This Brit has talent and a big, big voice

Singer making U.S. solo debut at Kavli



SOUND OF SUCCESS— After rising to fame on the reality show “Britain’s Got Talent” in England, classical singer Jonathan Antoine has released four hit albums. Afifth set will be in the works “soonish,” he says. Courtesy Bjarne Hemmingsen Photography

SOUND OF SUCCESS—After rising to fame on the reality show “Britain’s Got Talent” in England, classical singer Jonathan Antoine has released four hit albums. A fifth set will be in the works “soonish,” he says. Courtesy Bjarne Hemmingsen Photography

ACORN ONE-ON-ONE

Jonathan Antoine’s fans say he’s the coolest professional classical singer gracing concert halls today.

When he’s not belting out opera music, sharing the stage with Plácido Domingo, David Foster or even Sting, Antoine likes listening to extreme heavy metal. The long-haired 23-year-old greets strangers with bear hugs, laughs along at own his self-deprecating jokes, conducts interviews in jeans and flip-flops and never fails to give his family credit for his success.

“They’ve been with me from step one,” the London native said in a recent interview with the Acorn ahead of a Sept. 15 date at Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza. “I couldn’t even express in words the amount of thanks I have to give to them for basically carrying me through my entire life.”

Until just a few years ago, his was a life of relative anonymity. That all changed in 2012 thanks to an appearance with schoolmate Charlotte Jaconelli on “Britain’s Got Talent,” the show created by Simon Cowell of “American Idol” and “America’s Got Talent” fame.

POP CONNOISSEUR—Jonathan Antoine may sing opera onstage, but when he’s by himself in his room or in the shower, he’s been known to bust out pop hits by Seal and John Denver. Courtesy photo

POP CONNOISSEUR—Jonathan Antoine may sing opera onstage, but when he’s by himself in his room or in the shower, he’s been known to bust out pop hits by Seal and John Denver. Courtesy photo

It was their singing teacher who suggested the duo perform together, Jaconelli explained on the show. She did most of the talking as Antoine stood by her side quietly in his Jimi Hendrix T-shirt and khakis.

“Just when you think things couldn’t get any worse,” Cowell is shown leaning over to say to another judge, though Antoine doesn’t remember it happening.

He only remembers the reaction following the duo’s performance of “The Prayer.”

The generally acerbic Cowell was the first of the judges to join the audience on their feet.

“Wow. Wow, wow, wow, oh my God,” he said. “Jonathan, you are unbelievable.”

Since appearing on “BGT,” Antoine has released four albums—two with Jaconelli and two solo efforts featuring classic arias, songs from musical theater and contemporary classics. He’s performed throughout the United Kingdom and in the United States, though the Thousand Oaks performance will mark his first solo U.S. concert.

 

 

Members of his enthusiastic fan base call themselves “Fantoines.”

“I’m a very, very lucky man because I have some of the most dedicated people behind me,” he said.

So devoted are his fans, they’ll be traveling from New York and the United Kingdom for Antoine’s first solo U.S. concert, which takes place this weekend in the Fred Kavli Theatre.

His family is arranging the concert and decided on the venue after researching various locales in and around Los Angeles.

“It’s been a little nightmarish (getting all the details in place), but only in that way that anything worth doing is,” the classical singer said. “I’m really glad to come down to Thousand Oaks because it seems like a really nice neighborhood without the hustle and bustle of (L.A.).”

Antoine is from the East London district of Goodmayes, population 13,000. He began singing lessons at age 11 but credits his high school singing teacher with setting him on a classical track, even if he sometimes prefers to sing less highbrow tunes when nobody’s around.

“I actually like to sing pop ballads,” he said. “It’s funny because it doesn’t fit into either category, what I sing or what I listen to.”

Seal’s “Kiss From a Rose” has been a recent favorite as has John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads.”

“I’ve belted (“Country Roads”) out a number of times: in the car, in the shower, in my room,” Antoine said, quickly adding he’s never performed the ballads in public.

No date is set for his next release, but he said it’s fair to say another album will be in the works “soonish” and he’s not ruling out a holiday album, having released a Christmastime single already called “Christmas Dreams Come True.”

Saturday’s performance will be a mix of fan favorites together with some surprises.

“I think the philosophy was we would take what we’ve been doing successfully in the U.K. for six odd years and bring it over here with those little additional surprises,” the singer said. “There will be some new material that nobody has ever heard before.”

Tickets for Saturday’s 7 p.m. concert are $40 to $89, available in person at the box office or online at ticketmaster.com.