Classically trained British-Italian mezzo-soprano Carly Paoli effortlessly straddled the line between opera and musical theater, coming almost out of nowhere to see her self-released debut album smash into the U.K. classical charts at number two. The great-niece of Puglian folksinger Luigi Paoli, she was born and brought up in the ancient market town of Mansfield in the heart of England. As a child she fell in love with the classic MGM musicals she saw on TV, and decided from a very young age that she wanted to be a singer. Beginning vocal training at the age of nine, she discovered that her vocal timbre was better suited to classical music and went on to study at the prestigious Royal Northern College of Music. After graduation, she began performing internationally, and, after becoming "brand ambassador" for Swiss ladies' watchmaker Bedat, was invited to perform at a charity gala organized by David Foster, the multi-million-selling songwriter and producer behind such stars as Josh Groban and Michael Bublé.nn Foster's patronage instantly launched her into the big leagues, where she found herself sharing stages with the likes of José Carreras and Andrea Bocelli, and appearing at massive charity galas in Florence and Rome. The bilingual Paoli was wholeheartedly embraced by the Italian public, appearing numerous times on TV there. Her 2016 debut single, "Ave Maria," written by famed Italian composer Romano Musumarra and lyricist Grant Black (son of the Oscar-winning Don), became the official song for Pope Francis' Jubilee celebrations. A superb singer and consummate performer with a sweet, clear tone and great reserves of power, Paoli is able to switch effortlessly between operatic and musical theater vocal styles. Her debut album, Singing My Dreams, consisting largely of classical crossover material, was released in June 2017. Produced by Musumarra and featuring some lyrics written by Paoli herself, it went straight to number two on the U.K. classical chart. ~ John D. Buchanan