Jackie Evancho applies her brilliant voice and extraordinary artistry to an entirely new set of classics with the release of Songs From the Silver Screen, her newest collection for Columbia/Syco Records. It will be in stores on October 2 and may be pre-ordered now on Amazon.com and iTunes.
In her first two full-length albums, Dream With Me and Heavenly Christmas, Jackie explored musical classics from arias to holiday standards. For Songs From the Silver Screen, she offers her interpretations of a whole new category of classic music - the much-loved movie melodies that have become part of our cultural landscape.
"When I saw the movie version of The Phantom of the Opera when I was 7 years old, it made me want to become a singer - 'The Music of the Night' is one of the most beautiful songs ever written and I've always wanted to perform it [in public]," says Jackie. "My enjoyment of the Phantom score is one of the things that gave us the idea to focus an entire album on songs that stayed in our minds for a long time after the movies were over."
For this album, Jackie collaborated with Grammy-winning producer/engineer Humberto Gatica, whose lengthy and impressive experience in the music industry has seen him work closely with Grammy award winning producer David Foster, as well as with superstars like Michael Bublé, Madonna, Michael Jackson, Mariah Carey and Barbra Streisand.
Jackie recorded the album with some impressive company. Famed violinist Joshua Bell accompanies her on one track ("My Heart Will Go On" from Titanic) as does trumpet player Chris Botti ("The Summer Knows" from The Summer of '42) and 2Cellos ("Se" from Cinema Paradiso). There are also very special duets, one with The Canadian Tenors ("Come What May" from Moulin Rouge) and one with her older brother, Jacob Evancho ("I See the Light" from Tangled).
"No one can sing classical crossover music with the technical precision, emotion and intelligence that Jackie brings to it," says Gatica. "With the songs we've selected for this album, we can show her fans how her talent has only deepened and matured since Dream With Me, which I think was one of the most outstanding albums of 2011."
PBS was so impressed with the work on Songs From the Silver Screen that they asked her to make a second Great Performance Special; it will begin airing in August (check local listings). "Jackie Evancho: Music of the Movies" features many of the songs from the new album, including "Some Enchanted Evening" (from South Pacific), "My Heart Will Go On" (Titanic), "Can You Feel The Love Tonight" (The Lion King) and, of course, her stunning rendition of "The Music of the Night."
Her first Great Performances special, "Jackie Evancho: Dream With Me," was rebroadcast multiple times during PBS fund-raising periods and was one of their most-watched specials of 2011.
Since she was discovered on NBC's "America's Got Talent" - where she came in second in 2010 when she was just 10 years old - Jackie's career has gone very far very fast.
She was named to Billboard's "21 Under 21" list, their annual ranking of the most powerful minors in the music industry. Billboard said her spectacular successes in 2010 and 2011 - including the blockbuster releases of her holiday EP, O Holy Night and Dream With Me, and the artistic triumph of the Dream With Me special and live concert appearances - set her apart from other young performers.
When O Holy Night, which was Jackie's major label debut, was released in November 2010, it became the year's #1 best-selling debut recording with sales exceeding 1 million. It rocketed into the Billboard 200 at #2, and the EP's chart and sales success secured Jackie's position as the year's top-selling debut artist as well as the youngest female solo artist to debut during the SoundScan era. In addition to its pop chart success, O Holy Night reached #1 on the Billboard Classical Chart and #2 on the Billboard Holiday chart.
Dream With Me, released in June 2011 was her first studio album and debuted on the Billboard Top 200 chart at #2 ; it was certified Gold after only four weeks of release. And her follow-up holiday record, Heavenly Christmas, was among the top-selling holiday albums of 2011.
Jackie's beauty and poise have also led her in other directions besides music. She was selected by the GUESS Kids clothing line to be in all of their Fall 2012 print advertising. And famed film star/director Robert Redford hand-picked Jackie to play his daughter in the upcoming film "The Company You Keep."
"I am so happy that Mr. Redford picked me to be in his film. And I was excited to learn from performers that are amazing at what they do," says Jackie, who worked with a star-studded cast that included Susan Sarandon, Shia LaBeouf, Terrence Howard, Anna Kendrick, Nick Nolte and Stanley Tucci. The film will be released in 2013.
Track list for Jackie Evancho's Songs From the Silver Screen:
1. Pure Imagination - Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory
2. The Music Of the Night - The Phantom Of The Opera
3. Can You Feel The Love Tonight - The Lion King
4. Reflection - Mulan
5. The Summer Knows - Summer of '42
6. I See The Light - Tangled
7. What A Wonderful World - Good Morning, Vietnam
8. Se - Cinema Paradiso
9. My Heart Will Go On - Titanic
10. Come What May - Moulin Rouge
11. Some Enchanted Evening - South Pacific
12. When I Fall In Love - Sleepless In Seattle
