"[71], In early 2017 Yanni began his "An Evening in Conversation with Yanni"[83] or "An intimate Conversation with Yanni"[84] tour in which audience questions and on-stage participation guided the show, and Yanni played a piano without a band. [21], At least sixteen of Yanni's albums have peaked at No. [27][41] However, high-visibility appearances on public television, best-selling records and videos, and overflow concerts earned him recognition beyond his relationship with Evans.[41]. Yanni continues to use the musical shorthand that he developed as a child,[6][7] blending jazz, classical, soft rock, and world music[5] to create predominantly instrumental works. [55], In April 2012, Yanni released the Live at El Morro, Puerto Rico live album CD and DVD which were recorded and filmed at two outdoor concerts on December 16 and 17, 2011 on the grounds of the Castillo (Fort) San Felipe del Morro ("El Morro"), a UNESCO World Heritage Site in San Juan, Puerto Rico. "[77] Booth Newspapers' Jeffrey Kaczmarczyk commented that Yanni "has great sidemen – always has. "Oprah: Where Are They Now?" ©2021 BuzzFeed, Inc. All rights reserved. To compare new-age music with classic rock is a stretch, but for Yanni, it is possible. [49] The album was released near the publication date of Yanni's autobiography, Yanni in Words. Page Transparency See More. [56] The recorded concerts were broadcast on PBS beginning in March 2012, the production constituting Yanni's tenth collaboration with that organization.[56]. [48], —Concert's closing comments,Live at El Morro, Puerto RicoDecember 2011, The Palm Beach Post's Howie Grapek remarked about an April 2012 performance that the show was not a one-man keyboard show, but spotlighted individual long solos showcasing the band members' talents, and that Yanni "loves giving them the opportunity to shine individually. Meet 32-year-old Krystal Ann and learn how she's been involved in Yanni's day-to-day business behind the scenes. "[71] Further, Yanni expands sound variety by using multiple interchangeable keyboards that are interconnected so that playing one keyboard can cause other keyboards to play corresponding notes emulating different instruments. Yanni’s Age, Height, Weight & Body Measurements. [22], In addition to earning a B.A. [82], Commenting on Yanni's "great lighting" on the stage and "plenty of reverb in the audience," Booth Newspapers' Jeffrey Kaczmarczyk remarked that a Yanni concert "can be an intoxicating experience. Yanni first convinced tl Addition Mobile in the marrieed who is yanni married to now as the punter marrued Lying star Linda Matthews. "We're very, very close.". [34] Yanni later explained that learning English forced him to read each paragraph several times in what he called a slow and frustrating process, but which helped him memorize the material and do well on tests. [70] He observed that "there were no rock stations or classical stations—each station would just play everything. [45], After negotiating the demands of gaining permission to perform at the Taj Mahal and Forbidden City in 1997, breaking up with Linda Evans in early 1998, and completing a long world tour later in 1998, Yanni halted his music career. "[71], Yanni's musical influences include music from Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East, as well as classical, rock and roll, and electronic music. About See All. [34], In 1977, Yanni joined the Minneapolis-based rock group Chameleon, performing with its founder, drummer Charlie Adams,[2][35] with whom he would work into the 2010s. [96] He was named to the same list in 2014 (No. "[37] Instead, describing his creative process, Yanni explained that his knowledge of music and instruments and his experience in different cultures is a "primordial soup that comes together and it shows itself and it appears. / Or Can They? Yanni was born on 14 November 1954, and currently, as of 2020, he is 66 years old. Dare to Dream, released in 1992, was Yanni's first Grammy-nominated[12] album. [51] PBS broadcast video of a November 2008 Voices Acapulco concert weeks before the album's March 24, 2009 release by Walt Disney Records' Disney Pearl Imprint, the album release preceding a tour produced by Pearl's Buena Vista Concerts division. Self-taught New Age keyboardist who was known for his musical shorthand: a blending of jazz, classical, soft rock, and world music. Yanni, Soundtrack: Fa kei Siu Lam. [20], Yanni's autobiography, Yanni in Words, co-authored by David Rensin, was published in February 2003, coinciding with the release of his Ethnicity album. CD and DVD reissued together in one deluxe package at a great new price point. [93], During Yanni's October 2011 tour of China, Yanni became the first Western artist to be invited to adopt a giant panda (bear) cub at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, a "privilege ... usually reserved for countries rather than personalities. I love her," Yanni says. "[72], —Concert's closing comments,Live at the AcropolisSeptember 1993, While Yanni has said that new age is "a spiritual definition more than a musical definition,"[4] his music is said to be "adopted by"[3][10] the New Age movement as it gained mainstream momentum. "So, all the fans around the world know her, but most of them didn't realize that was my daughter. [82] The lighting also emphasizes band members' solos, as well as specific moments in the concerts. [8] Yanni went on to say, "There are no lyrics in my music for the most part, so the whole message is transmitted through the rhythm, melody, and sounds, and I think that has to do with crossing all the borders and being able to go to different countries. [48] He explained that he himself created all the album's sounds, including apparent vocalizations, through the manipulation of sound in his studio. [66][67], Rising in popularity with the new age music boom of the 1980s and 1990s, Yanni's music became more well known through adult alternative radio airplay, appearances on public television and in television commercials, as well as international music tours. At a tender age of six, he started playing the piano, and his parents were very supportive of it. Who is Yanni dating? [67], Yanni's August 2019 single honoring his daughter Krystalán is called "Ladyhawk", alluding to how she watches over him like a guardian angel.[68]. Yiannis Chryssomallis (Greek: Γιάννης Χρυσομάλλης, born November 14, 1954), known professionally as Yanni (listen; /ˈjɑːni/), is a Greek composer, keyboardist, pianist, and music producer, who has resided in the United States during his adult life. [12][27] A highlight of the tour was a performance with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra that elicited a positive review, considered seminal to Yanni's public recognition, from a Dallas Times Herald critic. Revered for his sweeping symphonic pieces, intimate keyboard airs and unforgettable musical themes, In fact, up until a few months ago, most of the world believed Yanni never had any children. "[2] Rob Garratt wrote in The National that Yanni "breaks all the rules" in producing music "typically in two modes – poundingly heroic or reflectively ambient. "[70] Yanni's music is said to reflect his encounters with cultures around the world[26][30] and embody his philosophy of "one world, one people. [2] Upon graduating, when he dedicated himself exclusively to music for one full year and found he was the happiest he had ever been, he said he decided music would be his life's work. [51], The album Mexicanisimo, released in November of Mexico's bicentennial year 2010, was a tribute to that country through Yanni's collaborative interpretation of its folk music. [98], At least sixteen Yanni albums peaked at No. Community See All. "[10], The genre of Yanni's music made it unsuitable for most commercial radio or for music television. 1980s to early 1990s: Emergence and recognition, 2000s to 2010: After a hiatus, new perspectives, 2010s: New sound designs, and a return to world tours, Music genres distinguished from the "new age" spiritual movement, WebCite and Wayback Machine archives of concert tour schedules on, DelaGarza, Mari, "Yanni's Winning Virtues,", 90-second "1989 British Airways Commercial", 60-second version from "FlyBritishAirways", Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, The Dream Concert: Live from the Great Pyramids of Egypt, "Yanni up close: Musician known for larger-than-life venues also loves the Louisville Palace", "7 Million Yanni Fans Can't Be Wrong! 5 "new age album artist of 2016". This is his first piano solo album since 'In My Time' in 1993. In the video below, Yanni talks about his relationship with Linda Evans on HuffPost Live, explaining why it was his fault they split. in psychology in 1976 from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities,[12] Yanni received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from the same institution on May 6, 2004. For an internationally known musician, Yanni is a relatively private person. I wanted to see other people's ideas of life, get out of the American dream. "[75], More recently, Allmusic's Mark Deming characterized Yanni's compositions and performances as having "a pronounced sense of drama, dynamics, and romanticism," writing that Yanni has a "commanding performance style. [12] Yanni has performed in more than 30 countries on five continents,[23] and through late 2015 had performed live in concert before more than 5 million people and had accumulated more than 40 platinum and gold albums globally, with sales totaling over 25 million copies. [88], In addition to performing at historic venues such as Royal Albert Hall[89] (London; 1995 & 2014), Yanni has been permitted to perform at such world landmarks as the Acropolis of Athens (Greece; 1993), the Taj Mahal (Agra, India; 1997), the Forbidden City (Beijing, China; 1997), the Burj Khalifa (the world's tallest building; Dubai, United Arab Emirates; 2011),[13] the Kremlin (Moscow, Russia; 2011),[14] the Castillo San Felipe del Morro ("El Morro" UNESCO World Heritage Site, in San Juan, Puerto Rico, U.S. territory; 2011),[15] the ancient city of Byblos (UNESCO World Heritage Site, Lebanon; 2013),[16] the Roman Theatre of Carthage (Tunis, Tunisia; 2014),[17] Laxmi Vilas Palace (Vadodara, India; 2015),[18] the Egyptian pyramids and Great Sphinx of Giza (Egypt, 2015),[19][20] the Amman Citadel (Jordan, 2016),[21] the Prambanan Temple (Indonesia, 2019)[90] and AlUla (UNESCO World Heritage Site, Saudi Arabia; 2019). [9] Yanni described the album as more of an even-tempered "listening" album, less dramatic than the live concert albums Live at the Acropolis or Tribute. ", "Yanni Performs Historic Concert at the Great Pyramids in Egypt", "NASA Video Celebrates Space Station Anniversary", "Yanni, playing at Sands, re-embraces electronic instrumentation", "Yanni: 'Tolerance is not a luxury, it is a necessity, "Yanni wows Al-Ula, 'the place where dreams begin, "Legendary musician Yanni releases new song inspired by his daughter", "Yanni: 'Saudis will help country take its rightful place in the world, "Artists Bring a Variety of Styles to New-Age Music", "Yanni leaves DeVos Performance Hall audience hungry for more in Monday's appearance in Grand Rapids", "Yanni talks 'Touch' and returning to instrumental music", "Trends: New Age Enters a New Phase: Call it what you want, but the sound of Yanni and his similarly minded pals, "As An Aid To Understanding, We Deconstruct / Yanni", "Greek superstar Yanni: 'My music is not just for entertainment – it goes beyond that, "Yanni makes classic rock fan appreciate new-age style", "Greek superstar talks music at Cairo conference", "Yanni: Master Class - Keyboard techniques and sound design", "Yanni brings world of experience to concert", "The Magic of Concert Lighting with Bud Horowitz, Lighting Designer for Yanni", "On the Road | Bud Horowitz, Production Designer/LD for Yanni", "State Theatre presents An Evening In Conversation With Yanni and his Piano", "Yanni's Sold Out Rialto Concert Considered Rousing Success", "Yanni Rules Top Facebook Live Videos Chart for Second Straight Month", "Yanni Leads Top Facebook Live Videos Chart for Third Time", "Yanni's Soundcheck Clips Take Top Three of Top Facebook Live Videos Chart", "Yanni Rules Top Facebook Live Videos Chart for Fifth Time", "Momen Magis di Acara Musik Prambanan Jazz Festival 2019 (Magical Moments at the 2019 Prambanan Jazz Festival Music Show)", "2019 Prambanan Jazz Festival showcases entrancing combination of the modern and the traditional", "Forecaddie: Bagpipes out, Irish flute in for NBC's Portrush coverage", "2020 U.S. Open TV schedule, coverage, live stream, watch online, channel, golf streaming times", WebCite archive of 2012-07-06 contains specific reference to this song, "Yanni: Live At The Acropolis / PBS / Awards & Nominations", "Yanni: Tribute / PBS / Awards & Nominations", "Time to Commence Fewer Rich and Famous Speakers Grace Graduation Ceremonies, but the Smiles of Newly Minted Alumni Shine as Brightly as Ever", "Yanni to play first UK date in 19 years", World Wide Fund for Nature (World Wildlife Fund) (WWF), "Best Sellers: March 2, 2003 / Nonfiction", Forbidden Dreams: Encore Collection, Volume 2, An Evening In Conversation With Yanni 2017, 25th Anniversary 'Live At The Acropolis' Tour 2018, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Yanni&oldid=1009192505, University of Minnesota College of Liberal Arts alumni, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles with unsourced statements from October 2014, Articles with unsourced statements from November 2015, Wikipedia articles with BIBSYS identifiers, Wikipedia articles with CANTIC identifiers, Wikipedia articles with MusicBrainz identifiers, Wikipedia articles with SUDOC identifiers, Wikipedia articles with WORLDCATID identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 27 February 2021, at 06:45. Then, in April, Yanni quietly confirmed that he had a daughter. [83][84] In May-June 2019, Yanni performed a multi-night residency at New York’s Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, two videos for which topped Billboard's Top Facebook Live Videos chart[85] before other Yanni videos topped the same chart in October[86] December 2019,[87] and February 2020. See … Aside from one high-profile relationship with "Dynasty" actress Linda Evans in the '90s, not much has been reported on the Greek-born pianist's personal life. [103], This article is about the Greek musician. They always encouraged him to do whatever he wants to do. [12][44] It became the second best-selling music concert video of all time (after Michael Jackson's Thriller[11]), selling more than 7 million copies worldwide. [57] For the performance, Yanni released a single "East Meets West" which was a mashup of his several famous songs (Santorini, North Shore of Matsushima) together with a solo part performed on Chinese zither. 1), 2010 (No. There is power to it. Yanni was born on November 14, 1954 in Acroyali, Kalamata, Greece as Yanni Chryssomallis. His popular albums included Live at the Acropolis (1993). [10][11][12] Additional historic sites for Yanni's concerts have included India's Taj Mahal, China's Forbidden City, the United Arab Emirates' Burj Khalifa,[13] Russia's Kremlin,[14] Puerto Rico's El Morro castle,[15] Lebanon's ancient city of Byblos,[16] Tunisia's Roman Theatre of Carthage,[17] India's Laxmi Vilas Palace,[18] the Egyptian pyramids and Great Sphinx of Giza,[19][20] and the Amman Citadel. The 32-years-old Krystal Ann is a dedicated part of Yanni's marketing team -- and has been for years. Tap here to turn on desktop notifications to get the news sent straight to you. For years, the world believed Yanni didn't have any children. In the 2010s, Yanni's international tours included performances in over thirty countries on five continents, including (alphabetically) Argentina, Armenia, Bahrain, Belarus, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, China, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, Egypt, Germany, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Mexico, Oman, Panama, Poland, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia,[69] Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States (including Puerto Rico), and Uzbekistan. "[94][95], In February 2013, Yanni and Celine Dion were the first non-Chinese artists invited to perform (separately) in China at the CCTV Spring Festival Gala, a CCTV televised event with an annual audience of 700 million. "[95] Yanni named the panda "Santorini," also the name of a Greek island, explaining that the Greek word irini means 'peace'. [29], Having been called a "true global artist,"[29] Yanni has employed musicians of various nationalities, and has incorporated a variety of exotic instruments from around the world from an Australian didgeridoo to a Peruvian charango, to perform with his classical orchestra, rock rhythm section, and electronic keyboards. And it's fluid. [27] In this time frame, Yanni wrote motion picture soundtracks for Steal the Sky (1988), Heart of Midnight (1988), I Love You Perfect (1989), She'll Take Romance (1990), When You Remember Me (1990), Children of the Bride (1990), and Hua qi Shao Lin (1994). [12], During his time as a student, Yanni played in a local rock band and continued to study piano and other keyboard instruments. [6][7], Yanni set a Greek national record in the 50-meter freestyle swimming competition at age 14. [12] Truth of Touch's varied content reflected contemporary instrumental, electronic, and cinematic influences, and crossed over into popular, new age, and world music. Yiannis Chryssomallis[1] (Greek: Γιάννης Χρυσομάλλης, born November 14, 1954), known professionally as Yanni (listen; /ˈjɑːni/), is a Greek composer, keyboardist, pianist, and music producer, who has resided in the United States during his adult life. [24][25] A longtime fundraiser for public television,[3][26] Yanni's compositions have been used on commercial television programs, especially for sporting events. [8][26] He continues to use the "musical shorthand" that he developed as a child rather than employ traditional musical notation,[6][7] and hires someone to perform the tedious process of making conventional written charts for orchestra members.