Donald Braswell II
Encyclopedia
Donald Braswell II is an American actor, classical crossover
tenor and composer. Braswell was on a fast track to become an internationally acclaimed opera singer when he suffered a car accident in 1995 that made him unable to speak for almost two years. After that, he had lived a quiet life outside of the spotlight until his appearance on the 2008 season of America's Got Talent
where he was a Top 5 finalist, which gave him another chance at a career in entertainment. Since then, he has entertained audiences both internationally as well as shore to shore in the United States in concerts, television appearances, inspirational speaking and radio. He has a fan club with fans from over 25 countries.
Braswell has reentered the world of symphonic music by singing in pops concerts starting with the Symphony of the Hills in Kerrville, Texas in June 2009. He performs a variety of musical genres ranging from pure classical repertoire to soul
to mainstream pop. He engages people of many cultures by singing in various languages outside of English, including Spanish, Italian, Neapolitan, French and Russian. His concerts are generally multilingual, and he has performed pieces that are themselves in more than one language. Some of these include: Mario Frangoulis
's bilingual version of "Nights in White Satin
" (Italian title "Notte di luce"), originally by The Moody Blues
; and Andrea Bocelli
's "The Prayer" and "Vivere" (English title "Dare to Live"). His other non-English repertoire includes Agustín Lara
's "Rosa" (Spanish), Mario Frangoulis's "Vincerò, perderò" (Italian) and the Neapolitan standard "O sole mio".
Some of his many compositions can be heard on his album We Fall and We Rise Again
.
, a town just north of San Antonio. His parents were Broadway performers, and he has displayed an interest in theater and music since childhood and aspired to become an actor. As a child, he often performed with his family, and described the theatrical arts as something that felt natural to him. While in high school, he would participate in local theater groups at night without telling anyone; he preferred not to display his "aesthetic side."
Upon graduation from Boerne High School and a summer working at Six Flags, Braswell attended Tyler Jr. College from 1981–82 and the University of Texas San Antonio from 1982-83. His love of acting drove him to New York City during 1983-84 to study at Lee Strausberg and the HB Studios and take private voice lessons from Marnie Nixon (who was the singing voice for people like Deborah Kerr in the The King and I
and Natalie Wood in West Side Story
.
Even the pull of Broadway in New York City couldn't compete with the real passion in his life, Julie Clayburne. He moved back to Boerne, Texas to be with her, where he worked at the haunted Ye Kendall Inn (1984–86) as a singing waiter and boasted making the best table-side Steak Diane. Having met at age 11 and in love since 15, Julie and Donald were married on May 25, 1985. Julie persuaded him to apply to the Juilliard School
in New York City. He did it only to humor her; however, he was not only accepted but also awarded the prestigious Enrico Caruso scholarship. His audition was in the spring of 1986 and was enrolled in the Fall that year. There, he began his professional training as an operatic tenor under the tutelage of Enrico Di Giuseppe. He graduated four years later in 1990.
He also received a grant from the Puccini Foundation (now The Licia Albanese-Puccini Foundation
) where he was a sponsored artist of Mm. Licia Albanese and the Primo Tenore Franco Corelli
enabling Donald to perform at the Grand Ballroom of the Plaza Hotel. He studied with "Prince of Tenors", Corelli, in NYC. He recalls that Corelli showed his students how music creates itself from within a singer.
First Columbia Artist Management and then Herber Barrett Management managed his professional engagements. During his career as a professional operatic tenor, he played many leading roles around the world, including roles such as Arturo in La Straniera
by Bellini, Rinuccio in Gianni Schicchi
by Puccini, Luigi in Il tabarro
by Puccini, Pinkerton in Madame Butterfly by Puccini, Turiddu from Cavalleria rusticana
by Mascagni, Cavaradossi in Tosca
by Puccini, Romeo in Roméo et Juliette
by Gounod, Rodolfo in La Bohème
by Puccini, Il Duca in Rigoletto
by Verdi, Edgardo in Lucia Di Lammermoor
by Donizetti, Lancelot in Le Roi Arthus
by Chauson, Fritz in L'amico Fritz
by Mascagni, Faust in Faust
by Gounod, Don José in Carmen
by Bizet, Alfredo in La traviata
by Verdi, Tamino in The Magic Flute
by Mozart, Andrea Chénier in Andrea Chénier
by Giordano and Nemorino in L'elisir d'amore
by Donizetti.
These performances took him to leading operatic theatres around the world. He was regarded as a very successful artist, earning praise from the Annuario dell'opera lirica in Italia, an annual Italian opera journal.
Donald was also a regular featured guest artist of Stephan Zucker's late night radio program in New York.
When he was once again able to make sounds, he began using the Bertacci vocal techniques and other training that he had learned, working to regain the use of his speaking voice and eventually his singing voice as well. As his voice strengthened, his church encouraged him to sing there, and later he began testing his returning vocals with local community productions.
Mr. Braswell had defied predictions and began to sing again in the year 2000 with a debut with the San Antonio Symphony. He earned the lead of Lancelot in the cast of Camelot
in the Majestic Theatre with the Symphonies Pop Series. The next year he had the lead in Kismet
with the symphony again. He performed with the San Antonio Three Tenors in small shows in shopping malls and elsewhere, when they need a replacement singer. It was at one of these that a fan convinced him to make a CD, titled New Chapter
(released in 2007). Braswell has also appeared in The Life of David Gale, Resurrection, As the World Turns, One Life to Live and Miss Congeniality. In Miss Congeniality, he played the dermatologist of Gracie Hart; however, the scene was cut from the final production to trim the length of the movie.
All of these performances were extracurricular hobbies for Donald, while he held down full-time jobs in insurance sales, car sales, and swimming pool designing to support his growing family. His first daughter was born a two years after the accident and two more daughters came in the years during his recovery.
" by Rolf Løvland
and Brendan Graham
. Initially, the audience was hostile, collectively shouting to get him off the stage. During the second refrain of the song, however, Braswell was able to turn the audience's reaction around and when he finished, the audience gave him a standing ovation, even chanting "Vegas!" in unison, expressing their support for his advancement to the next round in Las Vegas
.
In Las Vegas, he sang "Lost
" by Michael Bublé
and he was eliminated by the judges, keeping him from joining the Top 40. The day before this first audition aired, Braswell appeared on the Today Show where he gave an interview about his past and how he came to audition for America's Got Talent. At that point he had already been cast out of the show, which the audience didn't know, making it a surreal interview. However, when the Russian Bar Trio suffered an injury and had to withdraw from the competition, the judges chose eight of the eliminated acts for a chance to become the wildcard act. Viewers then voted for their favorite act, thus bringing Braswell back into the competition.
Upon returning to the competition, he continued to advance every week until he won a spot in the Top 5. There, he once again performed his original audition piece, "You Raise Me Up." One week later, he won fourth place. Before the final places were announced, pre-recorded videos were shown of various celebrities' support for their favorite acts. In these videos, Andrew Lloyd Webber
congratulated Braswell on his performance of Lloyd Webber's composition "The Music of the Night" from The Phantom of the Opera
and stated that he would love to work with Braswell some day. On October 17, 2008, Braswell joined the Top 10 finalists from America's Got Talent to perform at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. There, he did another rendition of "You Raise Me Up" and stepped out of his previous genres into the vocally challenging standard, "Unchained Melody
", which he dedicated and sang to his wife who was in the audience.
, went international when it was embraced by executives at Canoe FM radio based in Haliburton, Canada, where it has been broadcasting since February 2009. He dusted off compositions he began while mute after the accident and combined them with new compositions in an original album, We Fall and We Rise Again
, with partner/composer Anthony Bazzani, including a tribute to composer Ennio Morricone
with their composition, "Ennio". He also honors his opera days with his rendition of "Nessun dorma", as well as songs dedicated to his wife. In October 2011, he released his third album, Unchained, again with partnership of Anthony Bazzani.
Braswell has stated that he hopes to use his talent to help others. His desire is to use his story to inspire people, as when he appeared on the inspirational radio show "Achieving the Extraordinary" with Ron Graves. He has performed at many charity events and has even put on concerts with the sole purpose of raising funds for those in need. In 2009, for example, he and his family participated in four concerts with San Antonio Metropolitan Ministries (SAMMinistries), proceeds of which went to benefit the homeless of San Antonio. At the first of these concerts in January, he introduced his original composition "Look at Me", written during the time that he could not speak. He would eventually dedicate the song to people with other struggles, with hopes that the words can help them as well. See his events calendar for more information on his other recent appearances.
Crossover (music)
Crossover is a term applied to musical works or performers appearing on two or more of the record charts which track differing musical tastes, or genres...
tenor and composer. Braswell was on a fast track to become an internationally acclaimed opera singer when he suffered a car accident in 1995 that made him unable to speak for almost two years. After that, he had lived a quiet life outside of the spotlight until his appearance on the 2008 season of America's Got Talent
America's Got Talent
America's Got Talent is an American reality television series on the NBC television network, and part of the global British Got Talent franchise. It is a talent show that features singers, dancers, magicians, comedians, and other performers of all ages competing for the advertised top prize of...
where he was a Top 5 finalist, which gave him another chance at a career in entertainment. Since then, he has entertained audiences both internationally as well as shore to shore in the United States in concerts, television appearances, inspirational speaking and radio. He has a fan club with fans from over 25 countries.
Braswell has reentered the world of symphonic music by singing in pops concerts starting with the Symphony of the Hills in Kerrville, Texas in June 2009. He performs a variety of musical genres ranging from pure classical repertoire to soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
to mainstream pop. He engages people of many cultures by singing in various languages outside of English, including Spanish, Italian, Neapolitan, French and Russian. His concerts are generally multilingual, and he has performed pieces that are themselves in more than one language. Some of these include: Mario Frangoulis
Mario Frangoulis
Mario Frangoulis is a Greek tenor and is best known for his song, "Vincerò, Perderò". He sings in Italian, Spanish, English, French, and Greek; he is fluent in all 5 languages.-Early life:...
's bilingual version of "Nights in White Satin
Nights in White Satin
"Nights in White Satin" is a 1967 single by The Moody Blues, written by Justin Hayward and first featured on the album Days of Future Passed.It is in the key of E minor Aeolian.-Single releases:...
" (Italian title "Notte di luce"), originally by The Moody Blues
The Moody Blues
The Moody Blues are an English rock band. Among their innovations was a fusion with classical music, most notably in their 1967 album Days of Future Passed....
; and Andrea Bocelli
Andrea Bocelli
Andrea Bocelli, is an Italian tenor, multi-instrumentalist and classical crossover artist. Born with poor eyesight, he became blind at the age of twelve following a soccer accident....
's "The Prayer" and "Vivere" (English title "Dare to Live"). His other non-English repertoire includes Agustín Lara
Agustín Lara
Agustín Lara was a Mexican singer and songwriter.-Biography:Lara was born in Tlacotalpan, Veracruz. Later, the Lara family had to move again to Mexico City, establishing their house in the borough of Coyoacán. After Lara's mother died, Agustín and his siblings lived in a hospice run by their...
's "Rosa" (Spanish), Mario Frangoulis's "Vincerò, perderò" (Italian) and the Neapolitan standard "O sole mio".
Some of his many compositions can be heard on his album We Fall and We Rise Again
We Fall and We Rise Again
We Fall and We Rise Again is the second studio album from American actor, composer and tenor Donald Braswell II. The album was released on January, 2010. This album follows his 2007 release New Chapter and is the first to feature his own compositions....
.
Early life and education
Donald Braswell II, a native of Texas, is the youngest of four children of Donald and Jane Braswell (née Jane House). He grew up near Boerne, TexasBoerne, Texas
Boerne is a city in the Hill Country of Texas in the United States. It is the county seat of Kendall County. Boerne was named in honor of Ludwig Börne, a Jewish German author and publicist, and its population was 10, 471 in the 2010 census. The city is noted for the landmark U.S. Supreme Court...
, a town just north of San Antonio. His parents were Broadway performers, and he has displayed an interest in theater and music since childhood and aspired to become an actor. As a child, he often performed with his family, and described the theatrical arts as something that felt natural to him. While in high school, he would participate in local theater groups at night without telling anyone; he preferred not to display his "aesthetic side."
Upon graduation from Boerne High School and a summer working at Six Flags, Braswell attended Tyler Jr. College from 1981–82 and the University of Texas San Antonio from 1982-83. His love of acting drove him to New York City during 1983-84 to study at Lee Strausberg and the HB Studios and take private voice lessons from Marnie Nixon (who was the singing voice for people like Deborah Kerr in the The King and I
The King and I (1956 film)
The King and I is a 1956 musical film made by 20th Century Fox, directed by Walter Lang and produced by Charles Brackett and Darryl F. Zanuck. The screenplay by Ernest Lehman is based on the Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II musical The King and I, based in turn on the book Anna and the King...
and Natalie Wood in West Side Story
West Side Story
West Side Story is an American musical with a script by Arthur Laurents, music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and choreographed by Jerome Robbins...
.
Even the pull of Broadway in New York City couldn't compete with the real passion in his life, Julie Clayburne. He moved back to Boerne, Texas to be with her, where he worked at the haunted Ye Kendall Inn (1984–86) as a singing waiter and boasted making the best table-side Steak Diane. Having met at age 11 and in love since 15, Julie and Donald were married on May 25, 1985. Julie persuaded him to apply to the Juilliard School
Juilliard School
The Juilliard School, located at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City, United States, is a performing arts conservatory which was established in 1905...
in New York City. He did it only to humor her; however, he was not only accepted but also awarded the prestigious Enrico Caruso scholarship. His audition was in the spring of 1986 and was enrolled in the Fall that year. There, he began his professional training as an operatic tenor under the tutelage of Enrico Di Giuseppe. He graduated four years later in 1990.
Early career
After graduating Juilliard, he studied under Franco Bertacci, who is now Artistic Director of the Lyric Orchestra in Florida. Of Bertacci, Braswell says he was "the teacher that I give most credit to for the development of my voice." Donald was selected as one of the winners of the Liederkranz Foundation Vocal Competition and he performed at Alice Tully Hall in Lincoln Center.He also received a grant from the Puccini Foundation (now The Licia Albanese-Puccini Foundation
The Licia Albanese-Puccini Foundation
The Licia Albanese-Puccini Foundation is a musical organisation founded in 1974 whose scope is to provide assistance to young American and international artists by means of scholarships, study grants, and master classes....
) where he was a sponsored artist of Mm. Licia Albanese and the Primo Tenore Franco Corelli
Franco Corelli
Franco Corelli was a famous Italian tenor who had a major international opera career between 1951 and 1976. Associated in particular with the spinto and dramatic tenor roles of the Italian repertory, he was celebrated universally for his powerhouse voice, electrifying top notes, clear timbre, a...
enabling Donald to perform at the Grand Ballroom of the Plaza Hotel. He studied with "Prince of Tenors", Corelli, in NYC. He recalls that Corelli showed his students how music creates itself from within a singer.
First Columbia Artist Management and then Herber Barrett Management managed his professional engagements. During his career as a professional operatic tenor, he played many leading roles around the world, including roles such as Arturo in La Straniera
La straniera
La straniera is an opera in two acts by Vincenzo Bellini, from a libretto by Felice Romani, based on L'étrangère by Charles-Victor Prévot, vicomte d'Arlincourt...
by Bellini, Rinuccio in Gianni Schicchi
Gianni Schicchi
Gianni Schicchi is a comic opera in one act by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Giovacchino Forzano, composed in 1917–18. The libretto is based on an incident mentioned in Dante's Divine Comedy. The work is the third and final part of Puccini's Il trittico —three one-act operas with...
by Puccini, Luigi in Il tabarro
Il tabarro
Il tabarro is an opera in one act by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Giuseppe Adami, based on Didier Gold's play La houppelande. It is the first of the trio of operas known as Il trittico...
by Puccini, Pinkerton in Madame Butterfly by Puccini, Turiddu from Cavalleria rusticana
Cavalleria rusticana
Cavalleria rusticana is an opera in one act by Pietro Mascagni to an Italian libretto by Giovanni Targioni-Tozzetti and Guido Menasci, adapted from a play written by Giovanni Verga based on his short story. Considered one of the classic verismo operas, it premiered on May 17, 1890 at the Teatro...
by Mascagni, Cavaradossi in Tosca
Tosca
Tosca is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. It premiered at the Teatro Costanzi in Rome on 14 January 1900...
by Puccini, Romeo in Roméo et Juliette
Roméo et Juliette
Roméo et Juliette is an opéra in five acts by Charles Gounod to a French libretto by Jules Barbier and Michel Carré, based on The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare. It was first performed at the Théâtre Lyrique , Paris on 27 April 1867...
by Gounod, Rodolfo in La Bohème
La bohème
La bohème is an opera in four acts,Puccini called the divisions quadro, a tableau or "image", rather than atto . by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa, based on Scènes de la vie de bohème by Henri Murger...
by Puccini, Il Duca in Rigoletto
Rigoletto
Rigoletto is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi. The Italian libretto was written by Francesco Maria Piave based on the play Le roi s'amuse by Victor Hugo. It was first performed at La Fenice in Venice on March 11, 1851...
by Verdi, Edgardo in Lucia Di Lammermoor
Lucia di Lammermoor
Lucia di Lammermoor is a dramma tragico in three acts by Gaetano Donizetti. Salvadore Cammarano wrote the Italian language libretto loosely based upon Sir Walter Scott's historical novel The Bride of Lammermoor....
by Donizetti, Lancelot in Le Roi Arthus
Le roi Arthus
Le roi Arthus is an opera in three acts by the French composer Ernest Chausson to his own libretto. It was composed between 1886 and 1895, but only first performed on 30 November 1903 at the Théâtre de la Monnaie, Brussels, after long delays...
by Chauson, Fritz in L'amico Fritz
L'amico Fritz
L'amico Fritz is an opera in three acts by Pietro Mascagni, premiered in 1891 from a libretto by P. Suardon , based on the French novel L'ami Fritz by Émile Erckmann and Pierre-Alexandre Chatrian.While the opera enjoyed some success in its day and is probably Mascagni's most famous work after...
by Mascagni, Faust in Faust
Faust (opera)
Faust is a drame lyrique in five acts by Charles Gounod to a French libretto by Jules Barbier and Michel Carré from Carré's play Faust et Marguerite, in turn loosely based on Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's Faust, Part 1...
by Gounod, Don José in Carmen
Carmen
Carmen is a French opéra comique by Georges Bizet. The libretto is by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on the novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée, first published in 1845, itself possibly influenced by the narrative poem The Gypsies by Alexander Pushkin...
by Bizet, Alfredo in La traviata
La traviata
La traviata is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi set to an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave. It is based on La dame aux Camélias , a play adapted from the novel by Alexandre Dumas, fils. The title La traviata means literally The Fallen Woman, or perhaps more figuratively, The Woman...
by Verdi, Tamino in The Magic Flute
The Magic Flute
The Magic Flute is an opera in two acts composed in 1791 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to a German libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder. The work is in the form of a Singspiel, a popular form that included both singing and spoken dialogue....
by Mozart, Andrea Chénier in Andrea Chénier
Andrea Chénier
Andrea Chénier is a verismo opera in four acts by the composer Umberto Giordano, set to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica. It is based loosely on the life of the French poet, André Chénier , who was executed during the French Revolution....
by Giordano and Nemorino in L'elisir d'amore
L'elisir d'amore
L'elisir d'amore is an opera by the Italian composer Gaetano Donizetti. It is a melodramma giocoso in two acts...
by Donizetti.
These performances took him to leading operatic theatres around the world. He was regarded as a very successful artist, earning praise from the Annuario dell'opera lirica in Italia, an annual Italian opera journal.
Donald was also a regular featured guest artist of Stephan Zucker's late night radio program in New York.
Car accident and aftermath
Donald's operatic career ended abruptly in the fall of 1995. While performing with the Welsh National Opera in their tour of Madame Butterfly in Wales, Braswell was struck by a car while riding a bicycle which resulted in injuries to the soft tissue in his throat and was told by medical professionals that he would never sing again and possibly would have difficulty ever speaking normally. He was unable to speak for a long period of time.When he was once again able to make sounds, he began using the Bertacci vocal techniques and other training that he had learned, working to regain the use of his speaking voice and eventually his singing voice as well. As his voice strengthened, his church encouraged him to sing there, and later he began testing his returning vocals with local community productions.
Mr. Braswell had defied predictions and began to sing again in the year 2000 with a debut with the San Antonio Symphony. He earned the lead of Lancelot in the cast of Camelot
Camelot (musical)
Camelot is a musical by Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe . It is based on the King Arthur legend as adapted from the T. H. White tetralogy novel The Once and Future King....
in the Majestic Theatre with the Symphonies Pop Series. The next year he had the lead in Kismet
Kismet (musical)
Kismet is a musical with lyrics and musical adaptation by Robert Wright and George Forrest, adapted from the music of Alexander Borodin, and a book by Charles Lederer and Luther Davis, based on Kismet, the 1911 play by Edward Knoblock...
with the symphony again. He performed with the San Antonio Three Tenors in small shows in shopping malls and elsewhere, when they need a replacement singer. It was at one of these that a fan convinced him to make a CD, titled New Chapter
New Chapter
New Chapter is the first studio album from American actor, composer and tenor Donald Braswell II, who has entertained audiences both internationally as well as shore to shore in the United States in concerts, television appearances, inspirational speaking and radio. He was also a finalist in the...
(released in 2007). Braswell has also appeared in The Life of David Gale, Resurrection, As the World Turns, One Life to Live and Miss Congeniality. In Miss Congeniality, he played the dermatologist of Gracie Hart; however, the scene was cut from the final production to trim the length of the movie.
All of these performances were extracurricular hobbies for Donald, while he held down full-time jobs in insurance sales, car sales, and swimming pool designing to support his growing family. His first daughter was born a two years after the accident and two more daughters came in the years during his recovery.
Overview
In 2007, unbeknown to him, Braswell's wife submitted an audition tape to NBC's America's Got Talent. In September of that year, Braswell received a call from the show's producers for a live audition. Having endured years of believing he would never sing again, he suddenly had the possibility of giving his three daughters a glimpse of their father performing once more on a professional stage with all the lights and cameras he had experienced in his early career. During the preliminaries, he performed "You Raise Me UpYou Raise Me Up
"You Raise Me Up" was the debut single from Westlife's fifth studio album, Face To Face.This version is considered by many to be the most popular , of all the various versions of the same song. The single peaked at #1 on the UK Singles Chart, making it the band's 13th Number One. It was the first...
" by Rolf Løvland
Rolf Løvland
Rolf Løvland is a Norwegian composer. Together with Fionnuala Sherry, he formed the celtic group Secret Garden, where he played as the composer/producer/keyboardist...
and Brendan Graham
Brendan Graham
Brendan Graham is an Irish novelist and composer. He has published three novels, The Whitest Flower , an Irish no. 2 best seller, The Element of Fire and The Brightest Day, The Darkest Night .He also wrote the lyrics for Rolf Løvland's "You Raise Me Up"...
. Initially, the audience was hostile, collectively shouting to get him off the stage. During the second refrain of the song, however, Braswell was able to turn the audience's reaction around and when he finished, the audience gave him a standing ovation, even chanting "Vegas!" in unison, expressing their support for his advancement to the next round in Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
.
In Las Vegas, he sang "Lost
Lost (Michael Bublé song)
"Lost" is the third single from Michael Bublé's third studio album, Call Me Irresponsible. The song was inspired by the breakup with his former fiancée Debbie Timuss. Bublé performed the song on The X Factor on December 8, 2007. The song was featured in the sixth season of American police...
" by Michael Bublé
Michael Bublé
Michael Steven Bublé is a Canadian singer. He has won several awards, including three Grammy Awards and multiple Juno Awards. His first album reached the top ten in Canada and the UK. He found worldwide commercial success with his 2005 album It's Time, and his 2007 album Call Me Irresponsible was...
and he was eliminated by the judges, keeping him from joining the Top 40. The day before this first audition aired, Braswell appeared on the Today Show where he gave an interview about his past and how he came to audition for America's Got Talent. At that point he had already been cast out of the show, which the audience didn't know, making it a surreal interview. However, when the Russian Bar Trio suffered an injury and had to withdraw from the competition, the judges chose eight of the eliminated acts for a chance to become the wildcard act. Viewers then voted for their favorite act, thus bringing Braswell back into the competition.
Upon returning to the competition, he continued to advance every week until he won a spot in the Top 5. There, he once again performed his original audition piece, "You Raise Me Up." One week later, he won fourth place. Before the final places were announced, pre-recorded videos were shown of various celebrities' support for their favorite acts. In these videos, Andrew Lloyd Webber
Andrew Lloyd Webber
Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber is an English composer of musical theatre.Lloyd Webber has achieved great popular success in musical theatre. Several of his musicals have run for more than a decade both in the West End and on Broadway. He has composed 13 musicals, a song cycle, a set of...
congratulated Braswell on his performance of Lloyd Webber's composition "The Music of the Night" from The Phantom of the Opera
The Phantom of the Opera (1986 musical)
The Phantom of the Opera is a musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber, based on the French novel Le Fantôme de l'Opéra by Gaston Leroux.The music was composed by Lloyd Webber, and most lyrics were written by Charles Hart, with additional lyrics by Richard Stilgoe. Alan Jay Lerner was an early collaborator,...
and stated that he would love to work with Braswell some day. On October 17, 2008, Braswell joined the Top 10 finalists from America's Got Talent to perform at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. There, he did another rendition of "You Raise Me Up" and stepped out of his previous genres into the vocally challenging standard, "Unchained Melody
Unchained Melody
"Unchained Melody" is a 1955 song with music by Alex North and lyrics by Hy Zaret. It has become one of the most recorded songs of the 20th century, by some counts having spawned over 500 versions in hundreds of different languages....
", which he dedicated and sang to his wife who was in the audience.
Performances/Results
| Week | Theme | Song choice | Original artist | Performance order | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Audition | N/A | "You Raise Me Up You Raise Me Up "You Raise Me Up" was the debut single from Westlife's fifth studio album, Face To Face.This version is considered by many to be the most popular , of all the various versions of the same song. The single peaked at #1 on the UK Singles Chart, making it the band's 13th Number One. It was the first... " |
Brian Kennedy Brian Kennedy (singer) Brian Edward Patrick Kennedy is an Irish singer-songwriter and author, known for his ballads, and has represented Ireland at Eurovision 2006. He is the younger brother of musician Bap Kennedy.-Personal life:... |
N/A | Advanced |
| Vegas Verdicts | Opera singers | "Lost Lost (Michael Bublé song) "Lost" is the third single from Michael Bublé's third studio album, Call Me Irresponsible. The song was inspired by the breakup with his former fiancée Debbie Timuss. Bublé performed the song on The X Factor on December 8, 2007. The song was featured in the sixth season of American police... " |
Michael Bublé Michael Bublé Michael Steven Bublé is a Canadian singer. He has won several awards, including three Grammy Awards and multiple Juno Awards. His first album reached the top ten in Canada and the UK. He found worldwide commercial success with his 2005 album It's Time, and his 2007 album Call Me Irresponsible was... |
2 | Eliminated |
| Top 40 | Wild Card | N/A | N/A | N/A | Advanced |
| Top 40 Group 4 |
N/A | "The Impossible Dream The Impossible Dream (The Quest) "The Impossible Dream " is a popular song composed by Mitch Leigh, with lyrics written by Joe Darion. It was written for the 1965 musical Man of La Mancha... " |
Man of La Mancha Man of La Mancha Man of La Mancha is a musical with a book by Dale Wasserman, lyrics by Joe Darion and music by Mitch Leigh. It is adapted from Wasserman's non-musical 1959 teleplay I, Don Quixote, which was in turn inspired by Miguel de Cervantes's seventeenth century masterpiece Don Quixote... |
6 | Advanced |
| Top 20 Group 2 |
N/A | "The Music of the Night" | The Phantom of the Opera The Phantom of the Opera (1986 musical) The Phantom of the Opera is a musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber, based on the French novel Le Fantôme de l'Opéra by Gaston Leroux.The music was composed by Lloyd Webber, and most lyrics were written by Charles Hart, with additional lyrics by Richard Stilgoe. Alan Jay Lerner was an early collaborator,... |
2 | Advanced |
| Top 10 | Heroes | "To Where You Are To Where You Are "To Where You Are" is a song by American singer Josh Groban that appears on his 2001 debut album. It was written by Alan Menken, Richard Marx and Linda Thompson and produced by Richard Marx.-Commercial performance:... " |
Josh Groban | N/A | Advanced |
| Top 5 | Finale | "You Raise Me Up" | Brian Kennedy | N/A | 4th Place |
Current career
Now hitting his stride, Donald has become a well-rounded entertainer performing in concerts, television and radio throughout North America. His performances are sprinkled with comedy and dance moves to the delight of audiences. His first album, New ChapterNew Chapter
New Chapter is the first studio album from American actor, composer and tenor Donald Braswell II, who has entertained audiences both internationally as well as shore to shore in the United States in concerts, television appearances, inspirational speaking and radio. He was also a finalist in the...
, went international when it was embraced by executives at Canoe FM radio based in Haliburton, Canada, where it has been broadcasting since February 2009. He dusted off compositions he began while mute after the accident and combined them with new compositions in an original album, We Fall and We Rise Again
We Fall and We Rise Again
We Fall and We Rise Again is the second studio album from American actor, composer and tenor Donald Braswell II. The album was released on January, 2010. This album follows his 2007 release New Chapter and is the first to feature his own compositions....
, with partner/composer Anthony Bazzani, including a tribute to composer Ennio Morricone
Ennio Morricone
Ennio Morricone, Grand Officer OMRI, , is an Italian composer and conductor, who wrote music to more than 500 motion pictures and television series, in a career lasting over 50 years. His scores have been included in over 20 award-winning films as well as several symphonic and choral pieces...
with their composition, "Ennio". He also honors his opera days with his rendition of "Nessun dorma", as well as songs dedicated to his wife. In October 2011, he released his third album, Unchained, again with partnership of Anthony Bazzani.
Braswell has stated that he hopes to use his talent to help others. His desire is to use his story to inspire people, as when he appeared on the inspirational radio show "Achieving the Extraordinary" with Ron Graves. He has performed at many charity events and has even put on concerts with the sole purpose of raising funds for those in need. In 2009, for example, he and his family participated in four concerts with San Antonio Metropolitan Ministries (SAMMinistries), proceeds of which went to benefit the homeless of San Antonio. At the first of these concerts in January, he introduced his original composition "Look at Me", written during the time that he could not speak. He would eventually dedicate the song to people with other struggles, with hopes that the words can help them as well. See his events calendar for more information on his other recent appearances.
Studio albums
- 2007: New ChapterNew ChapterNew Chapter is the first studio album from American actor, composer and tenor Donald Braswell II, who has entertained audiences both internationally as well as shore to shore in the United States in concerts, television appearances, inspirational speaking and radio. He was also a finalist in the...
- 2010: We Fall and We Rise AgainWe Fall and We Rise AgainWe Fall and We Rise Again is the second studio album from American actor, composer and tenor Donald Braswell II. The album was released on January, 2010. This album follows his 2007 release New Chapter and is the first to feature his own compositions....
- 2011: Unchained