Jackie Evancho

Emerging as a soprano of remarkable talent, Jackie Evancho transitioned from an early prodigy into a platinum-certified artist in the classical crossover genre. Her participation in the fifth season of America's Got Talent propelled her to international fame. Since launching her recording career in 2009 via Prelude to a Dream, she has placed eight successive studio albums atop the U.S. classical albums chart. Carousel of Time, an album devoted to Joni Mitchell interpretations, arrived in 2022.

Vocal ability surfaced early for Evancho, much as it had for predecessors Hayley Westenra and Charlotte Church. Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the multi-instrumentalist—who also performs on violin and piano—commenced vocal studies in 2008 at age eight. Within two years she had won a regional vocal competition, established a personal social-media presence, issued the independent debut Prelude to a Dream, and earned recognition as the world’s youngest opera singer.

Those accomplishments led directly to her selection for the fifth season of NBC’s America’s Got Talent. Audiences and judges responded to the then-ten-year-old’s advanced technique, interpretive depth, and poised delivery. She ultimately placed second behind Michael Grimm. Columbia Records subsequently issued the holiday EP and concert film O Holy Night.

Spring 2011 brought Dream with Me, Evancho’s first non-holiday full-length, helmed by producer David Foster and blending arias, Broadway selections, and pop standards. That autumn saw the release of the concert presentation Jackie Evancho: Dream with Me in Concert, which combined earlier signature pieces with additional classical-crossover material. Only months later the ten-track Heavenly Christmas extended the seasonal focus first explored on 2009’s O Holy Night.

Evancho returned in 2012 with Songs from the Silver Screen, offering her versions of iconic film themes. The 2014 album Awakening, her fifth studio effort, was previewed by the singles “Think of Me” from Phantom of the Opera and “The Rains of Castamere,” drawn from the Game of Thrones ballad. The set entered the Billboard 200 at number 17 while claiming the top spot on the Billboard Classical Albums chart. A second holiday collection, Someday at Christmas, followed in 2016. Two Hearts appeared in spring 2017 and logged 36 weeks on the Billboard Classical Albums chart; its first disc comprised ten characteristic classical-crossover performances, while the second disc presented a five-song EP of pop-leaning originals, four co-written by Evancho. The Debut, issued in 2019, featured her interpretations of selections from Hamilton, The Greatest Showman, Waitress, and additional Broadway productions. A cover of Joni Mitchell’s “River” surfaced in 2020; three further Mitchell songs—“A Case of You,” “Both Sides Now,” and “Blue”—appeared on the 2022 album Carousel of Time.