alberto de leon(fba-vox)

Mark Vincent is the winner of Australia's Got Talent 2009. At only 15 years old, Mark has started his journey in establishing himself as Australia's newest, and youngest, Opera virtuoso. His debut album, My Dream - Mio Visione, is an eclectic mix of classics, covering a variety of genres, from Opera (Nessun Dorma, his winning song from Australia's Got Talent), to popular classics (Unchained Melody, My Way). 

Mark Vincent (born September 4, 1993 in Caringbah, New South Wales) is an Australian opera singer. Vincent won Australia's Got Talent on 22 April 2009. His main inspiration is his recently deceased grandfather, Bruno, who raised him and taught him how to sing. Vincent has said that he would like to follow in the footsteps of his idol Anthony Warlow. He also stated that he admired opera singers Andrea Bocelli and Luciano Pavarotti. 

Vincent is a student at De La Salle College, Caringbah where he likes to play soccer. He hopes to study at the Conservatorio di Musica Giuseppe Verdi (the Milan Conservatory), the leading musical institution in Italy where Giacomo Puccini also studied. 

Words can't describe how I felt, they really can't,' says 15 year-old Mark Vincent of the moment he was named the latest winner of Australia's Got Talent - joining the likes of Susan Boyle and Paul Potts, who have been made global superstars thanks to the Got Talent format. 

And not unlike those other famous discoveries, Mark turned out to be the series' real surprise package. When fronted by the fresh-faced teenager the show's judges certainly didn't expect the voice that was about to be unleashed. Fast forward to the grand final and Mark finds himself one of the final two contestants, heart in mouth, standing alongside 12 year-old singer Jal Joshua. 'There was a drum role, and my mind is going at a million miles an hour,' he remembers. '[Host] Grant Denyer says, 'The winner of Australia's Got Talent is Mark Vincent!' Oh my God, my whole body dropped with relief.' 

But it was a moment that almost didn't happen. A 13-year-old Mark had first auditioned for the 2007 series, immediately impressing the show's producers who promised to call. However, months later Mark and his family still hadn't heard from them. It was only when Mark decided to audition again two years later that he discovered producers had lost his original audition tape. 'They thanked me for coming back!' he recalls with a laugh. 'Really, I'm happy I didn't get in two years ago. Things happen for a reason and maybe I wasn't as ready then.' 

At age 15, Mark is already a veteran of the industry. His late Grandfather, Bruno Riccio OAM, realised Mark's talent as he sang along to Andrea Boccelli albums at the family's Italian restaurant at age