Biography

New Zealand Tenor Geoff Sewell is a man of many talents, but singing has always been a passion in his life. As a child, Geoff was a boy soprano in his school choirs and was coached by renowned NZ opera singer Geoffrey de la Tour. Originally qualified as a chartered accountant, it was a family holiday to the home of his hero Elvis, following the tragic loss of his older sister Julie that inspired Geoff to follow his dream of becoming a professional singer. He went on to train at the prestigious Boston Conservatory, before relocating to London, where he performed in the West End and continued his musical studies.

Combining his musical talents and business acumen, in 2000 Geoff created the hugely successful international company now known as Incognito Artists. Since the company''s conception, CEO Geoff and his talented artists have performed for countless high profile celebrities, including Sir Elton John, Victoria and David Beckham and even royalty such as HRH Prince William and Princess Anne. These events have taken place at numerous prestigious events and venues, including The Royal Albert Hall, The House of Commons, Twickenham and an 80,000 capacity Millennium Stadium for the FA Cup Final.

In 2002, Geoff and his wife, fellow kiwi Simone Lanham, had the idea of assembling a group of male and female singers who could combine classical opera skills with the massive appeal of pop music. With Geoff as founder member and Simone as co-manager, that dream became a very successful reality. Originally known as Tenors and Divas when they signed their record deal with BMG, the name soon changed to Amici Forever and the world''s first opera band became an internationally renowned classical crossover sensation. The group have sold almost two million albums world wide with their debut album The Opera Band (2003) and follow up CD, Defined (2005), becoming multi-platinum selling artists.

Amici enjoyed worldwide success with The Opera Band, going straight to No 1 in the New Zealand album charts, where they stayed for 4 weeks. The album also reached No.2 in Australia, prevented from hitting the top slot only by Eminem, and was declared No. 2 on the Billboard Classical Crossover chart for 2004 in the US. Amici''s second album, Defined enjoyed similar success, once again making No. 1 in New Zealand and No 3 in Australia. In 2004 they were also nominated for a Classical Brit Award in the UK and have performed for the Queen and at the request of HRH Prince Charles at Windsor Castle.

Geoff enjoyed performing all over the world with Amici during his four years as part of group, especially to sell out crowds in his homeland New Zealand and also Australia. But in 2006 he made the decision to leave following his eldest daughter''s diagnosis of an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) The rigid performing and demanding schedule of Amici was not complimentary to the life and stability his family needed and he very admirably chose to put them first. With typical passion, determination and flair Geoff and Simone have thrown their efforts into learning about and promoting awareness of ASD, bringing hope to many families with their inspiring message and success in finding ways to help their daughter.

Whilst continuing to work as Global CEO at Incognito Artists, Geoff is also pursuing a successful solo career. As well as performing at events worldwide, he''s twice had the great honour of singing the New Zealand national anthem before major international rugby matches, giving typically passionate and stirring renditions for the massive crowds and TV audiences and inspiring his beloved All Blacks to victory.
 
After an incredible, personal journey, April 2008 sees the release of Geoff''s highly anticipated debut solo album, entitled ''Believe'', which he describes as a dream come true. "Not that long ago, I was a chartered accountant working in a bank and I longed to be a professional singer. Now, a few years on, I am actually doing it, and this time on my own!". Consisting of songs he loves and that inspire him, the album is a little bit pop, a little bit opera.... but 100% Geoff Sewell. And with a mantra of "Life is a daring adventure or nothing", you can be sure that as usual, the charismatic kiwi will have put in 100% effort, heart and soul too!
 
''Believe" is available from www.geoffsewell.co.uk and is released on 12th April in Australia, whilst in Geoff''s native New Zealand, the release date coincides with his beautiful daughter''s fifth birthday on 14th April. This is a very symbolic day, as Sienna is the reason his life changed so dramatically two years ago. A very special track on the album, Sienna''s Song, was written by Geoff''s wife, Simone, for their daughter and proceeds from this song will go to families afflicted by Autism.
 
Geoff now lives in London with his wife Simone and their two beautiful daughters.