Siblings Perform Duet Of Celine Dion And Andrea Bocelli's 'The Prayer' At Their Sister's Wedding

Jan 07, 2021 by apost team

Siblings Anna Richey and Joseph Gibbons both love music. However, they have both always had a different taste in music. As Joseph puts it, "I love to sing Opera, she loves not to sing Opera." Despite this difference of opinion, the siblings united for Anna's wedding and sang a beautiful rendition of Celine Dion's hit "The Prayer." This video from January 2019 is sure to touch your heart. 

The Prayer, the song that has been heard all around the world

According to songfacts.com, The Prayer was written by David Foster, Carole Bayer Sager, Alberto Testa, and Tony Renis. Originally, Andrea Bocelli and Celine Dion, each recorded a version of the song for the film. Bocelli sang his version in his native Italian, while Dion sang the English version. Eventually, the two would pair to sing The Prayer as a duet that was released on a solo album for each artist.

The duet became a huge hit. The original version of the song was featured in Quest for Camelot (1998) and it went on to win the 1999 Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song. The song was additionally nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song but did not win. He may not have been one of the original singers of the song but Josh Groban has been instrumental in popularizing this adult contemporary hit. At 17 years old, Groban stood in for Bocelli and sang a duet of the song with Dion after the Italian tenor was unable to make it for one of their rehearsals. That was in 1999.

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After close to a decade, Groban reunited with Dion for a live rendition of The Prayer during her CBS TV special, That's Just the Woman in Me. The live version would go on to be Groban’s highest-charting single at the time, hitting the Hot 100 at #70. It is undoubtedly a very moving song. The Prayer has been covered by many artists over the decade, and it is a very commonly performed song on singing and talent competitions like The Voice, The X Factor, and America’s Got Talent.

Back in April 2020, as a part of Global Citizen's 'One World: Together At Home' broadcast for coronavirus relief, Dion and Bocelli were joined by Lady Gaga, John Legend, and pianist Lang Lang to perform the song in a virtual concert.

Brother and sister who both love to sing but have completely opposite styles

Siblings Anna Richey Peterson and Joseph Gibbons both love music. According to Anna’s Instagram account, she is an award-winning songwriter. However, they have both always had a different taste in music. As Joseph puts it, "I love to sing Opera, she loves not to sing Opera." In the video description, Anna writes that when they were little, Joseph would sing “Opera at the top of his lungs every morning at 5 am.”

A performance they would remember forever

Their different musical tastes did not keep these two from sharing a passionate love of music, though. With her wedding coming up at the time, Anna wanted to perform a musical number with her brother in front of all her guests. She needed a song to perform with her brother, where they would both enjoy the song they were singing.

To solve this problem, Anna found a song that perfectly blended Opera and Pop music. This song was—yup, you guessed it—The Prayer by Dion and Bocelli. As fitting to their singing styles, Anna sang pop singer Dion's lines while Joseph sang opera singer Bocelli's lines.

While the song is dedicated to Anna and her new husband, it also highlights the bond between brother and sister. Anna was gaining her partner's hand in marriage, but she was also gaining her brother as a valuable friend. Having a good relationship with her brother is a good thing, too. A poor relationship with a sibling can be a predictor of depression in adulthood. A good relationship with a sibling can also make you more sympathetic.

Anna's relationship with her brother seems to back up the study on sympathy. Her willingness to find a song that her brother would also like proves her sympathetic nature. While she could have easily chosen a song that she liked for her wedding, she chose to include him as well.

Their great bond shone through as they sang. The guests could sense that the siblings are not only good singers, but also great friends. When the siblings finished their song, the guests gave them a giant round of applause.

It seems like having a strong sibling bond has led Anna and Joseph to be well-rounded adults. While they may be different in terms of their musical taste, it clearly does not matter to these two music-loving siblings. They both know how to compromise and make something beautiful by combining the things they love.

Anna and Joseph’s mom, Tami S, took to the comments to say how much she enjoyed the duet by her babies. “I am their Mom and this was one moment I will never ever forget,” she wrote. She reiterated that the two were really different when they were younger, and described them as being like “oil and water” but that they loved each other regardless. She continued:

“To come to this point was a miracle and this song was the perfect blend of their styles. I am BOTH of their biggest fans! I love to hear my children sing and share their beautiful talents. I thank God for them every day!”

The video, which was posted to Anna’s YouTube channel in January 2019, is her most viewed one on her channel at over 3.25 million views as of this writing. Once you watch their performance, it will erase any wonder you have of why it’s so popular. The brother-sister duo made the song their own and sang it with all their hearts. You can just hear the ingenuity of their voices as they sang in front of their family and friends. What a perfect moment to share with your sibling on your big day!

Do you have any siblings? Do you have similar tastes in music with them? What do you think of Anna and Joseph's performance? Would you be able to compromise with your sibling the way they did? Let us know what you think!