America's classical chart-topper switches agents – to Hollywood
mainJackie Evancho, 11 years old, went in for America’s Got Talent and wound up top of the classical Billboard charts. Her delivery, diction and prospects have aroused heated debate ever since. A legion of combative fans promote her as the white hope of classical music. Others maintain reasoned reservations about her lack of training and her over-pushed career. The wires on Slipped Disc have glowed white with rage, and they glowed again when my friend and colleague Tim Page wrote a shrewd critical assessment in the Washington Post.
Tim was on WQXR’s Conducting Business yesterday, together with former child star (and successful tenor) Robert White and classical singers’ agent, Bill Palant. You can here the show here. One small sideline that emerged is that Jackie has quit classical agency IMG Artists for William Morris, who promised her – and secured – a Hollywood deal. Her career priorities are clear.
We will not hear much more by way of opera arias from Jackie – unless the movie crashes and burns. I wish her luck.
They better put her under the direction of a serious singing teacher , let the child be a child and perform if it´s fun for her and don´t try to explote the gold mine… I guess they will not do that
Mr, Alberto Martinez
Who would you advise a “serious singing teacher” for Jackie????
Maybe we can use your expertise?
that’s if you are a trained singing teacher
Forward you link to your website !!
Yes, not going to happen. Her fans reject even the most reasoned suggestions from highly respected singers that she is in danger of harming her voice, reflexively calling them snobs. As does her family, it seems.
I believe Naomi Lewin brought up a wonderful question that I hadn’t previously considered. Are the symphonies that book her enabling her exploiters? I would add opera houses to that question. It may be financially a positive for them, but morally, as Lewin asked?
Looking at her schedule from her web-site (and a bit of extra searching), what about the Fresno Opera and San Diego Symphony, which are sponsoring her in the future? (I stopped searching after Fresno. There may be other opera houses or symphonies involved).
There must be a lot of money at stake. She is moving away from the “classical” part of classical crossover and even further from opera, which I view as a positive. Why then is she being sponsored by these venues?
Fresno Opera? Pittsburgh Opera? Are you out there?
In relation to my own question about Pittsburgh Opera – an Evancho fan posted the following quote on Mr. Page’s article. It is from Christopher Hahn, GM:
“It’s very unusual for a young child to have a voice that sounded so rich and developed….I thought she was just lovely, sweetly compelling…It is quite unusual to hear a young girl with that level of warmth and roundness.”
I have no words.
It’s hard to take an article serious, when the writer of said article cannot even spell in proper english. You might want to proof read your article, Mr. Lebrecht.
Besides from that, Jackie and family has never once claimed that Jackie is an opera singer. In fact they always refuse that claim, saying she’s a ‘classical crossover’ singer. Also, while yes, Jackie ‘has’ filmed a movie, they’ve also made it perfectly clear that her priority is still singing, that one movie was just a bonus because she was personally offered the role.
You should proofread your comments, Nanna. “Serious” should have been an adverb, so “seriously.” The subject “Jackie and family” is plural, so should be followed by have.
Did that sound as petty as your first paragraph sounded to me?
Your second paragraph is more on point, although I feel disingenuous (perhaps unintentionally). I suspect most of us outside the Evancho fandom have heard the opera singer claim.
Ms. Evancho’s fans act as if they have a special communication channel with the family. Perhaps they do. Perhaps they are told things none of us is. Perhaps they just imagine they are. The truth does not matter. What matters is that Ms. Evancho is presented routinely as an opera singer, or at the very least, as a prodigy singing opera.
I am prepared to reconsider my position should the family correct this impression to the millions who have witnessed it.
I have no issue with Ms. Evancho singing, although I fear for her voice and feel she is being exploited. She is not my child, however. I do have an issue with the use of an art form that she has no business claiming to sing, in order to sell CDs and create a niche market.
Why do you feel that Evancho is being exploited? What is your evidence for this? You can look at her concert schedule on her website (click on “Events”). She sings between 0 and 3 concerts per month. She usually sings 10 numbers, and she sings them gently into a microphone. I’d say her style is “lullaby classical”. 🙂 Just listen to any of her albums. BTW, it is certainly true that Evancho and her parents consistently deny any characterization of her as an opera singer. You can hear this if you listen to any of her interviews. Just google “Jackie Evancho interview”, and you’ll find lots of them. She recently was interviewed on the Wall Street Journal cafe, by 20/20, on The View, on The Talk, by Oprah and elsewhere. It seems to me to be unethical journalism for Page, White, Lebrecht, et al. to attack Evancho’s parents without checking into the facts at all.
Janey
RE: Ms. Evancho’s fans act as if they have a special communication channel with the family. Perhaps they do. Perhaps they are told things none of us is. Perhaps they just imagine they are. The truth does not matter. What matters is that Ms. Evancho is presented routinely as an opera singer, or at the very least, as a prodigy singing opera.
Why so envious of Jackie Evancho # 1 Classical Crossover Artist for 2011
Let’s define Classical Crossover:Simply put, Classical Crossover is a term used to describe artists that adopt strong classical influences in their music, but ultimately they have an accessible and popular sound or a marketable image to reach out to a wider audience.
http://www.classical-crossover.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=142&Itemid=126
Janey are you a classical trained vocalist??
If so please forward your link !
So we can examine your credentials !
I wish I could say that I appreciate everyone’s concern for Jackie, but I generally believe that if someone truly has concern for another, they go out of their way to actually learn about that other person. Clearly high-brow music’s busybodies have not done so. Case in point: Dear Mr. Martinez: Letting the child be a child and perform if it’s fun for her and not trying to exploit the gold mine is PRECISELY what IS happening. If you cared enough about Jackie – as well as Mike, Lisa, Jacob, Zach and Rachel – you would know this, and you would not now be suffering from the embarrassment of having a dysfunctional crystal ball.
Yes, those of us who follow Jackie closely have expressed some fervent zeal from time to time. But that is because we, unlike those who write “critical shrewd assessments” of Jackie’s music and career, have actually taken time to get to know this child and her family. Many of us have met her and members of her family and have spoken with them one-on-one, face-to-face. Others, such as I, have merely (?) watched her perform a concert at a close range – close enough to see the look in her eyes — and have seen the irrepressible joy, the delighted child, that pours out of her as surely as the music from her lips, or have turned to see the look of love and delight that fills her mother’s face at the end of song after song. We have spent untold hours – measured more accurately in days – sleuthing out every bit of publically accessible information about the Evanchos that we can find, and we continue to prove that the private family and the public family are consistent: They are all about helping Jackie fulfill her dream of using her vocal talents to delight as many people as she can and have fun doing it, while they also work tirelessly to protect her from those in the entertainment industry who “prowl around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”
So, yes, I admit that exploitation is a very real danger for people entering the entertainment business. But it is for someone entering any business. And this cuts to the core of our disagreement, which is expressed simply by the title of WQXR’s program, “Conducting Business.” Let’s be blunt: Business is, in a sense, all about exploitation. I don’t mean this in a derogatory way; it’s just the way it is. Business is about a business owner finding workers with specific talent and skills and then leveraging those skills to entice consumers to purchase the company’s goods or services, so that, in the end, the owner makes money. In short, the owner exploits both the worker and the consumer for his own financial gain. And WXQR is right: The entertainment business is business, and if one takes the position that Jackie Evancho is merely a worker in that business, then he or she MIGHT be able to argue that she is being exploited.
But there’s another side to this, a side that explains why the entertainment business tends to be (perhaps) more exploitive than other businesses: art. Art is really the antithesis of business. While business is about leveraging human talent and human desire for the financial gain of those in power (again, not necessarily a bad thing; our society – any society – needs business), art is about giving one’s own time and talent to meet the emotional and spiritual needs of others. Indeed, from its earliest expressions and ancient origins, art was a means by which people encouraged one another, and worshipped their God or gods. People gave of their possessions, their skills and their time to create artifacts, poetry, songs, paintings, frescos, and all kinds of art simply so that the saddened would be delighted, the agitated would be calmed, the fearful would be assured, hurting could be healed, and the worshipper could worship. It wasn’t until recent history, and especially since the beginning of the entertainment era, that art became big business. Now, it would seem, there are two different kinds of artists: obscure ones who use their art to make a difference in the world, and famous ones who are exploited by the entertainment industry to make big money.
Then along comes an artist who dares to use her art to make a difference in the world AND be famous. Instead of letting the entertainment business exploit her to achieve financial gain, she is exploiting the entertainment industry to gain a larger audience to encourage, delight, calm, heal, and – yes, for some of us – lead into worship. Is she and her family making some bucks along the way? I surely hope so. But I don’t think it’s changing who she is and who they are. Is the entertainment industry making money off of her? Of course; if they weren’t they wouldn’t be helping her achieve her goals. But I don’t think they are able to control her and change her into someone or something she is not. Again, if you really knew this kid, you would know that she has her standards that run far, far deeper than most children her age, and she is not ready to compromise them.
Jackie Evancho represents a new paradigm in the arts – a return to ancient roots where art was really all about making a difference in the world. She also represents the power and influence that rests in the hands of the newest generation. With the world quite literally in their pockets, with more knowledge at their fingertips than their grandparents (that’d be me) could find in ten thousand encyclopedias, with dreams that bounce off of satellites and reach beyond the stars, and with hearts far more generous than narcissistic baby-boomers (again, I am one, so I’m free to say that), there is no stopping these kids – and there’s no stopping Jackie.
And that scares us old people. She demolishes our walls of cultural arrogance. She questions the extent of our knowledge. She threatens our need for control. And she endangers our bottom line. She, and her entire generation.
So, along come the pundits of sameness, the guardians of yesteryear, the judges of the courts of culture. The critics. And, finding their walls of cultural arrogance demolished, they hasten to rebuild, declaring her music to be inferior art. Finding their knowledge threatened, they invent their own reality based on ignorance and lack of observation (“Her parents are exploiting her”). Feeling like they are losing control, they resort to baseless prognostications (“She will ruin her voice and turn into another Charlotte Church”). And seeing their profits threatened, they villainize financial gain (“The entertainment industry will destroy her”).
The sad irony of it is that the only real threat to Jackie, the only real way that she will be exploited, is if the critics have their way with her. If they can, somehow, convince the masses that their own definition of musical artistry is the only valid one; if her parents and her family turn on her and begin to place money above her personal safety; if it turns out that the professionals and the doctors are all wrong and she does, indeed, destroy her voice; if the entertainment business does ultimately destroy her – then they will be able to tell us all how right they are: she will have been exploited. And they can go home happy and successful.
But they will not have their way with her. We who know the truth and fight for her safety and success will win over those who ignorantly seek her demise. The saddened will be delighted, the agitated will be calmed, the fearful will be assured, hurting will be healed, and the worshipper will worship.
Because Jackie Evancho really is an artist.
Sigh. Norman, I used to give you the benefit of the doubt, but virtually none of what you wrote here is true. Evancho’s management, as you can easily see from her website, is Align Entertainment Group, and it has been her management company for as long as I have known of her. It’s true that Evancho filmed a small role last year in Robert Redford’s forthcoming film “The Company You Keep”, but she just told the Wall Street Journal that she prefers singing to acting. Why won’t you check your facts?
To address your other assertions:
Tim Page wrote that Evancho is somehow being exploited, but he never investigated it at all. What “overpushed” career? Evancho has been singing between one and three concerts each month. Plus, he criticizes Evancho for singing a couple of opera arias, but the bulk of her repertoire is Christmas carols, standards and popular songs. Lots of people like her “classical crossover” mix of songs, and that is why she has sold over 2 million CDs in the U.S. alone.
Here’s a review by critic Mark Kanney of Evancho’s recent concert music director Antony Walker conducting the Pittsburgh Opera Orchestra – http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/ae/music/s_762232.html . Kanney wrote: “The voice experienced live is for real. It is astonishing for someone so young, beyond being beautifully in tune and well supported. Evancho’s opening number — “Lovers” from “House of Flying Daggers” — showed that she sings across a wide range and with remarkably mature tone. She has a big, warm sound in her lower register, with a nice modest vibrato, while on top she sings with purity…. Evancho’s sincerity of delivery was affecting in numbers with the simplicity of “To Believe” by her uncle, Matthew Evancho, and the fervor of “The Impossible Dream.” … Her encore was a heavenly account of “Pie Jesu” from Webber’s “Requiem.”
It was confirmed to me by WXQR that she had switched from IMG to William Morris. The IMG man on the programme was none too pleased about it.
Either you misunderstood WQXR, or they misunderstood Bill Palant, or he misspoke. Evancho was represented by IMG in the past, but but the liner notes to her spring 2011 album, “Dream With Me”, clearly says that her management is AEG. So do the liner notes to her November 2011 album “Heavenly Christmas”. AEG’s website is currently promoting her 2012 concerts. See: http://www.aeglive.com/events/view/33993/Jackie-Evancho-the-New-Jersey-Symphony-Orchestra.
In the interview
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-LOIEGK4Bc&feature=player_detailpage#t=143s
(offset 2:23 if the offset in the URL isn’t honored by your browser)
of Jackie by Christopher John Farley of the WSJ, Jackie said
“Acting is very fun, and I enjoy it, but I prefer singing”.
So much for the assertion “Her career priorities are clear.” Perhaps wishful thinking on Mr. Lebrecht’s part?
The next exchange after that, on how she stays grounded, is also worth listening to if one has a little patience; it’s far more honest than I think most kids, whether unknown or famous, would be.
Jackie: “…at the times I’m a diva, I know I’m being a diva, and it’s – it’s kind of annoying to know that you are, because it’s a person I do not want to be. And so I’m trying my best not to become a jerk.”
Precocious words of wisdom that even highly (self-)esteemed critics might do welll to emulate.
We have a lot of classical crossover in the UK, but I’m generally not a great lover of the genre. However, it seems to me that Jackie Evancho probably wouldn’t understand why all this controversy surrounds her when all she wanted to do was sing music she, as a child, thinks is beautiful. Thank you for your link but I was surprised at how one sided it was as a discussion. Extremely unprofessional of the host to say they’d invited Evancho to take part but she declined the offer. Come on … would you expect an 11 year old to be allowed to sit there and answer accusations that her parents are in some way sexualising and exploiting her and with references to a child that was murdered? Astounding stupidity. I have great respect for you as a critic. I’m sure you couldn’t support this unprofessionalism.
I just looked at the heading of above the YouTube clip on the WQXR article. “What should be the role of child stars in classical music” Now statement alone poses problems to me. Should child stars be limited only to pop music? If so, that is the reason, so few people listen to classical music, especially opera. Classical music a few generations ago was on the radio and TV. Now you are lucky to hear it on NPR or PBS. We are losing generations of future fans by not reaching out to them. They simply don’t hear it. They hear rap, country western and Disney pop. When a little girl goes on national TV and sang an opera aria, a lot of Americans went wow I like that. That is reflected in their voting. Next it was reflected in purchasing her music. Opera fanatics woke up to the fact that she was getting a lot of attention. According to them, there is no way she can do this; they insist that it takes years of work before you can sing opera or even light classical. The fact that a number of very talented children in the past have done just that means nothing to them. They see it their way; don’t bother me with the facts. I especially like the ones who state that because they have a degree in music, they know what they are talking about. Well I also have a degree, not in music, but I learned a long time ago not to be arrogant and assume you know everything. Then comes a has-been, music critic who starts to compare her to a murdered child, who I didn’t know could even sing. Now all hell has broke loose. Opera fanatics are out in droves to prove that she can’t sing opera, or yes she has a nice voice, but needs years of training. She will burn out her voice by singing this way. Or better yet, this is child abuse. They have no facts, just opinions, but don’t disagree with them because they are right. I have three grandchildren; they love to hear Ms. Evancho sing. Why, because she is a child and they can relate to her. I look back on her performances last year and they were very good. My wife went to her concert in Vegas and it was superb. Her voice is improving that fast. We both agreed it was one of the best we had attended. Just my opinion and I am not forcing it on any one else. Don’t purchase her CDs if you don’t like her voice or style of singing, but don’t expect millions of people who have purchased her CD or DVDs to agree with you.
Great News !!
Exclusive tweet from Jackie Evancho !!!
jackieevancho jackie evancho
My vocal chords are “pristine” according to Dr. Scott Kessler, NYC. Thank you Doc. K. It was great seeing you!
http://twitter.com/jackieevancho
Dr. Scott Kessler, MD Otolaryngologist in New York, NY. Review detailed information on Dr. Kessler’s 35 years experience and background in medicine.
Scott Kessler M.D. tends to the vocal cords of some of music’s biggest voices. Here is a article about
him on another scribe WMagazine:
Read More http://www.wmagazine.com/beauty/2009/03/voice_doct…
JACKIE 4 YEARS OF PERFORMING PUCCINI OPERATIC ARIA’S AND NO VOCAL ISSUES !
This all seems like a pretty pointless argument to me. A critic who is striving desperately to retain his credibility spouts on a radio spot that a child shouldn’t be singing opera (or at all for that matter). Jackie and her parents have said many times she has no interest or intention of doing this genre of music. Why don’t you pay attention? The entire group seems to be clueless to or just blatantly ignoring the difference between opera and her true genre, classical crossover, which Jackie has explained many times. In reality a minimum amount of her repertoire consists of operatic “arias” and all of her music is quite age appropriate. Certainly a lot more so than some of the music done by others now a days. He also states that she is damaging her voice by singing even though she sings correctly with good breath support and a raised palate. This is quite a contrast from the forced nasal sound or the airy sound of many artists we hear today. If you listen to Jackie she floats effortlessly from to note to note flawlessly with a vibrato so pure it sounds too good to be true. I would imagine that is one of the reasons people once accused her of lip synching, The other is the haunting, crystal clear, ringing sound she continually produces. Is she perfect? That depends on your taste in music and definition of perfection. Is there room for improvement? Well she is eleven and since there is room for improvement in everyone no matter his or her age, of course. The amazing thing about Jackie is every time she performs she accomplishes just that. How many other singers can actually say this?
They then proceed to attack her parents and managers as exploiters of her talent. Her parents have stated many times that if Jackie decided tomorrow that she no longer wanted to sing she could quit. Because of her age I would doubt anyone could prevent it. Her parents have said many times it has nothing to do with the money. I would think it would be quite obvious by now that Jackie has chosen to do this, loves what she does, is incredible at it and has no intention of quitting. This is her dream! Can we even imagine how exciting this must be for this young musical genius to travel all over the world sharing her talent with everyone? Are we really supposed to take people seriously who want to crush the dreams of a young child prodigy? What don’t these people understand? I would think they would be ecstatic that she has chosen to perform classical music as part of her program! I personally don’t feel they could be so naive to believe they are going to prevent her from performing. I can think of millions of reasons why they won’t! They are called fans. In reality this is just a sorry excuse of these critics to use Jackie’s popularity to boost their own. Who is really doing the exploiting here? Shame on you all! I mean really.
In closing you have to ask yourself if these critics who “wish Jackie the best” really have her best interest at heart? I doubt that very seriously. I would imagine that if Jackie did have any trouble with her voice they would be delighted and be the first to say “We told you so!” I would say that years from now when she is still astounding her audiences all over the world, they will still be waiting. More than likely though, they will have moved on to some other hapless victim. If this group would like more factual information they should ask her legions of fans. We have done our homework, followed her many successes which she and her family have so graciously shared and would be more than happy to tell the truth about the amazing Jackie Evancho and her nurturing family. Actually all they or anyone has to do is enter her site at jackieevancho.com, but be sure to come with a positive attitude since her fans are very protective! It would be a real eye opener for them. Yes miracles can and do happen! Stop fighting it and just enjoy the experience!
I don’t think Jackie Evancho sings well, but I wouldn’t say this is her own fault. And there’s something truly tragic about it. I think she sings like a little girl imitating the sound of a full grown woman, something the voice of a little girl isn’t meant to do, except as a playful attempt in imitating something it’s not really capable of yet. A full grown opera singer’s voice sounds the way it does because she’s a full grown woman, not because she’s singing in her throat and uses a microphone. You can try it yourself. Talk out loud and then say something directing your voice down in your throat and you get this huffy puffy sound. This is what Jackie does when she sings to sound like the opera singers she’s heard. And in the low notes Jackie’s vibrato sounds like she’s trying to shake something lose. Because she’s stuck in her throat, because she’s trying to imitate the sound of a full grown woman, because she’s heard this on TV or at a show, because she’s being exploited for what has become a sort of circus act. And the whole thing is sad because she’s very intent on what she’s doing, has good concentration, she’s musical, she has a good natural ability (she wouldn’t be able to sing in such an artificial way and accomplish what she does, if she didn’t have an innate ability); but instead of singing in a way that would be natural for a young girl, and thus being nurtured to discover her own musicality in a natural way, she’s turned into an entertainment. And since this is found OK and marketable, this isn’t checked and… It’s ghastly to think what would happen if she was imitating other behaviors of a grown woman and this wasn’t checked because it worked for “entertainment” purposes. I think that if “the mob” were capable of really caring for Jackie, they would have concern for her learning to sing in a way that’s natural for who she is, and that’s an 11 year old girl. For example, perhaps she shouldn’t be singing opera arias that are songs meant for a grown human being, which it has been mentioned numerous times (in defense of Jackie) isn’t her real interest, and she could really only truly accomplish if she were at least a decade older. Of course, then again, this is “the mob” we’re talking about. And, although there seem to be an infinite amount of variations, this is an old story. And you can read all about it in Charles Dicken’s Nicholas Nickleby with a character aptly called “The Infant Phenomenon”. I won’t say another word. Go ready the story. Follows numerous onslaughts full of glowing praise given by various irritated adorers:
The only problem with what you say, Roelof, is that Evancho is *not* being exploited. Any suggestions to the contrary are being made without any evidence or investigation whatsoever. This is shameful, unethical journalism.
@Roelof Alexander Bijkerk,
So what you are saying is that all the experts hired by Sony and the Evanchos are Wrong? Dr. Scott Kessler, MD Otolaryngologist in New York, NY, Wrong? Dr. Clark Rosen, Director of the University of Pittsburgh’s Musical Medical Facility (One of the best in the world!), Wrong?
You sit there and tell us how she is doing all this “Imitating”, when none of the real experts have a clue as to how she does it? You sure do know a lot, NOT! I’ve sat 10 feet away from her, and heard her sing live, and you’ve not heard a thing that wasn’t an old YouTube video! Tim Page was guilty of that as well. He judged her by a 16 month old YuoTube clip from America’s Got Talent, and totally ignored her “Dream With Me” Great Performances PBS special, PBS’s Top Money Maker! Tim Page should not have even done the Review, as his Asbergers was the reason Mr. Page was replaced at WQXR. I’ll say the same thing about Tim Page as I say about Norman LeBrecht. Both need to learn their subject matter, before proclaiming to be experts on the subject of Jackie Evancho. Mr. Page was not capable or qualified to do that Review!
If you had done any research on Jackie at all, you would see that there has been many times where the Fans have been concerned about Jackie’s Vocal well being, and questioned whether Jackie’s best interests are being looked after. These have all been addressed, as far as I’m concerned, and that opinion comes from my almost 60 years as a professional Musician, and 47 years as a singer.
As far as her being Exploited? You don’t have a clue as to what you are talking about! You only wish you had a family as good as hers! Then again, Ignorant people make Ignorant statements. Jackie has never listened to Opera or “Purist Classical” music. She’s heard Emmy Rossum in the Movie, “Phantom of The Opera”, and one clip of “Sarah Brightman” to learn the Words to “O Mio Babbino Caro”, according to her Mother! At home she listens to all the normal kid music, not Classical. You say that she is Manufacturing/Mimicking/Imitating an Adult voice, when her singing voice was come by naturally. It’s her real singing voice, not something she copied! She woke up one day and it was there! If that is not a “Gift from God”, I don’t know what is! You need to wake up and smell the Coffee, a difficult thing to do with your head up your butt!
Russ
Blog by Glenn Winters at Virginia Opera
About those child opera singers: here’s the deal
http://dropera.blogspot.com/2012/01/about-those-child-opera-singers-heres.html?showComment=1326179523236#c1595608030648792349
Sorry! This is the correct link. –
http://dropera.blogspot.com/2012/01/about-those-child-opera-singers-heres.html
Glenn Winters is an idiot! Jackie Evancho has never claimed to be an Opera singer, and has no intention of becoming one in the future. It’s sad to think that grown people, supposedly expert in their opinions have to run a rigged blog to get their desired result. Thankfully Jackie has the blessings of a number of Opera companies, and people serious about their reviews of her. They have spoken out against your unfounded accusations. I note that Jackie was invited to be a part of the podcast discussion with Page and Lebrecht, and they said she refused, but never mentioned the fact that she refused because she was getting ready for her formal Debut at Bunkamura Orchard Hall in Tokyo as part of the Hall’s re-opening ceremonies, and gave a well received concert there on Jan 13. She also gave a Command Performance for Japan’s Royal Family while she was in Japan. A great Honor! Then again, you people wouldn’t know the meaning of the word!
There has been a lot of discussion here and elsewhere on the Internet about whether Jackie Evancho is an opera singer. A review of her repertoire should help your readers make up their own minds.
1. Songs from children’s movies: 4
2. Songs from other movies: 2
3. Songs from Broadway shows: 7
4. Religious songs: 6
5. Popular ballads: 10
6. Inspirational ballads: 1
7. Modern classical songs: 2
8. Religious Christmas carols: 8
9. Standard Christmas songs: 2
10.Opera arias: 3
________
Total: 45
These are all songs that she has recorded in one or more of her four CD’s. I will add that she sings the three opera arias in a classical style, with a microphone, not in an operatic style. At her last concert, just for fun, she sang a few lines from “Poker Face” by Lady Gaga.
What I see in all these critics comments is, a bunch of nobodies that wish their career was as great as a 11 year old Evancho that is if they ever had a career at all. So these nobodies or has beens are attacking a little girl who wish to just sing. So you people really think a 11 year old has that big of a grasp on money matters. She likes to sing that the bottom line and she fills the concert halls, or sings for presidents and emperor’s while selling millions of albums. To the critics and the ones who state they commenting only for the well being of the Child, bottom line to you Jackie Evancho has no need of your concern or sticking you nose into her business at 11 years old… she has accomplished more than you people have done in your entire life. And have the money to back it up. So if a little girl being so nice won’t say it I will take your negative advice and your thumb go sit on it in the corner and cry about how she has done better than you and you can’t stand it.
“Jackie Evancho has no need of your concern or sticking you nose into her business at 11 years old… she has accomplished more than you people have done in your entire life. And have the money to back it up. So if a little girl being so nice won’t say it I will take your negative advice and your thumb go sit on it in the corner and cry about how she has done better than you and you can’t stand it.”
This is an attitude that bases success only on television celebrity. You have no idea what anyone here commenting has accomplished, or what anyone on any of the other comment sections has accomplished. There are comments from several of the most accomplished, financially successful classical artists and administrators on these blogs. They have achieved their dreams and more. You would have no way of knowing that, nor would you care, based on your smug attitude(s) that respond only to that glittery screen in your living room.
The environment around this girl is very probably hurting her possibilities for a future career. To pretend otherwise, while knowing the truth, would be horrendous.
I have had enough of uneducated fanatics lecturing those of us who possess real knowledge, real success and a real understanding of what the thought of having a voice destroyed means. Knowledge isn’t something to be run from or ashamed of and ignorance shouldn’t be worn on your sleeve like a badge.
I will turn your answer back onto yourself you have no knowledge of what this little girls family life is like, unless you live min. by min in her household. And as for the bloggers here who are suppose to have accomplished their dreams financially and in career let them state who they truely are and some background that can be verified so has to add credence to their statement so as you state My shame and ignorance can be seen. So far I have heard all these supposed expert comment and if they are truely so great and experts why hide it.. I will say I am no expert I just know what I like, What I see, and what I feel, and what I think… And I think this little girl is being ragged on to much by these suppose expert. And most of her fans believe this also. So we will just wait and see the results in the long run how this little lady life unfolds and if you are right so be it and heaven helps the little girl. IF the fans are right so be it but we get to enjoy her innocence and singing while waiting with out trying to condemn her like so many others.