Let me be clear: I am 75 years old. I have spent my life having kids, raising kids, working with kids, and watching them grow into adulthood, and grow into the adulthood their childhood promised. Amira, who I started watching in 2013 when she was nine years old, has always excelled at whatever she has tried to do. She said once that didn't under stand why people cried when they watched her sing. For myself, the answer is that to see someone young being so good at what they do has an emotional kick that just can't be beat; we all just love watching someone be the best they can be. That's all I needed to say. Thanks for your explanation of the mechanics of the performance, that adds so much to the experience.
A couple of things which weren't mentioned here about this young woman; this performance was 4 years ago. She was 13 or 14 at the time. The second thing is that ever since she was first recognized in The Netherlands, she began a charity to build playgrounds for kids in South Africa. The woman is the real deal as a singer and a human being. Enjoy.
You should do the progression of Amira's career: When she was 9 winning Hollands Got Talent (3 songs); with Andre Rieu in concert getting a standing ovation from 15,000 fans at 10 years old; the duet with Patricio Buanne 'O Sole Mio' at 12 years old, "Amazing Grace', 'Gabriella's Song' "The Flower Duet' in concert at about 13 or 14 years old, and her duet rendition of 'Barcelona' the famous Freddy Mercury mix of rock and opera (the out of focus cell phone version is the best - she goes up an octave on the final note!). She has the best soprano voice of anyone her age, and rivals the greats such as Sissel and Maria Callus. Like you reactions, you recognize the settings, the orchestra, the chorus - Concert settings, not just a studio recording.
Welcome to the world of Amira. Be careful She will steal your heart. I've been a fan for less then a year and I'm completely taken by Her. Love your reaction, please do more.
Amira is not only an astonishing stratospheric soprano - she also has an amazingly powerful and beautiful contralto voice and is always perfectly on pitch. Of all the lyric sopranos we can still hear, she might just be the best of all time.
OMG you found Amira!!! I have been a devoted fan for a few years and absolutely love her. Please, please do more reactions on her. She won Holland’s Got Talent when she was just nine years old and shortly after she was invited to sing O Mio Babbino Caro with Andre Rieu’s orchestra, a must see for sure. And her O Sole Mio duet with Patrizio Buanne when she was a little older and then there are so many more that it would take too long to list them all. Oh and definitely check out the Flower Duet with Corlea Botha. Thank you so much for reacting to her.
I've enjoyed Amira's angelic singing since she was nine - a recent performance is one of the most amazing I've heard, "Amira streaming Christmas Concert 2020 - The Lord's Prayer."
A really great reaction and professional view of the technical aspects on this performance by Amira. Amira taught herself singing opera by watching opera songs on RU-vid until the age of 9 , when without any professional theaching lessons she actually won the "Holland's got Talent " edition of december 2013 in three stages with Puccini 's "O mio babbino caro" (audition ) , Gounod/Bach 's " Ave Maria " ( semi finals) and another Puccini "Nessun Dorma " in the finals. Born 27 march 2004 in the city of Nijmegen ,The Nerherlands .In 2018 she moved with her family to Potchefstroom , South Africa where she grounded a foundation donating charities to build playgrounds for schools that can't afford it. A "must watch " is her rendition of "O mio babbino caro" with the Dutch conductor André Rieu and his Johan Strauss Orchestra on june 2014 ( she was just 10 then ) with a curtain call. Since there are 2 versions on RU-vid this the one with over 51 million viewers. Link : ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-s9PQ7qPkluM.html
Very beautiful. I’m glad she sang different verses than are typically sang in church. The whole orchestra, choir, and soloist sounded wonderful. I enjoyed this one.
Been watching her since 2013. This girl has the best voice ever to walk this planet. I'm not the only one who thinks so. Review Amira and I will watch them all.
@@snowbird6855He ment Female soprano Christine. Besides this, i recommend you to watch singers from india. Its surprising to hear how many singers over there sing just like dimash. They're really good in that kind of singing over there.
Great reaction. I fell in love with her voice 3 years ago. I listen everyday. She was 13 here. In this same show did a fabulous Nessum Dorma and a fantastic duet called the Flower Duet. Amira is number one to me, but must give a shout to this orchestra and other performers. I bought the DVDs from 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019. 2 1/2 hours of pure not stop entertainment. Being from the States needed multi region DVD player, but we'll worth it. I will subscribe when I see more honest reaction, in the mean time a thumbs up. Fan from Fresno, CA USA
See how it all started for Amira ..as a 9 year old kid ! winning Holland Got talent ... !!!! You will be amazed ... never had training or singing lesons ... real talent !
This young lady has been singing like this since she won Holland’s Got Talent at the age of 9 years old. I have been following her for years and she continues to astound me. I hope she continues with her singing career.
As another comment already mentioned, I first heard Amira on Holland's Got Talent a number of years ago, and as much as her voice was already so pure and controlled, it is incredible how much she has learned from only a few years of professional training. I would highly encourage you to do a side-by-side comparison between her original performance during her audition versus a later performance of the same song (O Mio Babbino Caro)
Loved this reaction. This is my favourite version ever of AG by a million miles. She was 13 here and English is her 4th/5th language. She is now 17. What will she be like in 5 or so years when her voice is fully developed? Makes me dizzy trying to imagine it.
Amira is very young, she won in 2013, Holland got talent at the age of 9 at that moment she didn't have any singing lessons watched youtube sang it and win it. there are many beautiful videos of her here on youtube Greetings Wim S ps I am a Dutchman.
As already noted by several commenters, Amira was 13 at the time of this performance. There are many really good performances from her online that I am sure you would love. (As well as some audience cellphone videos.) But be aware, that is a really deep rabbit hole. Amira started singing opera and other classical works at the age of 7 by herself by imitating RU-vid singers - how they held their mouths to produce certain sounds and the like. When she was 9, her mother finally gave permission that she could enter Holland's Got Talent. She won that in three songs.against some serious competition of many kinds. And the rest is history, Amira and her mother and brother moved to South Africa, where her mother was born, not long before this concert, When the family first visited South Africa when Amira was very young she was surprised that there were no playgrounds for the poor children, After her success, Amira established a charity to build playgrounds where needed to which she gives half her income. She also gives to other causes. Since Covid started and a major lockdown was instituted in South Africa, Amira has been doing videos of her home life and sometimes singing. Despite her enormous talent and popularity, she comes across as an ordinary sweet teenage girl living in a fairly modest home.
Hello. Thanks for your great comment about Amira. I following her since she had won HGT. Where she was 9 years young. And now she's 17. She's awesome. Her fangroup have 12000 members and it's still growing! Listen to Nessun Dorma or Flower Duet with Corlea Botha. And O Sole mio with Patricio Buanne! Stunning!
Hi again DJ. I just had to re-visit this Amira performance again, mainly to listen intently to your comments on the overall production of this ( as you said ) iconic song. Your musical knowledge & obvious experience are the main factors that convinced me to subscribe to your Chanel, & I am literally glued to the screen when explaining techniques etc. Great job. It’s only been a short time since this particular reaction, & I don’t mean to be pushy, so this is just a reminder to slot in a couple more of Amira’s performances when possible. .... Ave Maria by Gomez at the Canisius Church at age of 11. .... Nella Fantasia at age 12. I recommend the live concert performance .... plus many, many more. As a matter of interest, Amira , at age 7, was so intrigued by Opera, she taught herself by watching uTube videos featuring the likes of Pavarotti by mimicking the mouth movements and breathing techniques. She did this day in & day out. I cannot even comprehend a 7 year old even thinking about Opera, let alone practicing it. There is so much more to Amira’s journey; for example, as soon as she earned monies from her performances at age 9 or 10, she organised playground equipment for a South African school, as she had seen the school didn’t have any such equipment, & the kiddies played in the dirt. Now aged 17 ( in March’21 ) Amira has donated playground equipment to 16 schools. This firstly came about when Amira was a mere 7 year old visiting South Africa when she noticed the problem, & she said at the time, quote , “ All Children Have The Right to Play “. Fantastic story, fantastic person & a fantastic voice. Hope you enjoyed this little snippet of information looking into the fascinating life of Amira Willighagen. Cheers, Graeme. ps. There is so much more to tell about Amira’s journey.
Welcome to the wonderful world of Amira!!! Superb reaction!!! No other reactor has commented on Amira's spanning the crowd and keeping time with the orchestra. Very, very good reaction. You MUST react to her performance of O Mio Babbino Caro at age 10--yes 10--singing in front of over 10,000 people in the city square at Maastricht. It has over 50 million views and is one of Amira's best performances (IMHO). It is one of my favorites. Here's the link: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-s9PQ7qPkluM.html
Try Amira singing 'O Holy Night' at a Christmas performance in the Hague, Netherlands 2015.....if the high note at the end doesn't give you the shivers you aren't alive......She wears a simple red dress and a white feather stole.....remember she's only 11 years old then.....pitch perfect....sensational!!! Enjoy. She won Holland's Got Talent in 2013 at age 9.....she spent her winnings creating playgrounds for the poor kids of townships in South Africa, starting (I believe) in Capetown, where she now lives. She has a heart of gold! Let us all know what you think? G, England! Love your reviews by the way!
I greatly enjoyed your very knowledgeable reaction to to Amira singing Amazing Grace. I agree it is remarkable, and more so because I believe that she is only about 13 years old at the time. The people she works with in South Africa do a great job supporting her performances, in my opinion. I would love to hear your reaction to some her other performances. Some of her early ones of course, but later suggestions are Gabriella's Song, Nella Fantasia, and her duet of O Sole Mio with Patricio Buanne (the first one, I think they did two). Again, thanks for an informative reaction video!
Another informative reaction that I thoroughly enjoyed. Amira was 13 years old at the time of this recording. She won Hollands Got Talent at the age of 9, and what is even more amazing is at the time of her audition to HGT, she had never received any voice training, but taught herself how to sing opera by listening to RU-vid videos. I would love to hear your reaction to her first ever audition which will blow your mind. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-qDqTBlKU4CE.html
I love that audition from 2013: you could see that there was/is a great vocalist in the making. No, it was not "perfect" by any means, but who cares?? For a 9 year old it was simply insane what she did at Holland Got Talent. And even at that age she had the natural talent to capture the audience. Watch her performance at André Rieu's concert in Maastricht (NL) in 2014, when she was 10: you can really see the improvement in just a year time. And her way of performing: so natural. As if she is singing a story. Now Amira is 17 years, the best soprano in Europe, and when she wants just a few years from being a professional artist.
Have you heard of the Norwegian soprano Sissel? Her voice will blow you away. Check out her stunningly beautiful version of "Amazing Grace": ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-7DFQRBXZa9Y.html
Great reaction ! Be curious to hear your reaction to Nella Fantasia performance from the Afrikaans is Groot concert in November of 2016. This was the a performance where she seemed to take a big step forward in her vocal control and a richer more mature tone. There is a long introduction of The River prior to Amira singing Nella Fantasia. Both songs by Morricone from the movie The Mission. The tone of her voice in this performance is indescribable in its texture and richness.
I have been following her career for three years now. She is an amazing talent but even more amazing individual. I read the comments on her performances and I find her fans have a passion for her I haven’t seen since Elvis. Like Elvis Amira is becoming known worldwide by her first name. But I doubt we will see her wipe sweat off her face with a towel and then throw it into the audience 😁. Only Elvis could get away with that.
Hi again DJ. Please view the 4 replies to my post of 3 weeks ago, all endorsing Amira’s performance of Ave Maria by Gomez at the Canisius Church when just 11 years old. This is an absolute must for your next reaction. It’s been a few weeks since your first & last reaction, so on behalf of the many millions of Amira fans, we hope to hear from you shortly. Cheers. Graeme.
Hi DJ. Absolutely loved your informative reaction. If the email you referred to was extra long, you can blame me, but I didn’t recommend Amazing Grace, but never mind, Amira is great whatever she sings. There is one particular performance I really want your reaction to. In this performance, you not only hear her most powerful , Angelic voice, but see an incredible display of inward feelings and emotion. This is not an “ in concert “ production, it is in a small church & the audio echoes a little, but that doesn’t diminish the brilliance of her performance. Amira also displays her incredible range, with her registers being beautifully aligned, & even when in her top register, she does so effortlessly and without straining. This, in my opinion, is one of her best performances for reactors like yourself to critique, as you see her relaxed uniqueness together with her magnificent voice control. The performance is as follows: Ave Maria by Gomez at the Canisius Church. Note that Amira is only 11 in this performance. At the time she won Holland’s Got Talent at age 9, she had not had a single singing lesson, so I imagine she had a few lessons before this performance. Please react to this particular one as she WILL blow you away & probably knock your socks off. Cheers Graeme. ps. Love your style & in particular your knowledge. I appreciate it.
I'll be #5. That William Gomez 'Ave Maria' she sang at Canisius Church is without question one of the finest vocal performances I've ever seen. I still can't believe an 11 year old is capable of bringing forth that kind of emotion. Stunning vocal display.
I wholly share Pollard's suggestion of great classical opera piece sung phenomenally beautifully by Amira at age 12 is: "Amira Willighagen - Live in Concert - Nella Fantasia, Nov. 2016."
There are many things awry in our world at the moment and there are times when one wonders whether we will survive. This, right here, is the opposite side of that coin. Performances like this, talent like this, are on the short list of the reasons that we must. If we can all agree on nothing else, surely we can on this. Great production, stellar performance, great reaction. Two thumbs up.
She has many performances which can be found online....imo she is one of the finest vocalists of today....review her stuff...you will never be let down
Temple Music Academy. Thank you for your excellent reaction. Amira sings several hymns (including How Great Thou Art) and also the Lord's Prayer (recently in South Africa). One of her best songs is the CIG 2017 version of Nessun Dorma. Her Sound of Music medley is also worthy of your attention. She sang a duet with Patrizio Buanne (O Sole Mio) when aged 12, which is highly thought of.
This is a beautiful video in all respects. What was she 15 here? I have been following Amira for years. Her has been singing opera since she was a very young age.
GOOD PROFESSOR. WE ARE FROM LIMAPERU, THANK YOU VERY MUCH YOU GAVE US A SO GOOD ANALYSIS CLASS....YYOU SHOWED US WHY ARE WE SO HAPPY WITH HER. SHE IS OUR ANGEL!!
dear people It is true that Amira is the winner of Holland Got Talent in two 2013 2013 She was 9 years old then and she learned it herself to watch RU-vid and imitate Mrs Callas She can do so very well and she now gets she had lessons but she had never had lessons then And yes she is just a fantastic young lady
Watching her progress each year since Holland's got talent has been wonderful. She started Gelukskinders a foundation to build playgrounds for kids, when she was 10, and donates half of her earrings from singing to it. Singing songs in many languages, especially Gabriella's Song in Swedish.
A more recent performance (2019) is her Sound of Music Medley which is my favorite. There are more even recent performances, such as the Lord's Prayer which might show her further development (there's also Caruso, but I don't have enough taste in operatic arias to know whether to recommend it). She also released an album with some classical crossover songs back in 2018, some of them written specifically for her (In the Stars is a popular one).
Willighagen turned 18 on 27 March, 2022. As of November 2020, she wanted to pursue a degree at The Julliard School, but I have not been able to find more recent information.
Here's another right 'to-the-heart,' brilliant performance by Amira when she was only 10 years old : "Amira Willighagen - Du cote de chez Dave -TV Show France 3 -21 Dec. 2014."
I came back to this wonderful reaction. Another stunning vocalist I must introduce you to. DIANA ANKUDINOVA , now 18. Please react to her version of (Can't help falling in love, (cover to Elvis Presley). Next is CROW (cover to Linda). I guarantee yiu have NEVER heard a voice that she has. No comparisons past or present. Shaman, Tribal, Etherial, Dark. She is classified as a rare type 3 Dark Contralto with polychromatic tones, meaning you hear several different tones at once. I got introduced to her when she was 14 singing RECHENKA (RIVER) Wicked Game (cover to Chris Issac) HUMAN (cover to Rag N'Bone Man) We all are so very fortunate to be living in a time to hear her voice Thank you
SOME REALITY. AMIRA GRANDFATHER ON HER MOTHER SIDE WAS A PROFESSIONAL OPRA SINGER IN SOUTH AFRICA. SO ITS IN HER DNA. AMIRA FAMILY ALL PLAY MUSIC SOIT IS IN HER BLOOD
@@passqualecaiazza7728 thankyou and bless you amira is going to be the world greatest singer of all time we need america to get her her true destiny spread the word angel amira willighagen
Amira is probably the best young soprano in the world. As you pointed out she sings without straining. Some of her lung power may come from the fact that she is an Olympic grade long distance runner. At age 8 and 9 she was running 13 mile races and winning. She has produced 3 or 4 albums, one of which went gold in just a few day. She donates half of her income to charity to build playgrounds for poor children in South Africa where she now lives.
What a great gift to the world of music, regardless of what one conceives to be the source of such talent: even if mere genetic chance. What a loss it would have been if her talent had never been publicly "discovered" and encouraged.
her parents were musicians but I don't think they were able to teach her to sing the way she does . In her childhood days, she were also listening to great opera singers on her iPad! She's just incredible.
Please track down Amira at 9 years old doing her audition for Holland’s got Talent and do a reaction. You will be blown away even more as she had not received any vocal training whatsoever but learnt by watching RU-vid videos of what she stated as beautiful songs. You will find the judges comments are in Dutch except for one American guest judge. However, subtitles are shown in English on one RU-vid copy video. Amira, then went on to Win Holland’s got Talent.
Not bad for a 13 year old school girl. In fact she is already my favourite singer and I have listened to Angelina Jordan who is another superb young singer though a entirely different type of singer.
You aked why she was not in North America. Maria Callas died in 1977. Amira was born in 2004. There is picture of Amira online sitting next to the star of Maria Callas in Hollywood. What was Amira doing there? Think about it.
Barcelona as a song is not covered often. Amira did Barcelona with the following singer but the recording was poor. However the male singer that recorded with her is also an extraordinary singer as the following proves. I hope they re-record Barcelona with a new studio in the future. See Sound of Silence by Rohan Du Toit ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-XVCj3MtWnYU.html
No, your song history is incorrect? Please see the correct history has nothing to do with the Titanic? www.biography.com/news/amazing-grace-story-john-newton
I stand corrected. That was not this title. I heard this some years ago and if true I’ve got the wrong song. Sorry for the confusion. Will try to mail this down.