Mark Vincent is the winner of Australia's Got Talent 2009. At only 15 years old,
Mark has started his journey in establishing himself as Australia's newest, and
youngest, Opera virtuoso. His debut album, My Dream - Mio Visione, is an
eclectic mix of classics, covering a variety of genres, from Opera (
Nessun
Dorma, his winning song from Australia's Got Talent), to popular classics (
Unchained
Melody, My Way).
Mark Vincent (
born September 4, 1993 in Caringbah, New South Wales) is an
Australian opera singer. Vincent won Australia's Got Talent on 22 April 2009.
His main inspiration is his recently deceased grandfather, Bruno, who raised him
and taught him how to sing. Vincent has said that he would like to follow in the
footsteps of his idol Anthony Warlow. He also stated that he admired opera
singers Andrea Bocelli and Luciano Pavarotti.
Vincent is a student at De La Salle College, Caringbah where he likes to play
soccer. He hopes to study at the Conservatorio di Musica Giuseppe Verdi (the
Milan Conservatory), the leading musical institution in Italy where Giacomo
Puccini also studied.
About Mark Vincent
Words can't describe how I felt, they really can't,' says 15 year-old Mark
Vincent of the moment he was named the latest winner of Australia's Got Talent -
joining the likes of Susan Boyle and Paul Potts, who have been made global
superstars thanks to the Got Talent format.
And not unlike those other famous discoveries, Mark turned out to be the series'
real surprise package. When fronted by the fresh-faced teenager the show's
judges certainly didn't expect the voice that was about to be unleashed. Fast
forward to the grand final and Mark finds himself one of the final two
contestants, heart in mouth, standing alongside 12 year-old singer Jal Joshua.
'There was a drum role, and my mind is going at a million miles an hour,' he
remembers. '[Host] Grant Denyer says, 'The winner of Australia's Got Talent is
Mark Vincent!' Oh my God, my whole body dropped with relief.'
But it was a moment that almost didn't happen. A 13-year-old Mark had first
auditioned for the 2007 series, immediately impressing the show's producers who
promised to call. However, months later Mark and his family still hadn't heard
from them. It was only when Mark decided to audition again two years later that
he discovered producers had lost his original audition tape. 'They thanked me
for coming back!' he recalls with a laugh. 'Really, I'm happy I didn't get in
two years ago. Things happen for a reason and maybe I wasn't as ready then.'
At age 15, Mark is already a veteran of the industry. His late Grandfather,
Bruno Riccio OAM, realised Mark's talent as he sang along to Andrea Boccelli
albums at the family's Italian restaurant at age nine. The boy soprano was soon
taking singing lessons and before long Bruno was ferrying him to performances at
markets, hospitals and charity balls, Mark's repertoire expanding to include
swing and musical theatre numbers.
Following his AGT triumph, a performance on Sunrise and a live-to-air plea from
host David Koch that Mark deserved a record deal, Mark received an invitation to
support Northern Irish vocal group, The Priests, at the Sydney Entertainment
Centre - a rather daunting venue for a professional live debut. Mark rose to the
occasion, and having received an incredible response from the crowd, soon found
himself in a studio recording his debut album My Dream - Mio Visione.
Under the masterful eye of producer/arranger Chong Lim (John Farnham, Kylie
Minogue, David Campbell), the record is an eclectic mix of songs - covering
decades and genres and making them all distinctly Mark's. 'He really knows what
he's doing,' says Mark of working with Chong. 'He just thinks music.'
Kicking off with the timeless 'Nessun Dorma', the album seamlessly takes in
theatre favourites and modern classics such as Leonard Cohen's 'Hallelujah' '
complete with a verse in Italian.
Mark's rendition of 'My Way' is a revelation. It leaves the listener wondering
if he might be a distant relative of Ol' Blue Eyes himself, showing he is every
bit as convincing a crooner as he is a tenor. The song has special meaning to
Mark as it was his grandfather's favourite, and Bruno asked his grandson to sing
it at his funeral, saying the lyrics summed up how he lived his life. The
funeral has so far been the only time Mark has performed the song in public.
'When I sang 'My Way' with the orchestra Chong shed a tear,' he admits.
An organic interpretation of 'The Prayer' finds Mark giving a startlingly
pensive delivery, while his flamenco-tinged take on the Andrew
Lloyd-Webber-penned 'No Matter What', a hit for Boyzone, sees him team up with
Australia's Got Talent runner-up Jal Joshua.
Finally, there is Mark's version of the National Anthem, 'Advance Australia
Fair', arranged by Tommy Tycho who was responsible for Julie Anthony's classic
version of the much-loved song. 'The Australian Anthem has never been recorded
by a guy on a CD before,' Mark says patriotically.
Having achieved so many of his dreams, it's inevitable that Mark should dedicate
his debut album to his hero - grandfather Bruno. 'He would be so proud,' Mark
says. 'I can just imagine his face at the moment; he'd be on top of the world.'
Mark Vincent's Website