Sunday Morning with the Denver Gay Men's Chorus

I don't know why I am constantly surprised that some of these men's chorus' kick some serious ass, yet when I find them, it makes me oh, so happy. The Denver Gay Men's Chorus is run in conjuncture with the Rocky Mountain Arts Association, and certainly falls in to the happy territory. Check out there first offering, Dona Nobis Pacem. The translated title is Grant Us Peace, the traditional Latin text was given new music by Mark Arnett. This performance is at the Montview Boulevard Presbyterian Church.



While I think there are certainly moments when I am over hearing yet another version of Leonard Cohen's magnificent Hallelujah, I must say I welcome this version, with the interesting use pf percussion in it, as well as the tight harmonies. Give it a listen!



And while a slew of people have recorded The Prayer, I feel quite spoiled to have heard Anthony Callea recording's of it. So I was a bit worried when I hit the play button, but was pleasantly surprised by a rather nice arrangement and performance of the song.



You can learn more about Denver Gay Men's Chorus on their official website here. Like all choruses around the world, I am sure the Denver Gay Men's Chorus would welcome any contribution one could offer. You can do that online here. You can also visit the store here, where you can buy the work of the Denver Gay Men's Chorus, the Denver Women's Chorus, and the Colorado Springs Men's Chorus.

My Prayers for Anthony Callea

I can't believe how long it has been since I first fell in love with the voice of Anthony Callea. In 2004, the amazingly gifted Callea was on a show called Australian Idol, which, of course, I did not see, as I live in the US. However, in one of the rounds, he did a version of The Prayer that went viral on YouTube, and I caught it. Seven years later, I can watch a video of him singing that song, and I still get goosebumps. His voice, it is beyond incredible.



I keep hoping one day I am going to wake up and find the email in my inbox that tells me Anthony will be performing at a special show in New York, or even Philly. And that he brings along his dreamy partner, Tim Campbell. Wow, did I just type that in, and not hit the delete key? Oh, well... To continue the celebration of what I love, here is the angelic Anthony Callea singing Here I Go Again, which just tugs at my core every time I hear him sing it.

Sunday Evening with Anthony Callea

You know, it has been a bit too long since I last featured Anthony Callea, so I will just be doing a random post now, just cause I want to. I admit it, I can't stop listening to this brilliant young man. It all started several years ago when he appeared on Australian Idol. I couldn't watch it, but soon enough saw a clip of him performing The Prayer, and was hooked immediately. It made me watch other performances, including this bold and brave jazz take on Route 66.



I ordered the eponymous first album and had it imported over too me. It was worth the cost, cause I just loved it. That includes the second cut off the album, Rain.



That cut was followed immediately on the album by one of my favorites, Hurts So Bad. I was quite pleased to find this live version of the song.



And, of course, the song that brought him to my attention, The Prayer. I am sure he sang it everywhere, and might have gotten tired of it. But I can tell you, I never tire of it. Just stunning.



The first song I heard from the second album, A New Beginning, was Addicted To You. I was crazy about it, and couldn't wait for my copy of the album to make it's way across the Pacific Ocean.



For more on Anthony Callea, check out his official website here. You can also find some news about Anthony here. You can follow him on Twitter here. He can be quite entertaining, as can be his partner, Tim Campbell, who you can find on Twitter here. Sometimes, they make me laugh just a bit too hard!

'The Prayer' for Japan

Still thinking of Japan, and thought I would offer up a real favorite of mine, Anthony Callea, singing The Prayer. His voice is just so magnificent to me, all these years later, I still get chills when I listen to him.

A Prayer For Japan

After being glued to the CNN reports all night, I just thought I would offer an "Ave Maria" for Japan, with the help of Charlotte Church.

Happy Birthday, Anthony Callea

The talented Australian singer was born in Melbourne 28 years ago, but came to the attention of Australia and the world in 2004 with his time on Australian Idol. On the night of the Top 8 competition, Callea chose to sing a song few would ever pick for a live performance, and the performance became a YouTube sensation. It was at that point I 'discovered' him, and became enamored of his voice. He sang The Prayer as a solo, and was perfection.



After Idol, his recorded version of The Prayer debuted at #1 on the Australian charts, and after seven weeks, it was certified quadruple-platinum. The second single off the album, Rain, spent two weeks on the top of the charts. A DVD made of a live concert for the songs off the album entered the charts at #3, and was certified platinum in sales.



In November 2006, Callea released his second album, A New Chapter. It is a 15-song offering and it should be noted Callea had songwriting credit on all but one track. The album opened at #9 on the Aussie charts, and the second single is one of my favorite Anthony songs to date. Addicted To You is a great song, sung perfectly. Callea's voice moves from Classical to Pop with ease and grace, and keeps me importing his albums just so I can hear them.



In 2007, Callea came out, a move that seems to have had little effect on his career. He is in a relationship with the very sexy, funny and talented Tim Campbell. The two appeared together in an Australian production of Rent. They have shared the stage together often, including in concert. This is a clip from a fan from a 2008 show, singing Get Here.



When the big-name stars are touring Australia, they seem to go to Anthony to play with them. Those names include Diana Ross in 2006, Westlife in 2007, Celine Dion in 2008 and Whitney Houston earlier this year. Anthony is back in the studio working on his third album, and I can't wait. In fact, he recorded at least part of it in Los Angeles recently, when he refused to answer my request for him and Tim to stop on the East Coast so I could hear him sing live, which saddened me just a little. Callea performed a couple of new songs on tour with Whitney, so the following fan video from the show could be a sneak peak of a track from the new album. It is Can You Feel It.



So happy birthday, young man. Just ship me the new album, I am sure my credit card is somewhere in your records, from when I bought the albums, or the DVD... To find out more about Callea, check out his official website here.

Anthony Callea - The Prayer

I first got to hear Anthony Callea when the video of him singing The Prayer on Australian Idol, and his voice blew me away. In fact, the entire performance just took my breath away. I mean, he was singing live!



After checking out some of his other performances on the show, I was hooked. I ordered his first album, as well as the second - packages from Australia can take forever! I also purchased his Live Concert DVD, and eagerly await new music! What amazes me is that the boy can sound like a chorus of angels in The Prayer, but can also sound like this when he sings Addicted To You, from the sophomore effort.



It was an added bonus when I discovered Anthony was gay, and in a relationship with actor/singer Tim Campbell. I follow Tim on Twitter, and he is not only unbelievably handsome, but he is funny! For more information about Anthony, check out his official website here. You can purchase the first album on US iTunes here, and if you like music, you should have Anthony's music in your collection.

Sunday Worship - The Prayer

I am crazy for Anthony Callea's voice, it is just gorgeous. I learned about the Australian when he was competing on Australian Idol in 2004, and he performed the song The Prayer. The video went on YouTube and it mesmerized me, and I have followed him since, including buying both his CDs. The fact the young man walked on stage and performed this well live just makes me stand in awe of his talent.



For the life of me, I still have not figured out how he did not win the competition. He has, however, sustained a career and has another album coming out soon. Damn, there is another one I will have to import.