Findlay native performs with Andrea Bocelli

COLUMBUS — Shandi Anthony, a Findlay-native, grew up in a music classroom. It was a well-spent childhood that led to performing with world-renowned vocalist Andrea Bocelli earlier this year. Bocelli is an Italian opera-style vocalist who has played all over the world for royalty and performed with other top talent including Celine Dion, Kenny G., Sarah Brightman, Ed Sheeran, Dua Lipa, Josh Groban and many more. Anthony began her musical training on the violin in the Findlay City School District before switching to flute in middle school. She went on to earn her master's degree in flute performance and has studied under respected teachers including Judith Bentley, James Kortum and Donald Peck. A chance stop in Delaware, Ohio, helped launch her long tenure with the Central Ohio Symphony Orchestra and has been a piccoloist for 14 years. That connection led to an unexpected invitation: a fellow musician asked her to play piccolo in Bocelli's orchestra earlier this year. "It made me feel special, that I was making history," she said. She noted that while music performance isn't necessarily male-dominated, the woodwind section for the Bocelli performance was entirely female, something she said created a strong sense of camaraderie. "I think we all recognized the importance of what we were doing," she said. "That was life-giving." Anthony said she appreciated how professional everyone was from the first rehearsal to the end of the performance, but was most impressed by how humble and grateful Bocelli and Maestro Steven Mercurio were to everyone involved. She believes the work of both Bocelli and Mercurio will be studied in classrooms everywhere in the future. "It was hard not to watch (Bocelli) sing," Anthony said. "Obviously while I'm playing, I have to focus on that….It was special to be able to make music at a high level that was achieved so quickly." Despite the excitement, Anthony admitted she battled imposter syndrome in the months leading up to the February performance. But those doubts faded when rehearsals started. "I was able to focus and do what I love and play the way I wanted to play," she said. Her biggest takeaway, she said, was a renewed confidence in her abilities, even while performing in uncomfortable shoes and managing the pain of a broken toe. "I love what I do," she said.