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms as the wife of King Charles III. She became queen consort on 8 September 2022, upon the a ...

singing " What Have I Done?", and "Bring Him Home" again alongside Wilkinson, Owen-Jones and Bowman. Boe appeared as Valjean in ''Les Misérables'' at the Queen's Theatre in London from 23 June to 26 November 2011. His friend Matt Lucas also joined the cast as Thenardier. During his run as Valjean, Boe appeared in the "''Les Misérables'' v Lend Me a Tenor Battle of the Tenors" at

Soho Soho is an area of the City of Westminster, part of the West End of London. Originally a fashionable district for the aristocracy, it has been one of the main entertainment districts in the capital since the 19th century. The area was develo ...

's Winnett Street in London on 13 July 2011. In August, Boe performed with the National Symphony Orchestra at Beau Sejour and Gloucester Hall. In 2015, he reprised the role of Valjean in the Broadway revival of ''Les Misérables'' at the Imperial Theatre in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...

. He succeeded

Ramin Karimloo Ramin Karimloo ( fa, رامین کریملو; ; born September 19, 1978) is a Canadian actor, singer and composer recognized for his work in London's West End and Broadway theatre. He has played the leading male roles in both of the West End's ...

, who played Enjolras in the 25th Anniversary concert, on 1 September 2015. In February 2019, Boe announced he would reprise the role of Valjean at the Gielgud Theatre in a staged concert production of ''Les Misérables''. Boe shared the role with John Owen-Jones and starred opposite Michael Ball (Inspector Javert); with whom he has performed on numerous occasions and Matt Lucas (Thénardier). The production opened on 10 August 2019, at the

Gielgud Theatre The Gielgud Theatre is a West End theatre, located on Shaftesbury Avenue, at the corner of Rupert Street, in the City of Westminster, London. The house currently has 986 seats on three levels. The theatre was designed by W. G. R. Sprague an ...

and closed 2 December 2019.

Other performances

In January 2011, Boe performed for

in ''

La Bohème ''La bohème'' (; ) is an opera in four acts,Puccini called the divisions '' quadri'', '' tableaux'' or "images", rather than ''atti'' (acts). composed by Giacomo Puccini between 1893 and 1895 to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuse ...

'' and ''

The Mikado ''The Mikado; or, The Town of Titipu'' is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert, their ninth of fourteen operatic collaborations. It opened on 14 March 1885, in London, where it ran at the Sa ...

''. In March 2011, Boe performed three concerts in

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Montana and W ...

: two in Rexburg, and one in

Sun Valley Sun Valley may refer to: Places Australia * Sun Valley, New South Wales * Sun Valley, Queensland, a suburb of Gladstone United States * Valley of the Sun, a region that covers the Phoenix metropolitan area *Sun Valley, Arizona * Sun Valley, Los A ...

. In April, Boe appeared in ''The Great British Musical – The Famous and the Future'' at the

Criterion Theatre The Criterion Theatre is a West End theatre at Piccadilly Circus in the City of Westminster, and is a Grade II* listed building. It has a seating capacity of 588. Building the theatre In 1870, the caterers Spiers and Pond began developmen ...

and the St George's Day celebration concert in

Trafalgar Square Trafalgar Square ( ) is a public square in the City of Westminster, Central London, laid out in the early 19th century around the area formerly known as Charing Cross. At its centre is a high column bearing a statue of Admiral Nelson commem ...

. In May, Boe performed at the Classical BRIT Awards ceremony at the

, in the

Isle of Man ) , anthem = " O Land of Our Birth" , image = Isle of Man by Sentinel-2.jpg , image_map = Europe-Isle_of_Man.svg , mapsize = , map_alt = Location of the Isle of Man in Europe , map_caption = Location of the Isle of Man (green) in Europ ...

, and headlined the Hampton Court Palace Festival finale on 18 June 2011. Boe appeared in the BBC Last Night of the Proms concert at the Caird Hall on 10 September 2011 and the Llanelli Choral Society's Grand Performance Concert at Tabernacle Chapel,

Llanelli Llanelli ("St Elli's llan (placename element), Parish"; ) is a market town and the largest community in Carmarthenshire and the Preserved counties of Wales, preserved county of Dyfed, Wales. It is located on the Loughor estuary north-west of ...

on 24 September 2011. Boe began the "Alfie Boe 'Bring Him Home' UK Concert Tour" in

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city i ...

on 6 December 2011, finishing in Gateshead Sage on 4 February 2012. In October 2011, Boe announced that he would appear in the Lytham Proms Festival Weekend on 4 August 2012. The festival is hosted in the town of

Lytham St Annes Lytham St Annes () is a seaside town in the Borough of Fylde in Lancashire, England. It is on the Fylde coast, directly south of Blackpool on the Ribble Estuary. The population at the 2011 census was 42,954. The town is almost contiguous wi ...

, close to his hometown of

. The local newspaper ''

Blackpool Gazette The ''Blackpool Gazette'' (locally marketed as simply ''The Gazette'') is an English daily newspaper based in Blackpool, Lancashire. Published every day except Sunday, it covers the towns and communities of the Fylde coast. It was founded as '' ...

'' described his concert as a homecoming, using the title 'Bring HIM Home'. On 6 May 2012, Boe performed at the Kauffman Center in

Kansas City The Kansas City metropolitan area is a bi-state metropolitan area anchored by Kansas City, Missouri. Its 14 counties straddle the border between the U.S. states of Missouri (9 counties) and Kansas (5 counties). With and a population of more ...

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

. On 4 June 2012, Boe performed at the Diamond Jubilee Concert for the Diamond Jubilee of

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...

. He sang " 'O sole mio" leading into

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...

's " It's Now or Never". He also performed " Somewhere" from ''

West Side Story ''West Side Story'' is a musical conceived by Jerome Robbins with music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and a book by Arthur Laurents. Inspired by William Shakespeare's play ''Romeo and Juliet'', the story is set in the mid- ...

'' with American soprano Renee Fleming on the balcony of Buckingham Palace. He appeared on ''

The One Show ''The One Show'' is a British television magazine and chat show programme. Broadcast live on BBC One weeknights at 7:00 pm, it features topical stories and studio guests. It is currently co-hosted by Alex Jones, Jermaine Jenas, and Rona ...

'' on 30 August 2012. On 2 October 2012, Boe embarked on a major U.S./Canada concert tour starting in

Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

and ending in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most pop ...

on 29 October. In December 2012, Boe was featured as a guest artist for the holiday concert series of the

Mormon Tabernacle Choir The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square, formerly known as the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, is an American choir, acting as part of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). It has performed in the Salt Lake Tabernacle for ov ...

, Orchestra at Temple Square and Bells on Temple Square. The concerts also featured broadcaster

Tom Brokaw Thomas John Brokaw (; born February 6, 1940) is an American retired network television journalist and author. He first served as the co-anchor of ''The Today Show'' from 1976 to 1981 with Jane Pauley, then as the anchor and managing editor of ' ...

, who narrated the story of Gail Halvorsen (who also made an appearance) and the candy bombers of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. Boe performed several Christmas favourites as well as "Bring Him Home". The live performances were recorded and released as '' Home for the Holidays feat. Alfie Boe''. Boe returned to the U.S. in late January 2013 for an eight-city tour, starting in Albany,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

27 January and ending in

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

9 February. In February 2013, Boe, colloquially known as the Lancashire Michael Bublé, was awarded two platinum albums by the BPI for ''Alfie'' (2011) and ''Bring Him Home'' (2010). Boe performed a three-week, 14-city tour, which started in

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the We ...

and ended in

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingd ...

, Northern Ireland. On 15 April 2013, Boe was awarded a Fellowship of the Royal College of Music from his alma mater. On 26 May 2013, Boe sang "Bring Him Home" at the U.S. National Memorial Day Concert on the West Lawn of the

Capitol A capitol, named after the Capitoline Hill in Rome, is usually a legislative building where a legislature meets and makes laws for its respective political entity. Specific capitols include: * United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. * Numerou ...

in Washington, D.C. In 2014 he recorded an orchestrated version of

Pete Townshend Peter Dennis Blandford Townshend (; born 19 May 1945) is an English musician. He is co-founder, leader, guitarist, second lead vocalist and principal songwriter of the Who, one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s and 1970s. Towns ...

Quadrophenia ''Quadrophenia'' is the sixth studio album by the English rock band the Who, released as a double album on 26 October 1973 by Track Records. It is the group's third rock opera, the two previous being the "mini-opera" song "A Quick One, Whi ...

, with the

London Philharmonic Orchestra The London Philharmonic Orchestra (LPO) is one of five permanent symphony orchestras based in London. It was founded by the conductors Sir Thomas Beecham and Malcolm Sargent in 1932 as a rival to the existing London Symphony and BBC Sym ...

. He said "I've always thought the classical voice can lend itself to this kind of repertoire. It's harder than opera but thrilling to sing. The music is so full of excitement, positivity and strength - I wouldn't separate it from a symphony by Beethoven or Mozart" (liner notes). The album was released as Pete Townshend's Classic Quadrophenia. Boe performed at VE Day 70: A Party to Remember at

Horse Guards Parade Horse Guards Parade is a large parade ground off Whitehall in central London (at grid reference ). It is the site of the annual ceremonies of Trooping the Colour, which commemorates the monarch's official birthday, and the Beating Retreat. ...

in London on 9 May 2015. On 4 and 5 June 2015, Boe performed two concerts at Symphony Hall with the Phoenix Symphony, filling in for

, who was forced to drop out due to illness. From 7 April to 13 May 2017, Boe starred as the romantic lead Billy Bigelow in Rodgers and Hammerstein's ''

Carousel A carousel or carrousel (mainly North American English), merry-go-round (international), roundabout (British English), or hurdy-gurdy (an old term in Australian English, in SA) is a type of amusement ride consisting of a rotating circular pla ...

'' in a limited run at the

directed by Lonny Price, opposite mezzo-soprano Katherine Jenkins.

Television

Boe appeared as music-hall singer Richard Chapman in an episode of '' Mr Selfridge''. In 2016 and 2017, Boe and Michael Ball appeared in two ITV Specials, ''Ball & Boe: One Night Only'' and ''Ball & Boe Back Together''. Boe replaced

Aled Jones Aled Jones, (born 29 December 1970) is a Welsh singer and radio and television presenter. As a teenage chorister, he reached widespread fame during the mid-1980s. Since then he has worked in television with the BBC and ITV, and radio (for ...

as presenter of ''Christmas Carols on ITV'' in December 2017''.'' On 3 March, Boe performed in 'The End of the Show Show' on '' Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway'' alongside Michael Ball. Boe is a participant in the current reality competition series '' Freeze the Fear with Wim Hof''. In 2022, Boe appeared on ITV’s Love Island singing for Davide and Ekin-Su as part of their final date.

Personal life

Boe met his wife Sarah while rehearsing ''La Bohème'' in

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

. They have two children, a daughter, Grace, and a son, Alfred Robert. He is a member of the Grand Order of Water Rats. Boe was appointed

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(OBE) in the 2019 Birthday Honours for services to music and charity. On 24 August 2020, Boe announced that he and his wife Sarah had separated and that everything was "very amicable".

Solo recordings

*''Classic FM Presents Alfie Boe'' (Classic FM, 2006/Reissued with alternate cover photo, Universal Music, 2008/Reissued with alternative title ''The Sound of Alfie Boe'' as HMV exclusive on Decca, UK, February 2011) *''Onward'' (physical CD contains 12 tracks – some download versions feature an additional track "Where'er You Walk (from ''Semele'')" – EMI Classics, 2007) *''A Living Prayer (Radio Edit)/Abide With Me'' (EMI Classics, 2007 – download single) *''Stranger in Paradise'' (Live on Parkinson)/''You'll Never Walk Alone'' (EMI Classics, 2007 – download single) *''Live at Abbey Road – The Napster Sessions'' (Napster exclusive four-track download includes three live songs from "La Passione" and a cover of The Beatles' "Eleanor Rigby" – EMI Classics, 2007) *''La Passione'' (physical CD contains 15 tracks – some download versions feature an additional track "Lolita". Another track "La Paloma" recorded but not issued. EMI Classics, 2007) *''Franz Lehár: Love Was A Dream'' (Linn Records, 2009/Reissued as "Love Was A Dream" with new artwork on Decca, July 2011) *''Bring Him Home'' (studio version, credited as the Valjean Quartet – Alfie Boe, Simon Bowman, John Owen-Jones and Colm Wilkinson – Cameron Mackintosh Limited, 2010 – CD/download charity single) *''Bring Him Home'' (includes duets with Kerry Ellis & Matt Lucas, Shakira and Melanie C – Decca Records, December 2010) *''You'll Never Walk Alone – The Collection'' 16-song compilation CD features six songs not included on Boe's solo CD albums – two songs from ''Eternal Light'', plus "Where'er You Walk", "Brindisi", "Abide With Me" and "Fratello Sole, Sorella Luna". (EMI Classics, 21 March 2011) *''Alfie'' UK version – 15 tracks, includes tracks featuring Michael Ball & Robert Plant (Decca Records, 31 October 2011) *''Alfie'' US version – 15 tracks, includes tracks featuring Nick Jonas and Robert Plant. The U.S. version substitutes the "Empty Chairs" duet from Michael Ball to Nick Jonas, and deletes "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" replaced with the studio version of "Bring Him Home". (Decca Records, 5 June 2012) *''Storyteller'' UK version – 13 tracks (Decca Records, 12 November 2012) *''Storyteller'' UK download version – 16 tracks [adds "Always A Woman To Me", "I Can't Help Falling in Love With You (Secret Rehearsal Take)", and "Bring Him Home (Live Version)" plus four "Song Commentary" video clips (Decca Records, 9 November 2012 – Amazon.co.uk and iTunes UK] *''Storyteller'' UK Sainsbury's Entertainment version – 15 tracks (adds "Wayfaring Stranger – Bonus Track – Live From Dallas", and "Rank Strangers To Me – Bonus Track – Live From Dallas" (Decca Records, 12 November) *''Storyteller'' US version – 14 tracks includes exclusive bonus track "Angel" (Decca Records, 6 August 2013) *''Trust'' UK version – 12 tracks (Decca Records, 11 November 2013) *''Trust'' US version – 13 tracks – adds a bonus version of "Danny Boy" (Mr. Selfridge version) (Manhattan Records, 29 April 2014)

Also appears on

*"Johann Strauss: Die Fledermaus – Sung in English – D'Oyly Carte Opera Company, John Owen Edwards – conductor" (The first released studio recording of Alfred Boe – two-CD, Sony Classics S2K 64573, 1995) *''

The Compact Guide to Pop Music and Space Travel ''The Compact Guide to Pop Music and Space Travel'' is the debut album by The Clint Boon Experience, which is the band formed by Inspiral Carpets organist Clint Boon in the late nineties. "White No Sugar" was released as a single, as were "Yo ...

'' (The Clint Boon Experience! aka CBX! – guest appearance on two tracks: "Comet Theme Number One" & "Only One Way I Can Go" – credited as Alf Boe: Opera Vocal – Artful Records, 1999) *"Gilbert & Sullivan: HMS Pinafore – The 1999 D'Oyly Carte Cast Complete Dialogue & Songs Recording" (Performing the role of Ralph Rackstraw, credited as Alfred Boe – two-CD, TER, 2000 – Reissued 2008) *''

Life in Transition ''Life in Transition'' is the second album by The Clint Boon Experience, which is the band formed by Clint Boon in the late nineties. The album cover artwork features a photograph of Clint's son Max Presley Boon, who was 5 years old at the time ...

'' (The Clint Boon Experience! aka CBX! – guest appearance on four tracks: "This is the Sound", "Life in Transition", "17 & Over!" & "In Chaos I See" – credited as Alf Boe: Opera Vocal – Artful Records, 2000) *"The Most Happy Fella – First Complete Recording – Studio Cast" (three-CD Box Set – appears on six tracks, performing the role of Giuseppe, credited as Alfred Boe. Recorded 1997–1999 – JAY, 2000 – Reissued on TER, 2010) *"Verdi: Aida – The 2002 Opera in English Recording" (two-CD Box Set – appears on two tracks in the role of "A Messenger" – credited as Alfred Boe – Chandos "Opera in English", 2002) *"La Bohème – The 2002 Broadway Cast Recording" (credited as Alfred Boe – Bazmark Live Pty Ltd., 2002) *"Barry Banks Sings Bel Canto Arias" (Alfred Boe as Pilades duets on "Palace of Horrors! – Ah, How Can I Hide the Flames" from Rossini's "Ermione", Recorded September 2001 – Chandos "Opera in English", 2004) *"Sleigh Ride" (Alfred Boe appears on two tracks: "'Twas the Night Before Christmas" & "O Holy Night" – The Boston Pops Orchestra – Conducted By Keith Lockhart, Artemis Classics, 2004) *"Myleene’s Music For Romance" (Myleene Klass – two-CD Compilation features previously unreleased Alfie Boe track "Fratello Sole, Sorella Luna" written by Donovan from the Zeffirelli film "Brother Sun, Sister Moon" – EMI Classics, 2007) *"Elizabeth Marvelly" (Self-titled debut CD features Alfie Boe duet on "Stranger in Paradise" – EMI, 2007) *Howard Goodall, ''Eternal Light: A Requiem'' (tenor soloist on four tracks, with Natasha Marsh; Christopher Maltman; Choir of Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford; London Musici; and Stephen Darlington; EMI Classics, 2008) *"Natasha Marsh" (Self-titled CD featuring Alfie Boe duet on "Brindisi" (La Traviata) – EMI Classics, 2008) *"Pride of the Nation" (The Band of the Coldstream Guards, CD featuring Alfie Boe on "Jerusalem" (Parry, arr. Eyton) – Decca CD/DVD + Download, 28 March 2011) *"Downton Abbey" (Original Music from the Television Series – Alfie sings two tracks " If You Were the Only Girl (In the World)" and " Roses of Picardy") – Decca CD + Download, 19 September 2011) *"First Night" (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack – Alfie sings "Un'aura amorosa", duet "Volgi a me (Fra gli amplessi)" and appears on an ensemble track "Fortunato – Act II Finale", all from Mozart's "Così fan tutte" – Sony Classical CD + Download, 17 October 2011) *"Summon The Heroes" (The Band of H.M. Royal Marines – Alfie sings "Over the Hills and Far Away" – Decca CD + Download, 14 November 2011) *"One Vision" (Alfie Boe & Kimberley Walsh featuring Youth Music Voices Choir – Decca (UMO) UK Download Only, 11 May 2012) *"Sing – E.P." (Gary Barlow & the Commonwealth Band Feat. Alfie Boe & Military Wives – Alfie sings on "Land of Hope and Glory" – Decca CD + Download, 28 May 2012) *'' Home for the Holidays feat. Alfie Boe'' (Mormon Tabernacle Choir CD + Download + DVD, 15 October 2013)

Discography

Studio albums * ''Classic FM presents Alfie Boe'' (2006) * ''Onward'' (2007) * ''La Passione'' (2007) * ''Franz Lehar: Love Was a Dream'' (2009) * '' Bring Him Home'' (2010) * '' Alfie'' (2011) * '' Storyteller'' (2012) * '' Trust'' (2013) * ''

Serenata In music, a serenade (; also sometimes called a serenata, from the Italian) is a musical composition or performance delivered in honor of someone or something. Serenades are typically calm, light pieces of music. The term comes from the Ital ...

'' (2014) * '' Together'' (with Michael Ball) (2016) * '' Together Again'' (with Michael Ball) (2017) * '' As Time Goes By'' (2018) * '' Back Together'' (with Michael Ball) (2019) * '' Together at Christmas'' (with Michael Ball) (2020) Compilation albums * ''You'll Never Walk Alone – The Collection'' (2011) * ''Solo & Apart: A Collection of Songs from Their Past'' (with Michael Ball) (2017) Video albums * ''Alfie Boe Live – The Bring Him Home Tour'' (2012)

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Boe, Alfie 1973 births 20th-century English male actors 20th-century British male opera singers 21st-century English male actors 21st-century British male opera singers Alumni of the Royal College of Music English male musical theatre actors English people of Irish descent English people of Norwegian descent English Roman Catholics English tenors Living people Male actors from Lancashire Musicians from Lancashire Officers of the Order of the British Empire Opera crossover singers People from Blackpool People from Fleetwood