One of the U.K.'s most technically gifted classical crossover talents, award-winning tenor Alfie Boe grew up in Blackpool, England, listening to his father's opera records, including performances by Richard Tauber and Puccini's La Boheme.

As a young adult, Boe sang while he was painting and polishing cars in a local automobile factory; he was overheard by a client who suggested Boe should audition for London's D'Oyly Carte Opera Company.