Pittsburghers embraced Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli on his previous visit to the Steel City. “What I certainly remember is the warm welcome that I received here,” said Bocelli, who will perform at 8 p.m. on Saturday at PPG Paints Arena. “Many have also spoken enthusiastically about Pittsburgh — its history, imbued in culture and art; its important traditions (even musical); the excellent quality of life it offers its people.”

Tenor Colin Aikins, of Lower Burrell, who is a senior at The Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, sang for Bocelli backstage in 2018. “It was a brief but very pleasant encounter,” Bocelli said. “Colin Aikins sang a few bars of Leoncavallo’s ‘Mattinata.’ I know he loves the Italian repertory of that period, and we both share a common love of Francesco Paolo Tosti’s popular music. He is a young man of great talent, and a very promising voice.“