Amira Willighagen

Amira Willighagen first discovered classical arias by studying performances uploaded to YouTube. At the age of nine in 2013 she entered the Dutch television contest Holland's Got Talent, performing the Puccini aria O mio babbino caro from the opera Gianni Schicchi for her audition. She advanced through the semifinals after delivering the Ave Maria composed by Gounod and Bach, ultimately claiming victory in the finals with Nessun dorma! taken from Puccini's Turandot. The following year she laid down her first record, Amira, under the Sony Masterworks imprint; the ten-track collection featured the very operatic pieces showcased during the talent show. Her initial concerts outside the Netherlands took place in 2014, when she appeared before audiences in South Africa and the United States. The Pontifical Urbaniana University in Rome presented her with the International Giuseppe Sciacca Award in acknowledgment of her abilities. Willighagen directs a portion of her concert earnings toward an organization constructing playgrounds in underprivileged areas for children.