Alfie Boe

Born in Blackpool in 1973, Alfie Boe made his first public musical performance aged 14 in a concert at the local Marine Hall. At age 17, whilst working as an apprentice mechanic at the TVR factory in Bispham, he was overheard singing to his colleagues whilst polishing cars by a client who had connections to the music industry down in London. The client suggested that Boe should audition for the D’Oyly Carte Opera Company, which he duly did, and soon Boe was making the move to London to pursue a career in singing.

Boe studied at the Royal College of Music, the National Opera Studio and gained a place on the Royal Opera House’s Vilar Young Artists Programme. At the turn of the millennium, he had made appearances with Scottish Opera and as the “opera dude” on the Clint Boon Experience albums, but his big break came in 2002 with a production of La Bohème. Approached by Hollywood director Baz Luhrmann to lead his Broadway production of Puccini’s famous opera, Boe went on to win a special Tony Award for Excellence in Theatre for his performance with the cast of La Bohème in 2003.

In 2006, Boe signed a recording contract with Classic FM as part of their Classic FM Presents label. A November signing with the EMI Classics label saw his album Onward released in March 2007.

His association with musical theatre began in 2007 in the English National Opera’s production of Kismet, starring alongside Michael Ball. In 2010, he took on the iconic role of Jean Valjean in the 25^th anniversary celebratory concert of Les Misérables at London’s O2 Arena. Praised by fans of the show, Boe made his West End debut in the original production of the show in June 2011, playing the role for five months. In 2015, he returned to Broadway in the revival of Les Misérables, playing the role of Valjean until February 2016.

Immediately after completing his acclaimed performance in Les Misérables, Boe took on a new role on Broadway, playing J. M. Barrie in the musical Finding Neverland by Gary Barlow. Alfie Boe then reprised the role of Jean Valjean in Les Misérables - The All-Star Staged Concert at the Gielgud Theatre.