Jonathan Antoine in Concert: Going the Distance

Pictured:Jonathan Antoine

Credit: APT

By the young age of 20, tenor prodigy Jonathan Antoine had two No. 1 albums on the U.K. classical charts. His journey from a shy 17 year-old facing Simon Cowell on Britain’s Got Talent to a confident 24 year-old comes to life in the special.

Jonathan Antoine in Concert: Going the Distance, airing Friday, May 29, 2020 at 9 p.m. on WXXI-TV. From Disney soundtracks to pop hits, Broadway numbers and operatic classics, the performance showcases Jonathan’s powerful, confident voice. Recorded in the historic Winter Garden Theater in Toronto, Canada, the special includes short interview segments detailing Jonathan’s remarkable transformation from a shy, bullied child to one of the world’s greatest tenors. 

Jonathan performs a repertoire chosen with Grammy Award-winning musical director Gregg Field, mixed with many of Jonathan’s favorite songs from his childhood. In many numbers, Jonathan is backed by a 26-piece orchestra or joined by a 17-piece choir. Joined by Disney’s a cappella group DCappella, he performs the song “I’ll Make a Man Out of You” from the Disney film Mulan. Then, Jonathan takes the stage with acclaimed cellist Tina Guo, for a magnificent rendition of “Empty Chairs at Empty Tables” from Les Miserables. Finally, he demonstrates his mastery of opera with classic arias such as “Amor ti Vieta” and “Caruso.” The concert concludes with a standard-setting version of an audience favorite, “Nessun Dorma.”