Barbara Berta, born at Giubiasco (Ticino) in 1963, discovered her vocation as a performer in 1987 during her visits to London and N.Y. On her return, she made up her mind to study music and singing.

She began by attending Franco Mussida's CPM courses in Milan, then followed her teacher to the Milan Conservatory. At this time, she gained her first experiences of performing with local bands, and extended her range by attending dance classes and joining an English-language drama group.

She kept up her musical interests, meanwhile, singing in a piano bar, performing in a choir and continuing to train as a jazz singer.

She first tasted success in 1994, when she sang one of her own pieces in the Swiss qualifiers for Sanremo (Una voce per Sanremo), achieving a good place in the finals.

A second break came in 1996, when she toured with the LO GRECO brothers and the BRAVO Afro-Cuban dance group.

As well as giving live evening performances and making tv appearances with the BRAVO (Canale 5, "Il Boom" with Teo Teocoli, Gene Gnocchi and Simona Ventura, "RAIUNO mattina", "Gelato al limone" and "La canzone del cuore"), she has continued to work in the studio preparing new material of her own with the help of trumpeter and arranger Fabio Ciboldi.

Performing her own songs, this year she competed in the Swiss qualifiers for the European Song Festival and made a demo CD. In recent months, she has appeared with Jerri Calà on television and in fashionable venues with the BRAVO.

In February of this year she was invited to sing with the choir of Lugano's Centro Educazione Musicale, performing with the group "Pooh" at the Palabasket in Bellinzona.

On February 20^th, 1997 came the announcement that Barbara Berta was to represent Switzerland in the Eurovision Song Contest in Dublin next May. For Barbara a new chapter is beginning. [Chris Zavos - Hellas]

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