Great Performances will present 13-year-old classical crossover prodigy Jackie Evancho’s second television special Jackie Evancho: Music of the Movies.
The new special, a follow-up to her popular debut special Great Performances Dream With Me in Concert, will be recorded in the opulent splendor of the newly restored Orpheum Theatre, one of Los Angeles’ most revered landmarks, and will feature such evergreens as “Pure Imagination,” “My Heart Will Go On,” “Can You Feel the Love Tonight,” and “Some Enchanted Evening.”
Jackie Evancho’s first performance on NBC’s variety show “America’s Got Talent” left audiences and judges astonished that such a perfect, beautiful, soprano voice could come from a 10 year-old girl. During her next appearance in the competition, judges asked Jackie to improvise a tune which she performed flawlessly. It wasn’t just her musical gift and her age that floored the “America’s Got Talent” audience, but Jackie’s presence, poise and charm that truly made them take notice. One of the show’s judges, Piers Morgan, explained, “You’ve got the whole package.” The young soprano from Pittsburgh with the stunning voice won runner-up and launched her soon-to-be legendary career, signing with Columbia Records shortly thereafter.
Jackie’s unique, gorgeous, soprano voice has won her millions of fans and her recordings have dominated the music and DVD charts. Now 13, Jackie has garnered the support of legendary music producers like David Foster and filmmakers such as Robert Redford. Billboard Magazine named Jackie to their list of music movers-and-shakers under the age of 21 in 2011 and again in 2012 .
Jackie’s debut EP, O Holy Night, was released in November 2010 and became the year's number 1 best-selling debut recording with sales exceeding 1 million copies and earning her a platinum certification. In June 2011, Jackie released her first studio album, Dream With Me. A mix of operatic arias, show tunes and pop standards, it debuted on the Billboard Top 200 chart at number 2 and was certified Gold after only four weeks of release.
Looking back, Jackie says her desire to perform was born after her family saw the film version of “The Phantom of the Opera” when she was just seven years old. The film made such a lasting impression on Jackie that the showstopper “Music of the Night” was the first song she selected for her album Songs From The Silver Screen.
