DAYTON — The Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra will perform with guest artist Jackie Evancho, April 27 and April 28 at 8 p.m. in the the Schuster Center in downtown Dayton.
Tickets for “An Evening with Jackie Evancho” range from $29 to $79 and are available at 937-228-3630 or online at www.daytonperformingarts.org.
Evancho’s meteoric rise is already a show business legend. YouTube video stardom led to her spectacular, against-the-odds appearance on America’s Got Talent in 2010 that delivered the heat and the promise of a new star, in a luminous performance of the beloved Puccini aria “O mio babbino caro.” Her breakthrough was transformed quickly into the basis for a serious career. In less than a decade, Evancho has made seven chart-topping albums and DVDs, headlined three PBS television specials, appeared in the film “The Company We Keep” at the request of her co-star Robert Redford, and tirelessly toured the world, singing for Presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump, other world leaders and her fans everywhere. In addition to her solo success, Evancho has recorded duets with such notable artists as Tony Bennett, Susan Boyle, Il Volo, Placido Domingo, Barbra Streisand, Chris Botti, The Tenors and Joshua Bell.
The success of the “little blonde girl with the big voice” from Pittsburgh has defied the odds. Her first major-label recording, “O Holy Night,” made Evancho the top-selling debut artist of 2010, with the EP entering the Billboard 200 chart at No. 2, the youngest solo artist ever to debut in the Top 5. With sales of more than a quarter of a million copies in its first week, “O Holy Night” was certified a platinum record, and Evancho became youngest performer ever to go platinum in the U.S.
“Dream with Me” was Evancho’s first full-length album for Sony Music, produced by David Foster, who first encountered her before her breakthrough, when she was nine years old. Debuting at No. 2 in the Billboard 200, the album confirmed the success of “O Holy Night,” featuring duets with Barbra Streisand and Susan Boyle and bringing Evancho a platinum record and international acclaim, the youngest album performer ever to debut in the Top 5 in the U.K. The success of “Dream with Me” established a benchmark for how her career would unfold, a multimedia blitz that took her to television’s best-rated programs, a PBS special and a distinctive tour of sold-out top concert venues around the world.
Evancho sang for Pope Francis during his U.S. visit and, a few years before, performed at the lighting of the National Christmas Tree in Washington, D.C., where she sang for Obama and his family. Two months later, she was again invited to perform for the president and Congressional leaders during the National Prayer Breakfast. She was also invited to perform on Oprah Winfrey’s farewell special. In 2017, Evancho sang “The Star Spangled Banner” at the inauguration of Trump.
