Yanni Australian Tour

Chugg Entertainment are pleased to confirm that legendary composer and performer, Yanni, is set to continue his World Tour into early 2013 with dates in Australia. Yanni's contemporary symphonic music has inspired millions of fans around the world. In concert, his passionate, soaring melodies and lush orchestration create a spirited and uplifting musical experience like no other.

On tour, Yanni and his stunning 15-piece orchestra will play favorites from throughout his career, as well as selections from his latest album, Truth of Touch (2011). He will be playing in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth.

The 17 April start date for Yanni's world tour coincided with the CD and DVD release of Yanni: Live at El Morro, Puerto Rico (Sony Music), capturing two sold-out concerts in December 2011 at the historic 16th-century Castillo San Felipe Del Morro in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The dates were the first-ever performances at this recognised UNESCO Heritage Site, and the shows were filmed in high-definition and recorded in Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound. Performing at the castle represented a 20-year dream come true for Yanni, building on the legacy of iconic global sites that have played host to his concerts including the Acropolis in Greece, the TajMahal in India, and the Forbidden City in China (he was the first western performer to play at the latter two).

On 9th April, World Wildlife Fund (WWF) announced a collaboration with Yanni, aimed at raising awareness of giant panda conservation noting that "what we do to earth, we do to ourselves. -Yanni." Yanni was inspired to help protect giant pandas after he "adopted" a two-month old panda cub at the Chinese Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in October 2011. Yanni was the first western artist to be given the honor of symbolically adopting one of Chengdu's pandas (a privilege reserved almost exclusively for nations, rather than personalities and is considered one of China's highest honors). He named the panda "Santorini" after one of the most beautiful islands in his native Greece. "Santorini" is also one of Yanni's most well known compositions and contains the word "Irini," which means "peace" in Greek. He views his adopted panda as "the beautiful panda of peace."

As part of the collaboration, WWF and Yanni have created a $50 Limited Edition "Santorini" Panda Adoption, allowing supporters to symbolically adopt a panda. As a thank-you to those individuals who support WWF's efforts through this program, supporters will receive a symbolic adoption kit that includes a plush panda, a photo of Yanni and Santorini, a DVD with exclusive content (including footage of Yanni and Santorini), a certificate of adoption, a re-useable tote bag, and an information card with a panda photo.