Well, gee, it's 2016, almost 2017, and time for another update on Jackie Evancho! As many will have seen in the news, she is going to be singing the National Anthem on January 20th, Inauguration Day, as part of the swearing-in ceremony of the new US President.
Anyone who wonders at the "creds" a sixteen-year-old has to sing this difficult song only need check out YouTube, where there are several examples of Jackie doing just that. Unlike many singers, she allows the song itself to shine and sings it with sincerity and respect -- with perfect pitch, time after time -- and doesn't engage in a lot of extraneous vocal gymnastics the way so many singers seem to do when faced with this challenging song.
Jackie hasn't been idle since her AGT days. In fact, she has been very busy over the past several years, continuing to do concerts around the US, special appearances on television and at both public and private events, plus preparing and recording new material. Her 2014 album "Awakening" is still out there on store shelves but this holiday season there is now "Someday At Christmas," which is primarily a compilation album of songs she has done with others, but also includes a couple of new previously unrecorded tracks as well. She also appears on others' albums, including a couple of tracks on Placido Domino's "My Christmas" album from 2015, a recording of "Happy Xmas (War is Over)" on Peter Hollens' new holiday album, "A Hollens Family Christmas," and a track of "Ave Maria" with Vittorio Grigolo. For me, a highlight of this album is "Little Drummer Boy", sung with Italian trio Il Volo. Jackie and Il Volo recently appeared together to sing this wonderful version on the "Today Show."
In the works is another new album which will probably be released in two or three months, and it will include primary, original material written by Jackie herself as well as others. To be called "Two Hearts," it will reflect Jackie's continued love of classical-crossover music as well as her explorations into pop.
(No, I'm not Jackie's PR person, I'm just an enthusiastic fan!)