OPERA tenor Alfie Boe is finally realising his dream of singing on the Liverpool Empire stage.

The Fleetwood-born star, who is playing Alfredo in the Welsh National Opera’s La Traviata this autumn, has long held an ambition to perform at the theatre.

He says: “One place in particular that I’ve wanted to play for a long time is the Liverpool Empire.

“I’ve never had the chance – I’ve been inside and seen a few shows myself and I’ve always wanted to play on that stage.

“My heart still lies in the North of England. I’m a Liverpool fan so I like the city a lot – I’m going to stick around for that week.”

This is Boe’s WNO debut as well as the first time he has sung the role of Alfredo.

His musical talent was discovered while he was singing arias at the same time as working as an apprentice car mechanic.

After a spell touring with opera company D’Oyly Carte, he trained at the Royal College of Music.

He then joined the Royal Opera House Young Artists programme and won a Tony Award for his performance in Baz Luhrmann’s La Boheme on Broadway.

Verdi’s three-act opera is being directed by David McVicar, with whom Boe has worked with in the past.

He says: “He’s a great director who really tries to pull the reality out of the piece.