Greek singer Yanni. Photo: Courtesy of the concert organizer

Among his legion of admirers, sports fans hold a particularly soft spot for Yanni. The Greek singer is a perennial favorite of televised sporting events where his dulcet tones have been heard at the Super Bowl, The US Golf Open, the world figure skating championships and the Olympic Games. And now Shanghai residents have the chance to hear Yanni live.

 Renowned as one of the forerunners of New Age music, Yanni is famous for presenting classical works with a modern slant via the use of electronic equipment.

The 57-year-old artist was christened Yiannis Hrysomallis in a small village in Greece. He was born into a culture in which people often sing and dance until nightfall, and this is where Yanni's musical inspiration comes from. Hailing from a poor background, however, his family was unable to afford the tuition fees of a professional trainer and Yanni is largely self-taught.

During his study at the University of Minnesota in the US, Yanni picked up composing and production skills, creating a solid foundation for his later success in the New Age music scene. After graduation, Yanni joined a local music group called Chameleon and toured throughout the midwest of America.

After deciding to devote his career to music, Yanni released his first album Optimystique when he was 26. Although the album displayed the composer's unique, creative music, it failed to attract a large audience. Though disheartened, Yanni kept pursuing his passion in music; that was until a chance meeting the famous producer Peter Baumann in 1986. With Baumann's help, Yanni had a breakthrough in his career with his second work Keys to Imagination which made full use of electronic synthesizers. With sales of one million copies, Yanni was soon the toast of the music industry.

After that Yanni became a two-time Grammy nominee for his albums Dare to Dream (1992) and In My Time (1993).

In 1993, he began to attach more importance to live performances and Yanni singled out some well-known historical venues to showcase his talent. For example, he held concerts at the eighth-century Toji Temple, in Kyoto, Japan, and in London's famous Royal Albert Hall.

The commercial and critical success of his 1993 show at the Acropolis in Athens, raised his standing even further. It was staged in the landmark's 2,000-year-old Herod Atticus Theater where he was accompanied by the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra.

A video of this performance, Yanni Live at the Acropolis, was released a year later and the US broadcaster PBS (Public Broadcasting Service), estimates this concert has been seen by half a billion people worldwide. His worldwide record sales are estimated to top 20 million.

"Ever since I left Greece more than two decades ago, it has been my dream to return and perform at the Acropolis. This project took more than a year and a half to plan and accomplish, and I would like to thank my band and crew, and the scores of people involved in helping my dream become a reality," Yanni said in the cover notes to the DVD.

In 1997, Yanni paid a high-profile visit to Asia and held a concert in the Taj Mahal in India, a show that took 10 months to set up. Although Yanni promised to donate all the tickets sales from the concert - some 27 million dollars - to a preservation fund for the Taj Mahal, the idea aroused a lot of resentment in Indian society.

It was said that such a holy place shouldn't be profaned by Western culture. An attendant boycott endured until just a week before the concert was due to take place.

Yanni's relationship with China goes back to 14 years. He also became the first artist to be permitted by the government to perform in the Forbidden City, the Chinese imperial palace located in Beijing that was built during the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644).

Date: October 4, 7:30 pm

Venue: Shanghai Grand Stage 上海大舞台

Address: 1111 Caoxi Road North 漕溪北路1111号

Tickets: 280 to 1,280 yuan

Call 400-810-1887 for further information