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"O Mio Babbino Caro" - Jackie Evancho
(from June 2011 album Dream with Me,
Aug. 10, 2010, first audition on America's Got Talent)
old classical crossover singer Jackie Evancho auditioned for the TV
show America's Got Talent and stunned the audience and judges with her
performance of the Italian song "O Mio Babbino Caro" ("Oh My Dear Daddy").
Jackie's 2nd-place finish in the fifth season of the nationally broadcast talent
competition turned her into a star. With millions buzzing about Jackie, the season
finale of America's Got Talent became the most watched in the program's history.
From the age of 8 when she started singing,
soprano prodigy
Jackie Evancho
exhibited the maturity
and vocal prowess of
a veteran opera diva.
In the years since,
Jackie has issued a
platinum-selling EP
and eight albums,
including three
Billboard 200 top 10
debuts. Jackie was
only 9 when she was
invited to sing the
national anthem at
a Pittsburgh Pirates
baseball game.
In this tribute, I am
proud to present a few
of Jackie's outstanding
vocal performances.
With the 2010 holiday release of her EP O Holy Night, Jackie became the
best-selling debut artist of 2010, the youngest top-10 debut artist in
US history and the youngest solo artist ever to go platinum in the US.
Here now is Jackie Evancho with a familiar sound of the season, performing
a song from O Holy Night. the traditional Christmas carol "Silent Night."
"Silent Night" - Jackie Evancho
(Christmas 2010, from Nov. 2010 EP O Holy Night)
In 2011, Jackie's first full-length album, Dream With Me, debuted at No. 2 on
the Billboard 200 chart, and she became the youngest top-5 debut artist in
UK history. Billboard ranked Jackie the top Classical Albums Artist of 2011.
Jackie has starred in three solo PBS concert specials. She was just turning 11
when she became the youngest solo artist ever to headline a special on the
PBS Great Performances series. The concert was taped in April, 2011,
at the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art in Sarasota, Florida,
and was co-hosted by Canadian musician, composer, arranger,
record producer and music executive David Foster, who
played piano in the orchestra on several selections.
"The Lord's Prayer" - Jackie Evancho
(from June 2011 album Dream with Me, April, 2011, live perf. on
Dream With Me In Concert, Ringling Museum of Art, Sarasota, FL)
In 2012, Jackie was honored by the Senator John Heinz History Center at its
20th Annual History Makers Award Dinner as one of five "distinguished
Pittsburghers recognized for their exceptional contributions to the
history of Western Pennsylvania, the nation, and the world."
Jackie was the youngest person ever to be so honored.
Here, rivaling the "Unforgettable' virtual duet of Nat King Cole and
daughter Natalie Cole, are Jackie Evancho and Barbra Streisand,
a virtual duet in which they perform a song from Barbra's 1985
The Broadway Album, a hit from the 1957 Broadway musical
West Side Story. Experience the magic as Jackie Evancho and
Barbra Streisand sing "Somewhere (There's a Place for Us)."
"Somewhere" - Jackie Evancho & Barbra Streisand
(from June 2011 album Dream with Me, live perf.
April, 2011, on Dream With Me In Concert filmed
at Ringling Museum of Art in Sarasota, Florida)
Jackie appeared on the National League of Junior Cotillions' list of
"Ten Best-Mannered People of 2011" for "demonstrating humility
and politeness as a young performer" Here again is Jackie in her
PBS special at the Ringling Museum in Sarasota performing
the title song from her 2011 album Dream With Me.
"Dream With Me" - Jackie Evancho
(from June 2011 album Dream With Me, April, 2011, live perf. on
Dream With Me In Concert, Ringling Museum of Art, Sarasota, FL)
In November, 2011, Jackie Evancho released a full-length holiday album
Heavenly Christmas and became the youngest person ever to give a solo
concert at Lincoln Center in New York City as part of her first concert tour.
"I'll Be Home For Christmas" - Jackie Evancho
(Christmas 2011, from Nov. 2011 album Heavenly Christmas)
Every year since 2011, Quest Talent Search has given an annual
"Jackie Evancho Award" to a contestant who "exemplifies courage
and motivation and pushes through to follow their dreams."
In both 2011 and 2012, Billboard Magazine named Jackie to its list
of "21 Under 21: Music's Hottest Minors." In 2017, Jackie was
named to the "2018" Forbes 30 Under 30 list of musicians.
To keep us in the spirit of the season, here's Jackie with a
cover of Josh Groban's "Believe," a single that topped the
Easy Listening chart during the holiday season in 2004.
"Believe" - Jackie Evancho
(Christmas 2011, from Nov. 2011 album Heavenly Christmas)
To close the show, Jackie once again gives her finest gift, the gift
that keeps on giving, the gift of song, as she sings another song
from her 2011 Heavenly Christmas album-- "The First Noel."
"The First Noel" - Jackie Evancho
(Christmas 2011, from Nov. 2011 album Heavenly Christmas)
I hope you enjoyed meeting, watching and listening to Jackie Evancho,
a child with the voice of an angel, the Deanna Durbin of the 21st century.
Meanwhile, I'm still learning to
wave bye-bye, still spending
hours picking lint out of my
belly button, still sitting on
the sofa all day long in my
Woody Woodpecker trap-
door pajamas binge-
watching Beavis
and Butt-Head
and munching
Froot Loops.
Mama's proud!
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
Tom,
ReplyDeleteI'm happy to know that you like little Jackie Evacho. She was such a darlin' girl. We fell in love with her voice when she appeared on AGT as child. Not only did her talent blow us away but her demeanor equally impressive. She had the soul of an adult trapped in a little body but I think by current standards she was far well behaved than many adults are today. It's hard to believe little Jackie is now 22 years old. I enjoyed your post today and thank you for calling this feature to my attention, dear friend. Have a joyful Christmas!
Hi, Cathy!
DeleteI'm delighted to see you, dear friend! Thanks for breaking away from holiday preps one last time to attend the Jackie Evancho concert with me!
I am not a regular view of America's Got Talent, and therefore was completely unaware of Jackie all these years, never having seen her famous performances on the show that season. Howie Mandell and the other judges were awe struck, weren't they? Yessum, you make a good point, Talent is one thing, but Jackie also developed a reputation for being a sweet, respectful, down-to-earth girl as well - a rare combination in my experience. Correct again, Cathy. Jackie is an old soul, as was Deanna Durbin, the young singing star she reminds me of. As you listen to Jackie sing, you'd swear the sound is coming from a 40-year-old veteran opera diva instead of a child.
Yessum, time marches on, and the little girl from Pittsburgh seen in this post is now age 22, as you mentioned. She will be forever young thanks to the magic of the HD quality productions that captured her amazing performances more than a decade ago.
Thank you again for making time to attend Jackie's Christmas concert, dear friend Cathy. Enjoy the rest of your week and may your family have the happiest Christmas ever!
Good morning, Tom! I'm trying to get my blog activity done first thing so I can busy myself elsewhere. Thanks to technology, we can enjoy these visions of someone once so young. I swanny as my grandma would say, when I look at old photographs of myself I think "Look how young I was!" I'd love to erase the years off my face but not with expensive, unpredictable cosmetic procedures. The best I can do is keep myself in good health, get plenty of rest, and to apply facial foundation to cover the creases. DD#2 has walking pneumonia. We had hoped we could get with her and LA by now but one or both have been sick on/off since late last month. Now, we have Elliot pushing through our area tonight bringing frigid temperatures and high winds. Snow? There is a slight chance but it the bitter conditions that's most worrisome. I hope our electricity doesn't go out. We don't have an alternative heat source. Keep us in your prayers and many others, especially those who are homeless. I just can't imagine those poor souls living on the street with this kind of weather. Don't forget to catch the wifey underneath the mistletoe. 😊 Have a blessed and joyful Christmas weekend, my friend!
DeleteHi again, dear Cathy!
DeleteThanks for returning to chat, and thank you for teaching me a new slang word - "swanny." I looked it up and learned that it is an interjection used with "I" to mean "I declare" or "I swear." Interesting - I never heard it before! Yessum, you might have read the news recently about the tragic story of a young woman from my neck of the woods, Tampa, who went to a clinic in South Florida for cosmetic procedures and died on the operating table, leaving behind one or two young children who will be without their mother this Christmas. Incredibly sad story!
WHAT??? DD#2 is poorly again? I am so sorry, and I hope precious LA doesn't come down with something with Christmas fast approaching. .Your family has experienced one bout with illness after another lately.
I wish you the best as a ferocious storm sweeps through your region. Yessum, I hope you don't lose power this time, because that would be a disaster during such a bitter cold spell. I will indeed keep you in my prayers, dear friend. I know you would do the same for me. I hope the homeless will not hesitate to seek or accept the offer of shelter, and that there will be ample room to offer all of them protection from the wicked elements.
Merry merry merry Christmas to you, dear friend Cathy, and thank you again for your faithful friendship through the years!
What an incredibly mature voice to come out of a child! I can understand why she was such a sensation. Is she still performing or was it too much too soon, causing burnout?
ReplyDeleteWishing you and Mrs. Shady a blessed Christmas.
Hi, Kelly!
DeleteThanks for swinging by in the midst of your busy holiday week, dear friend!
Yessum, singing sensation Jackie Evancho was poised, composed, and sang with an uncommon maturity that amazed the talent show judges, the studio audience, the national audience of TV viewers and the many fans who bought her albums over the years. Not since Deanna Durbin, the young singing prodigy of the 1930s and 40s, have I seen and heard such a rare talent. Wiki sez: << A review in The Nation (Thailand's English language newspaper) commented: "If there's anything on Earth close to the sound of an angel, it must be the heavenly voice of Jackie Evancho". >>
Yessum, although she's had problems in recent years with an eating disorder and was also in a car accident, Jackie continues to record albums, the most recent being Carousel of Time which was released back in September of this year. She also continues to operate her YouTube channel and make public appearances. Last Christmas, Jackie was in my old stomping ground - Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, where she performed a concert titled "Home for the Holidays" at Millersville University in Millersville.
Thank you again for being here for this special tribute to Jackie Evancho, and thank you for the Christmas wishes. I offer you the same. May you, your family, my buddy Pat and your entire canine clan have a safe and happy Christmas, dear friend Kelly!
Just thought I'd drop by to wish you a very merry Christmas and a happy and blessed New Year!
ReplyDeleteHi, Chris!
DeleteHow nice of you, good buddy! Thank you very much for coming over and spreading holiday cheer. I think about you often, Chris, and still think about my old buddy Scrappy as well. I wish you, Laurie, Misty and all your loved ones great joy for Christmas and a happy, healthy and prosperous 2023.
Thanks again for your kind visit and cheery holiday greeting, good buddy Chris!
I remember Jackie from America's Got Talent. She's so talented.
ReplyDeleteI hope you have a nice Christmas.
Hi, Mary!
DeleteThank you for dropping in, dear friend! The blog gremlins must have called a Christmas truce and are letting your comments so straight through to the blog. I'm so glad!
I'm pleased that you are already familiar with Jackie Evancho from watching America's Got Talent. Mrs. Shady hates talent shows of all kinds. Therefore I haven't been watching the series and as a result missed these epic performances by young Jackie. The PBS specials she filmed were staged down here in my neck of the woods at the Ringling Museum of Art in Sarasota. Mrs. Shady and I have visited the museum around a dozen times and never grow tired of it. If you are an art lover, it is highly recommended.
Thanks again for being here for this special salute to Jackie Evancho, dear friend Mary. Please give my buddy Falcor lotsa huggins and lubbins and have yourself a very merry Christmas, as well!
Happy holidays, dear friend! While I'm still in the Hanukkah swing and will be in the swing until sundown on the 26th, I will be participating in Christmas with my family. I'll be doing both on the 24th and 25th. You just helped me get ready.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you focused on Jackie as a young girl. I think she sang for Trump at his inauguration in 2017? We have all her CDs at the library, so I knew who she was way before Trump.
Have a great evening, dear friend Shady.
Hi, Jessica Marie!
DeleteIt's great to see you again, dear friend! Thanks for coming to see and hear the incredible Jackie Evancho.
You are correct, Jess. Jackie sang the national anthem at the presidential inauguration of Donald Trump in January 2017. Wiki has a very interesting paragraph devoted to what happened next, and instead of paraphrasing, I wanted you and others to read it as written: << She stated that her decision to perform was apolitical, but her selection drew comment on social media and in the press, "from both sides of the political spectrum". On the same day, she released a recording titled Together We Stand, containing three songs: "The Star-Spangled Banner", "America the Beautiful" and "God Bless America". Evancho stated that profits from the release would go to LGBT "charities in support of my sister Juliet". The three songs charted at No. 2, 4 and 5, respectively, on Billboard's Classical Digital Song sales chart. Juliet, who is transgender, has advocated for a US federal law to allow transgender students to use bathrooms and other public school facilities designated for the gender with which they identify. Evancho led a TV special in August 2017, on the TLC television network, called "Growing Up Evancho", focusing on the Evanchos' family life and efforts to secure transgender rights. In 2019, asked if she learned any lessons from the Inauguration experience, Evancho said: "Yes ... if you have a bad gut feeling, and your team still pushes you to do something, don't give in, don't do it!" >>
Food for thought there, right Jessica? Thanks again for listening to these Christmas songs. I'm glad you be celebrating Christmas with your folks as you continue to celebrate Hanukkah as well.
Enjoy the rest of your week, dear friend JM, and may the spirit of the holidays fill your heart with joy.
Hi Shady,
DeleteThank you for posting that Wikipedia article. It's good to know and honestly, if I was in her shoes, I'd be the same way. Sometimes we have to do work for people we may not like or agree with, but it's work. I'm glad she is advocating for LGBTQIA+ rights, so glad to read that! I also liked what she said about her gut feelings. Definitely food for thought.
Happy Thankful Thursday, dear friend.
Hi, Jessica Marie!
DeleteI knew you'd like that extra info giving Jackie's reflections on her decision to take part in the 2017 inaugural and back story about her support of sister Juliet and the movement in general. I'm sure she was widely criticized on both sides for her positions, but that's how we roll in this country. No matter what you do, you are bound to offend someone.
Happy TT to you as well, dear friend JM!
I promise, my dear Shady, to listen to this angel tomorrow...well, today but not when i am so tired. I have been trying to do way too much again and have been out most of the day shopping. I will listen to this gal because I have heard of her and know she is the Deanna Durbin of today.
ReplyDeleteHi, Birgit!
DeleteIt's great to see you, dear friend. Thanks for coming!
Yessum, I can see that you were already up late last night, well past your bedtime, when you visited Shady's Place, the venue that is staging Jackie Evancho's Christmas concert. AOK, dear friend. It was nice of you to be honest with me and let me know that you will need to return later to listen to her traditional holiday songs. For your convenience, I stamped your hand so that you can bypass the bouncer and come right through the door. I'll save a front row seat for you.
I'm delighted that you remember Deanna Durbin, a major singing star and actress of the 1930s and 40s that must never be forgotten.
Have a wonderful day, dear friend BB. I'll be over to see you this morning in our private screening room-- "At The Movies!"
OK, I took a few moments to listen to this very gifted young lady. I have been living under a rock and had no clue about all her recordings. I know I watched her video from AGT but I always forgot to look more into her professional life. I would love to buy a couple of her albums. She has a rare gift but I read that she became anorexic and now has osteoporosis as a result. The poor girl had just too much and, I bet, someone told her to stay thin and not get fat. Something triggered in her to take this route plus she, at least, had control over what she could eat. maybe she felt she had no control over everything else. I hope she is on the road to recovery now. Her voice is angelic like Deanna Durbin (born in Winnipeg, Manitoba) and so rich. She and Katherine Jenkins should do a duet. May I wish you and your wife a very Merry Christmas. I still have to wrap everything! I am not going out any more, thankfully plus we are supposed to get hit with a big storm...we shall see. Merry Christmas!!
DeleteHi, Birgit!
DeleteThanks for returning to the scene of the grime, dear friend!
You weren't the only one living under a rock all these years. I don't watch the TV singing and dancing contests, and therefore didn't know Jackie's amazing story. Yessum, Jackie's life took a turn at some point, and it is not surprising after so much praise and attention were heaped upon her at such an early age. That's a lot of pressure, a lot of great expectations to live up to. It wouldn't surprise me if she was pressured from all sides. I'm glad you hear the similarities between Jackie Evancho and Canadian singing prodigy Deanna Durbin, as do I.
I hope you don't get hit very hard by the ferocious snowstorm. I'll be thinking about you. Thank you again for making good on your promise to return to the concert and write a review. I appreciate it. Best wishes for a wonderful Christmas to you, your hubby and my good buddy Harley, dear friend BB!
Hello Dear Shady: What a big voice for a tiny girl. I was interested to see what she was doing now as these songs are from 12. years ago and found her cover of "Both Sides Now." She has grown into her voice and did a great job on that. I am not a fan of opera but I did like her "duet" with Barbra Streisand and the Christmas carols.
ReplyDeleteI have heard the name, Deanna Durbin, but am not really familiar with her work. A little before my time I think.
I hope you and Mrs. Shady have a most wonderful Christmas. We are having a quiet one with just 2 of our kids and our son's new girlfriend. On Monday the 26th we leave for guess where? Oregon again BUT this time we've convinced Bill's mom to come down here and live in an apartment that is right next door to us! It will certainly be some work but much easier for us to care for her if she is next door than if she is hundreds of miles away. Wish us luck with the move! Catch you sometime next year.
Hi, Janet!
DeleteI'm excited to see you, dear friend, and thank you for coming over! I'm glad you could be here for Jackie Evancho's holiday special here at Shady's Place.
I'm delighted that you recognize Jackie's talent, then and now. I follow her YouTube channel and listened to her rendition of "Both Sides Now" a few months ago. Thank you also for being the first to mention her amazing virtual duet with Barbra Streisand on "Somewhere," the famous song from West Side Story.
You can find many Deanna Durbin movie clips on YouTube, beginning with her earliest appearances in the mid 1930s. In 1935, at age 13, Deanna was discovered by the vocal coach for MGM who was reportedly stunned by her "mature soprano" singing voice. Deanna rose to fame along with Judy Garland. The two up-and-comers appeared together in the 1936 short Every Sunday which I have on DVD.
Thanks for updating me on the situation with Bill's mother. It seems like you arrived at a solution that should make everyone happy and eliminate all those grueling drives to Oregon and back. I hope it works out for you and for her.
It's going to be one of the coldest Christmases we've experienced in Florida in quite some time, with overnight lows below freezing, but I look forward to the rare taste of winter.
I wish you and your family a peaceful, happy and healthy Christmas. I know you will remembering your dear mother, and my heart goes out to you, Janet. Take care, be extra good to my buddy Benny, and I'll see you next year!
Great post! I was extremely impressed with Jackie way back when I first heard her. She has the voice and face of an angel! I meant to see what she's up to now. Hope she's still making her beautiful music.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your congrats and nice comments about my wedding. Have a very Merry Christmas, dear friend!
ReplyDeleteI've heard of Jackie Evancho but didn't realize she was a child star or that's she's been around for so long. You mentioned Deanna Durbin (b.1921), but the person that immediately came to my mind wasn't Deanna--it probably SHOULD have been Deanna--but instead the pre-Wizard of Oz Judy Garland (b.1922). Specifically, Judy singing "You Made Me Love You" to a picture of Clark Gable in a Broadway Melody of 1938 (which actually came out in 1937.) It was Tin Pan Alley rather than opera, but, like Jackie, big voice coming out of a young girl. Then there's flash-in-the-pan Gloria Jean (b.1926) who sings operatically to W.C. Fields in 1941's Never Give a Sucker an Even Break. NONE of these girls were as young as Jackie Evancho in their movie debuts as she was when she debuted on America's Got Talent (though they may have very well had the same capability at that age.) So it seems where cis females are concerned, being a legal minor is no barrier to vocal adulthood. Just don't buy them a drink.
Hi, Kirk!
DeleteI'm glad you could make it over for the Jackie E Christmas concert, good buddy!
As I mentioned to friend Janet (above), Deanna Durbin and Judy Garland met and became friends, it would seem, on the set of the 1936 MGM musical short Every Sunday which I have owned on DVD for many years. If you perform a Google search using the words "Judy Garland Deanna Durbin," you can view many excellent production stills taken during the making of Every Sunday. I believe the girls were age 13 approaching 14 at the time.
Thanks for adding other examples of precocious young ladies with big voices who appeared in films of the same period. I agree that Jackie rose to fame earlier in her life than those others. Of course, we could mention child singer Shirley ("Good Ship Lollipop") Temple, but the vocal power of the girls you and I listed far surpassed hers, and the singing style we are discussing was vastly different as well.
Thanks again for swinging over, good buddy Kirk. Have a great Christmas, and look for my next post, Shady Seaweed's annual New Year's Rockin' Eve in the Shady extravaganza, which runs next Monday through Saturday. Keep warm up there, good buddy!
Shady, just to let you know, I once again accidentally erased my most recent post--too much imbibing at a Christmas dinner I went to--so if you go there to add a comment or something, well, you can't. However, I do have a new post on Tuesday. Onward and upward as they say.
DeleteThanks for letting me know, Kirk. I'll BOLO for tamale's post, good buddy.
DeleteHappy Friday Shady! I'm late but I'm so happy I stopped by today and heard this incredible young lady! I was blown away by her voice that almost doesn't seem real coming from that sweet little girl! I'd never heard of her but I loved every song here and it really puts you in the Christmas spirit to listen to these. Thanks for this Christmas gift Shady! I hope you and Mrs. Shady have a wonderful holiday and stay warm as I know this cold air is down south too! Merry Christmas dear friend!
ReplyDeleteHi, YaYa!
DeleteI just got back from visiting Whispering Pines, dear friend, and so glad you are safe and sound as winter begins to assert its authority. I hope your friendly neighbor can help out by plowing your drive again this season.
Thank you very much for coming! I was hoping you wouldn't miss this exciting young artist, Jackie Evancho, who was 10 or 11 years old when these performances were captured but is now age 22. Yessum, it sounds like a hoax to hear the voice of a 40-year old veteran opera diva coming from this gifted little girl, but that is indeed Jackie's real singing voice. I was hoping this assortment of holiday songs sung by Jackie would fill you with Christmas spirit. I'm thrilled to know that listening to her perform accomplished that goal.
Thank you for the gift of your faithful friendship all these years, YaYa. As you can tell, I care about your family. I wish you all a very happy Christmas. I will swing by to view your Christmas at The Pines post when it is published. My next post it the annual New Year's Rockin' Eve in the Shady celebration which starts next Monday. God bless, dear friend YaYa!