Living in London, New Zealander Geoff Sewell is a qualified chartered accountant, an entrepreneur, global CEO of entertainment company Incognito Artists, trained professional tenor, an internationally successful, multi-platinum selling recording artist with No. 1 albums and DVDs with classical crossover group Amici forever and now as a solo artist, owning his own record label Sewell Music.
Geoff was a boy soprano performing in his school choirs at Plimmerton School and Havelock North High School until the age of 18. He went on to train at Victoria University gaining a Bachelor of Commerce degree and qualified as a chartered accountant while working in Wellington NZ. Singing was always a passion and he was coached by renowned NZ opera singer Geoffrey de la Tour. Geoff took a sudden and decisive career turn after his older sister Julie died tragically and a subsequent family trip to the home of one of his childhood heroes, Elvis Presley. Deciding to follow his dream he set his sights on becoming a professional singer and studied at the prestigious Boston Conservatory in the US. He relocated to London where he performed on London's West End and continued his musical studies.
Geoff then decided to combine his musical and financial acumen to create a hugely successful international entertainment company, Tenors Incognito, in 2000. His kiwi wife and business partner Simone Lanham started Divas Incognito in 2001 and their business has continued to flourish and expand over the years with offices now in Edinburgh and New York.
Geoff and his other Tenors & Divas (fresh from lead roles in operas and musical theatre e.g. the West End, Broadway, Royal Opera House and ENO) have performed at over 2000 functions around the globe at many illustrious events. Geoff, in his role as performer and Global CEO of the business, has performed for such high profile celebrities as Sir Elton John and Victoria and David Beckham and royalty such as HRH Prince William and Princess Anne. The venues where Geoff has sung have varied from Sir Elton's home, Posh and Beck's home, the Royal Albert Hall, the House of Commons to Twickenham and the Millennium Stadium - to a packed out capacity of 80,000 people plus TV viewers for the FA Cup Final.
Tenors & Divas Incognito has gone from strength to strength and in September 2005 two new Acts were launched, Swing Incognito and Dancers Incognito and in 2009 two more Acts, Fusion and Bravo! were added to the company line-up. The company re-branded in 2006 and trades as Incognito Artists to reflect the variety offered by the business.
Geoff continues to work alongside business partner Simone and they released his debut solo album, Believe, in NZ and Australia in 2008 to great acclaim and chart success. After a sell-out tour of NZ in February 2009 with five other international stars from Incognito Artists, Geoff and Simone released Geoff Sewell and Incognito Artists - Live In Concert DVD which went straight to No.1 in the charts.
In 2002 Geoff and Simone created the idea of assembling a male and female vocal group that could combine the classical skills of opera with the immediate appeal of pop music. Geoff was the founding member of the 5-piece line-up and Simone was co-manager. They took the concept to people in the UK and US who could help them realize their dream of Geoff being a recording artist and creating a commercial, recordable product stemming from their business. Originally the band was called Tenors & Divas, when they signed a record deal with RCA Victor in early 2003, but later their name was changed to Amici forever.
Amici is an internationally renowned classical crossover sensation. They are multi platinum selling artists having sold over two and a half million albums worldwide with their debut album The Opera Band (2003) and their follow-up Defined (2005).
The Opera Band went to No. 1 in New Zealand on the top 40 RIANZ album chart and stayed there for four weeks. The album went to No. 2 in Australia, only knocked off the top spot by Eminem. Amici also enjoyed success in the US where their debut album was declared No. 2 on the Billboard Classical Crossover chart for 2004.
Amici continued their successful run making the top spot at No. 1 again in New Zealand with their second album Defined and achieving No.1 on Australia's classical chart and No. 3 in the main ARIA charts.
They were nominated for a Classical Brit (UK) in 2004 for their debut album and have performed by request for the Queen at the Royal Albert Hall and for Prince Charles at Windsor Castle.
They toured with Shirley Bassey in 2003 and with Cliff Richard in 2004 and over the years shared the stage with many household names around the world.
Geoff enjoyed traveling the world with Amici during his four years with the group, perhaps most of all the two sell-out concert tours of New Zealand and Australia in 2004 and 2006. He has toured the US and Europe and performed in many exotic locations in various countries including the UK, USA, Russia, Barbados, Bermuda, the Netherlands, Singapore, Japan, Australia and New Zealand.
Press reports from the 2006 NZ and Australia tour commented:
'Sewell shone...proving his voice will be greatly missed (from Amici)'
'Sewell has plenty of charm and knows how to play the crowd'
In January 2006 Geoff decided to leave Amici after his eldest daughter was diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) at age two. The rigid performing and promoting schedule of Amici was not complementary to family life and he chose to put his family first.
Two years after calling time on Amici to spend time with his young family and focus on his priorities, Geoff dazzled audiences with his debut solo album 'BELIEVE' - a title inspired by his philosophy in life and his belief in a positive prognosis for his daughter Sienna.
'The songs are personal, inspirational, classic and fun. They are a collection of great songs that have inspired me on my journey so far', Geoff says.
Geoff has been singing professionally for 11 years. The album reflects his international recording history and performing experience around the world, as well as his deep affection for his homeland. It has been a labour of love for Geoff, a consummate professional who settles for nothing but the absolute best.
Geoff recorded the orchestra in Prague and the choir in London. The album was produced by Nick Patrick, widely considered the 'master' of classical crossover music. Patrick produced Amici's two albums, has worked with artists like Russell Watson, Katherine Jenkins and Hayley Westenra and says Geoff has a remarkable talent:
'When I first met Geoff it was in Amici, and even then there was a real stand out quality about his personality and voice. It's his ability to go from beautiful soft pop singing to transform into really authentic classical and that's a very rare and impressive thing,' Patrick says.
Geoff's debut album showcases Geoff's remarkable vocal abilities, from his unique homage to the Sir Howard Morrison classic 'How Great Thou Art' to a heartfelt tribute to his daughter, 'Sienna's Song', written by Geoff's wife, Simone. There's also a stunning rendition of Sinatra's 'My Way' and keeping all the classical music lovers happy, 'Nessun Dorma' and 'O Sole Mio'.
The album is a little bit pop, a little bit opera.... but it's one hundred percent Geoff Sewell. The good looking and charismatic Kiwi is excited, 'It's a dream come true for me. Not that long ago, I was a chartered accountant working in a bank and I longed to be a professional singer. Now, a few years on, I am actually doing it, and this time on my own!
His expertise is also acknowledged by his finance profession and he was awarded the ‘International Young Chartered Accountant of the Year’ in 2006 by the New Zealand Institute of Chartered Accountants and a Fellowship to the NZ Institute of Chartered Accountants in 2009 (he is one of the youngest Fellows in their history).
Geoff is also committed to community service – he has first hand experience of dealing with Autism and Epilepsy and continues to raise awareness and funds for these conditions using his profile. Geoff is a trustee of The Sewell Foundation to raise awareness and provide hope and early intervention to families dealing with Autism. During the Geoff Sewell and Incognito Artists tour of NZ in February 2009, the Sewell Foundation raised $10,000NZD through the generous donations of New Zealanders. The royalties from 'Sienna's Song' on his debut solo album also go to The Sewell Foundation. Through Amici forever's last tour down under Geoff was able to raise over $30,000NZD for Autism NZ in February 2006 and over $50,000AUD for Autism Australia. He and his Incognito triathlon team raised over £2,000 for the UK National Autistic Society in August 2006. He supports various Autism charities and trusts in NZ and the UK. He is a contributor/fundraiser for the National Society of Epilepsy in the UK and raised over £60,000 through his ‘Stars for Epilepsy’ concert series over three years. He is an ambassador for the IM Health initiative promoting wellbeing for all New Zealanders to match the country’s ‘pure’ image. And Geoff is Patron of the Havelock North High School (NZ) new auditorium project (his old high school) and one of the first indicted into their Hall of Fame in 2007.
Geoff was one of three finalists in the Air NZ 'New Zealander of the Year' in London, March 2010, in acknowlegement of his international achievements, charitable commitments and putting NZ firmly on the global stage.
Geoff and Simone have two beautiful daughters and live in London, UK.
Life is a daring adventure or nothing...
