If I am not mistaken her top note in Amazing Grace was E6 - which puts her in the upper Soprano range (those typically reserved for the rare coloratura sopranos). Sounded like she achieved that with absolute ease. Don't agree that she is a Mezzo-Soprano since she achieves great power in the early 6th range effortlessly. Is this not extraordinary for a teenage voice? Potential to be one of the vocal greats when mixed in with her Dutch accent and tone clarity. The only soprano I would pay money to hear and the most stunning to watch.
If you don’t mind me asking, how many sopranos have you heard? I’m just interested if your opinion is based on your own experiences or in (antique) stereotypes.
She is magnificent. Amira is a gift to the world. She performs only 12 times a year and each performance is eagerly awaited by her legions of followers.
Hard to believe that you had not heard of Amira after her performances when she was much younger. She is a fantastic talent. When I first heard her sing, I cried just for witnessing something extraordinary - close to perfection.
Every few hundred years God gives special people exceptional talents. He chooses the artist, composers, inventors, orators and gives them to us. It is up to us to tank him for his blessings and din't criticize . Before you make another critical comment you need to hear a studio recording and step back into your music room.
I so love how Amira sings. It doesn't matter if her vowels is not that great. But her voice is great, incredibly gifted. Her talents is a gift from God, and what she does with that talent is a gift back to God. She has a beautiful heart and love for others. How beautiful that she uses her talent to help the poor. I love her accent when she sings. To sing multiple different languages, is absolutely amazing. I listen to her all the time, because she is my favorite child opera singer that I have been watching from the very beginning. I listened to the other's young opera singers. But Amira really captivated me. The very fact she is self taught, was a gift from God, no other way to explain it. Now, she is having training and will do even more amazing, which I have heard. I love it very much! God smiles on Amira, her singing is music to His ears.
Amira Singing Voice, makes me emotional every time, there is some think about her voice that gives me peace and calming i have never liked opera or classical, but Amira as made me a fan. This is a voice of an Angel who cares for other's. so i do not agree with your comments please do some research she mite surprise you.
I stumbled on Amira by accident, and she singlehandedly converted me to an Opera/Classical arias fan. Previously, I only listened to, occasionally, "growing up" rock and roll plus some Broadway songs. Now I'm all over the world listening to most anything Except "Pop/Commercial" radio. Japanese ENKA is a genre you Have to look at. Misora Hibari doing Danny Boy or Ave Maria. The Three Tenors did a cover of one of her songs, live. I must've been under that rock, too, to have come so late to Amira, or Jackie, or Charlotte.
omg WHAT did I just hear? You said she should blend her makeup better. Im a makeup artist and that makeup is clearly made by a professional . I am a pro so I know. I wish you could sing as well as Amira.
AFTER WATCHING THIS VIDEO YOUR A JOKE ! Your audio sucks and your choice to comment on her makeup was just IT FOR ME !! Do tell how her breath control was lacking! What ( because your a couch) do you have out there so we can critique just how good you are! !
The most beautiful voices in the world come from the heart, (The Art of Singing by William Shakespeare, not the playwright,) while the voices of those who strive to be technically perfect or strive for fame and fortune come from the head. The differences are noticeably apparent in the voice. When Amira walks out onto the stage she's not there to get, she's there to give and win over your heart, but this she does naturally without even trying, and like a mother hen, she draws the audience under her wings before she lets one note escape her throat. Then when she sings, it is then that you feel the love and warmth that she desires to share welling up inside of you. If Amira wants anything at all, it's to share the love she feels, with you. This makes her unique. This love she has extended to the underprivileged children of South Africa by donating half of what she earns from the sale of her albums to building playgrounds through her own charity, something she has been doing since she was 10 years old and had dreamt of doing since the age of 7. By the end of 2019 she will have built 9 or 10 playgrounds in South Africa. She doesn't do this for recognition. She really loves these children and more than anything else desires for them to be happy. It is perhaps this love more than her voice that is drawing millions of people from around the world to recognize her. Why not look at Amiras Official FACEBOOK webpage to learn more about her. You won't be sorry.
Dear Vocal Coach. Regards but I have been expecting some more Amira reactions from you ?? I must say that in my opinion the mistake you seemed to make with this reaction as stated in other comments is that you did not appear to know who you were dealing with here. Amira holds back on her performances in this one she was just 13 years old !!!!!!!!! Who else could command such respect, the backing of a full symphony orchestra and near global attention at this age. When she finally lets loose I believe she is without doubt heading for the sort of greatness the world has not seen for a long time - perhaps ever. She is already a superstar in the eyes of large parts of the world even though her concert appearances are held back due to her age and school. For some mystifying reason the BBC has so far ignored her which I think is why you were not aware they also seem to be ignoring our homegrown Prodigy Alma Duetscher who is about the same age.
Alma’s about her age. She and Alma have videos of them singing Alma’s STEPSISTERS DUET together from her CINDERELLA opera that sold out in San Jose, California.
English is not her first language. I have followed her for a number of years and she just gets better and better. Watch the video of her singing with Paul Potts.
The New Foundry Studios Yorkshire I think you would really enjoy reacting to another song Amira sang at that same concert its Amira Willingham Flower Duet Live 2017. It is an opera aria, a duet with a very highly trained partner, Corlea Botha of South Africa. Relative to Amira singing with that narrow cheeked more closed mouth technique. It is something she was trained to do by Miranda Kralingen who gave Amira a master class. It was too help her save air and give a rounder sound. She had Amira squeezing her cheeks with her hand while singing. Anyway, I would be very interested to hear your reaction to that piece of music. The third performance by Amira at the same concert was another opera aria. It's. Amira Willingham Nessun Dorma CIG 2017. She was 13 at all of the performances. To me, Nessun Dorma is the most beautiful and you get a much clearer view of her mouth and lips and cheeks as she utilizes the technique she Learned from Miranda. It's very beautiful but not as popular as the flower duet. It's nice to have a professional critique of her performances. Thank you.
Teresa Glover The appreciation of music is very personal. To you, she may not be the best. But to millions around the world, she is. From 2016 up to the present, Amira Willighahen has been the most-searched and viewed singer of operatic arias on social media. No "opera star" even comes close. I tried adding together the 10 most-viewed arias uploaded on yt since late 2016 i could find- excepting clips from talent shows- and the total still falls short of what Amira's videos got in terms of views. The best in any particular genre is the one who makes the most number of people happy. After all, music is about giving happiness.
For a vocal coach (a nice one at that), I'm surprised you have never heard of this girl. I would suggest you do some more research on her and see how she started out and how she got more coaching from experts in the field. She does these shows to raise money to build playgrounds and such for those who don't have them. Look her up sometime. : )
She did react on Amira when she won the Holland got talent. Maybe she did not see that this girl was the same girl. You see a lot of singers when you react on video’s
Thank you for your professional and honest critique of this Amira performance - it was performed in South Africa in Pretoria in 2016 at an annual concert called "Classics is Groot" - so Amira is really well known and loved by the Afrikaans community - she is performing in November (two concerts) with Il Divo - again in Pretoria at the SunTime Arena - can't wait!
CIG-2016---O mio Babino Caro, O' sole mio, Nella Fantasia,...CIG-2017..Nessum Dorma, Flower Duet, Amazing Grace,...CIG-2018---Halleluya, Amigos para siempre, Gabrielas' Song
my wife loves that, we play that in the car along with a variety of Korean, Japanese, Chinese, English etc songs and guitar...and stuff from the 12 year old composer Alma Deutscher.
You should watch the same song with Ben Heijnen. He challenged her to hold notes and belting high notes as well. She just killed it. I recomend you to watch it.
Hi Georgina. I’ve just been re-visiting some of your reactions & in particular, Amira Willighagen, the Opera singer who won Holland’s Got Talent at the age of nine ( which you reacted to ) & at this point , had not had a single singing lesson. I have followed her career since, & would love you to react to the latest uTube performance when singing a medley from Sound of Music. Now aged 15, her voice maturity is astounding with a resonance that lingers & her diction is superb. Also astounding is that whatever she sings , she does so effortlessly, even in the higher register, & she appears to never be out of breath. I believe I speak on behalf of all Amira followers to ask you to do at least one more reaction on this beautiful young lady with a magnificent Opera voice.
Mary... To try and lessen any ambiguity I have added an additional descriptive. If anyone thinks that "qualified" is the intended meaning please rethink that because it certainly isn't
Fantastic? Magnificent?Fabulous? A special phenomenon of God? Only? Inccomparable? The most perfect and wonderful voice in the world? The best of the best? The special Angel of God? The special Princess of God? Yes all this is Amira believe❤❤❤❤ Thank you my God for Amira❤❤❤
I have yet to see anyone comment on one of Amira's other loves; running track. Good lungs. The Ole Solo Mio duet was just beautiful and hilarious and you can see the smiles on the faces of the musicians . A moment of joy. AMIRA, please come to Boston soon !
your comments brought a smile to my face. You seem like a good person so i hope you will take my review of your review with grace- it isn't intended to be mean spirited at all. If you notice, or care, you will perceive a bit of coolness from many who responded to your video. I have studied voice under one of the most renowned vocal teachers in the world. The mistake you are making, is that your analysis was made under vast ignorance of your subject- Ms Willighagen. In short, it is premature of you to try and comment on this young lady, who has been singing since she was a little girl, has sung in front of countless audiences, and more importantly---has performed around the world for years now, with some of the biggest opera stars and the most renowned orchestras in the world of opera. She is an award winning super star who has already been compared EASILY with Maria Callas and other greats of the past. Her appearance in concert with this world class orchestra is not an audition, nor is it anything new to her. She is FAR into a well earned success, however young she is, and is known as a stunning figure, electrifying audiences wherever she appears, and adding to her ALREADY MILLIONS OF FANS AROUND THE WORLD. She is a sought after performer, who sells out her shows, which is why producers and orchestras seek to sign her.......ONE YOU TUBE VIDEO OF HERS HAS...... 39 MILLION VIEWS..... DO YOU SEE??....God Bless. (as to your comment about her make-up.......I was thinking how lovely she has become, even more as she has grown ..from 8 years old , and she was beautiful then..... .
+[Ad Lockhorst] Even better would be a version with English subtitles. The one here: ua-cam.com/video/qDqTBlKU4CE/v-deo.html has been blocked in the Netherlands by the stupid RTL producers, but hopefully Georgina will still be able to watch it. On another note: doesn't Amira's participation alone prove that the title of the show is apt. After all, it's "Holland's *Got* Talent* , not "Holland Has *Nothing But* Talent".
The abrupt volume changes in the audio are RUINING the impact of her voice. This is not the way the video normally sounds on UA-cam, You need to fix this, because you are commenting on artifacts of the playback which do not reflect her voice. And by the way, she is best known for her operatic performances, and in this video she is 13 years old. She won Hollands Got Talent at age 9, singing grand opera.
You have to react to 3 more with Amira: Amira with Andre Rieu in Maastricht 2014..... Also Amira with Patricio Buanne singing “O Sole Mio”. Simply magical.... Also her “Flower Duet” with Corlea Botha......breathtaking.....
Honest Vocal Coach. If you would like to hear a contrast in Amira's singing you might enjoy "Amigos Para Siempre" provided by gsacni. As this is only a rehearsal there are some quality limitations but it is an excellent video.
Georgina, I'm gonna quote ya on that "one of the greatest". I just watched your newest review of her work at 9. Thank you so much for taking the time....
I don't know if you are listening the original sound of the video, but I feel this audio look like it's stripped half of the quality, kinda you do with mp3 files from 320 to 96 kbps quality. The original is way more rich.
New Foundry: For her age, Amira has a huge volume of performances. That would take a lot of time to review. As for coaching, she spent about an hour with Andre Rieu when she was 9 in prep for her first performance with him. In interviews with and documentaries about her, we have seen her with two other coaches short term. I think she has settled on a semi-permanent coach since moving to South Africa in 2018. Honestly, she has such a vast range of voicing techniques, it would be hard to say she sings 'this' way or 'that' way..
I thought of something else that you might find interesting. I think, now, she remembers to close them but her eyes sometimes get really odd and glazed (you can't miss it). She has had so many questions about it, she has explained it in interviews. At those times, the audience the orchestra and stage have disappeared. She doesn't feel like a little girl anymore. She is just part of the music. It is very pronounced at her Reykjavik concert. If you have time and interest. ua-cam.com/video/rmU4AXPEufE/v-deo.html
Of course she has had training - but there is a difference between training of a young girl and formal opera training. Amira is still not fully clear of puberty. Here's the history: She was self-taught only up to the audition for Holland's Got Talent. She got some tips from Andre Rieu before the semi-finals of HGT. Immediately after her HGT victory, she started preparing for her first album, with Maike Van der Wiel as a singing coach. She received the first CD for her tenth birthday (March 27, 2014). She sang at Andre Rieu's Maastricht concerts on July 11 & 12, 2014. She was taking lessons with Maike from then to past her second album, and she also had master classes with Henny Diemer - see ua-cam.com/video/A-xQBhOWcoI/v-deo.html - and another teacher (Bea van der Camp) in Crans Montana (Switzerland). The album was released in December 2015, a bit too late to catch the Christmas market. You can find both albums on Amazon co UK, and also from Amira's charity organisation, Gelukskinders. In early 2016 she had a master class with Miranda Van Kralingen - see ua-cam.com/video/wBHxRnyfaM0/v-deo.html . This was a major turning point in her career. About that time, she left Maike, who had advised her not to sing opera, and searched for another teacher; she eventually found Marijke Hoksbergen - see ua-cam.com/video/vN-DOKdIaxU/v-deo.html - and she stayed with Marijke until January 1, 2018, when she moved to South Africa. From mid-2016 onward, she also attracted the attention of Coleske Artists, who took over from SONY with her recording contract; and after the 2016 "Classics is Groot" performance, Corlea Botha decided to work with her in a performance of the flower duet from the opera "Lakme" by Delibes; they performed it at CIG 2017. So she was in effect getting both weekly lessons from Marijke plus master class work with Corlea in this period. After CIG 2017, she started recording her third album, with Coleske Artists - it's available worldwide - "With all my heart"; its release was delayed until March 2018, because CA realised that they needed world-wide copyright protection, and negotiated with Universal Music Group, which took some months. This means Amira is now "Big Business". She performed at Starlight Classics in February 2018, and Classics is groot 2018, in June - the DVD of that is now out, via Gelukskinders. Her current coach is Suzette Wilkens - see ua-cam.com/video/dEc-h1bA5YY/v-deo.html
she is an angle...I wish Democrats would take time out to listen to Amira and calm down...Heaven has sent a child to soothe the ruffled feathers, calm the jittery nerves, placate the hostile and reach for the hated hand to agree to understand each other. .
She already is World Class. She is perfection, a Gift. She also donates half of her earnings to Charities for the poor in South Africa. Her brother designs and builds playgrounds for the Choldren in South Africa. Her Mother is South African, her Father from the Netherlands. The Parents have taught their Children well. Humble, give back. I salute them.
How much more of an adult this once little girl looks now and so is the quality of her singing. What's more, her upper notes ring loud and clear and open, and unforced.
Yes - her body is still growing - so she has to adjust her technique to suit the changing shape and size of her vocals etc etc her training will be from professional opera teachers, so no worries that she will have the perfect technique when she is an adult. . Haven't seen too much of her, just a few times since she was 8 years old. Big voice for a little girl at the time. I loved her duet O Sole Mio. i notice she has increased her range quite a bit - when she was 8-9 she sounded a bit like Maria Callas believe it or not. Amira has incredible spirit and lovely personality.
I think you should know that Amira taught herself to sing by watching You Tube. She has recently moved to he new home in South Africa. True she is very young, only just into her teens, and has a lot to development in technical matters but has been said to have the most perfect tone of any singer. I think Amira will make a massive impression as a concert performer rather than as an opera company type singer, such as Patricia Janeckova or as a crossover power ballad singer as Jackie seems to be concentrating. However it's not a contest and all three young ladies reduce me to tears every time.
The three young sopranos you mention have all brought me to tears & are all three destined for great things. Patricia Janeckova has developed into such an outstanding opera/stage performer but does not seem to get as much attention or perhaps its just she has less video presence online. All are wonders at such a young age.
hugh st.martin Patricia is well on her way to a wonderful career in opera. The very fact she is known as an up and coming performer destined for the opera stage probably reduces her views. Even Amira, who has quite a fan following, gets comparatively reduced views on her opera aria performances no matter how beautiful the performance. I don't know if it's because people don't recognize the titles of the songs so they don't listen, or the style just doesn't appeal to a broad swathe of the public. It's probably a little of both. Neither one has to worry, both are just outstanding.
Les, please don't cry....just enjoy the beautiful voice of Amira, Patricia & Jackie....like I do....& if you want to have a good sleep, you can listen to Angelina "good looking" Jordan. You will be dreaming like flying to the moon for the beauty of her voice & singing.
A fine posting and well explained. I do hold Amira just a bit better than the others. She can do it all and should not restrict herself. I am hoping her producers will see that Kismet was written for her and she owns it ! I believe a Broadway style review with a short tour or a return visit with Andre Rieu on tour with Kismet as the thyme. And selfishly, a hug and 4 front row tickets to a New England opening from Amira. Amira; you are the ONE !
by the way, Glennis gave a full whitney tribute concert in Amsterdam last friday and sundaynight. It was soooo amazing! I have never heard her singing this good! She was so into it because Whitney is her big idol and she finally had the chance to give a full Whitney concert. She sang 29 songs and all stunning, all flawless. On my channel I have a playlist with all the songs i recorded frontrow and in good quality. You will really be amazed how good she was at these concerts. It is if the is raising the bar even higher after being on AGT.
onsterfelijke Yes indeed, I think you're right. Sounds quite distorted and awful, like maybe having been funneled through too little bandwidth? (The commentary is nice though.)
She is amazing I think you're doing amazing things too though anyone who tries to teach vocal to the masses is sharing wonderful music with people who don't always get a chance to listen to classical music or really learn to sing it's a good thing you're doing.
She began singing classical music at nine by listening to great singers on the internet, and never had coaching. Obviously from that time she is getting very good coaching.
My favorite; How Great Thou Art, ( not religious stri9ngs attached ) just waiting to hear the last 30 seconds each time thrills me through and through. You got to turn the volum up a squeak and listen in a quiet room. This is an angel, singing just to you... I hope under perfect conditions they will try a re-do this with Amira holding the last note about 5 seconds longer.
being Dutch english is a second language to her so if pronunciations are a bit odd it's that. also remember Amira taught herself to sing opera at the age of nine by watching youtube videos, so she wouldn't left out of family music. so one must forgive her if there are a few bad habits. she now lives in South Africa and has a vocal coach that's helping improve her singing, listen to her newer performances to see how much stronger her singing is getting.
Shame on you, you erase the comments that are not favorable to you. But I'll put it back. What planet do you live on, woman? Amira already has 5 years of successful international career, just so you know.
QueenoftheNorth did a Reaction to this and the recording she used seemed much clearer than this. A pity because this one didn't seem to do justice to Amira's ability.
Why should an expert know of every famous person? Fame doesn't equal talent nor does it dictate what an expert should focus upon. Get yer head outta yer arse and talk to actual experts in any given field. Sure, you can be surprised an expert hasn't heard of X or Y or Z but getting antagonistic belies your ignorance, not theirs.
Haha -- no offence but you are only being honest as to your coaching limitations -- Amira has sung with most of the great opera singers of our time -- and she has been doing so since she was 9 and was self taught!!! --- I would say personally, but I am not a vocal coach, that this singer is 100% vocally perfect otherwise she would not be as successful as she clearly is.
That´s true for sure, but I assume this vocal coach wants to teach Screamin´Jay how to sing the right way. Angelina´s new Original "Shield" is mind blowing beautiful 💕
Watch her performance of André Rieu. Same thing: The voice being stretched beyond her natural capacity. I am befriended with an opera singer. She has done extra ordinary training to keep her voice beautiful beyond the natural aging. For the last few years, she is preparing herself for Wagner Walküren performances.
I've seen the Andre Rieu performance many, many times as well as most of her videos up to now. Amira is singing well within her natural capacity which you negatively comment on for very obvious reasons.
No one in the whole world out sings Jackie Evancho. That is not to find fault with Amira Willighagen she is Excellent and I wish her a long and happy life as she makes those of us who listen to her happy.
Sorry Jackie has some talent for sure but Amira leaves her in the dust. Amira has a special voice and talent which is rare and very special. In comparison Jackie is just a very good amateur. She is good don't get me wrong. In comparison though Amira's voice is stunning she is at the front of the line for God given talent. She will go very far. God has blessed her with an extraordinary voice.
No comparison. I love Jackie, but she "works" at her singing. Amira does not struggle, is natural and was born to do this. Amira has perfect pitch and tone and keeps getting better each year. I just watch a Jackie video she sang in at age 17, yes, beautiful, but strained and too dramatic for my liking.
The comment about the makeup had me cackling. Um, the "wet" look and the "brown" bit don't need blending. Her dewy skin and highlight are very much in synch with how young women wear their makeup these days, and her bronzer is also very fashionable. Maybe you can leave comments about a 14 year olds makeup out of your commentary.
Yes, the production is over the top...If your not into those things, it's understandable, but...I kinda like it...sometimes :) Lots of technical comments...you would understand if you had her background story. Sill you did give a little to her talent...get hold of her story. very nice.
October, 2018 To be honest, ( not knowing what to expect ) I was hoping for a much more critical ear, and less attention paid to her Make up !! The young lady - assuming that you are competent in your field - is lacking in certain areas. It would have been so nice to hear much much more explanation from YOU, about what you were referring to in some of your insights offered .
And there are factors like puberty to consider. She has been singing right through puberty, well enough to star in these shows, but she is very likely holding back, as she should at this stage. We'll see more when she's 16.
At the same concert, see ua-cam.com/video/Kk1l84UW1pI/v-deo.html - and please react to this one: facebook.com/MaxAmini/videos/10153249540242628/ - she was ten at this performance, and it has been cited as showing "an astonishing mastery of resonance" - see www.oxfordsinginglessons.co.uk/understanding-resonance-with-mri-scans/ (go to the end of the article and see who he cites) . She is using "closed mouth" in "Amazing Grace" because she is singing with reduced air pressure, because her natural resonance was so great that it was making her sound a bit shrill on the high notes. The performance with Andre Rieu has been removed from UA-cam by Universal Music Group for copyright reasons, but the facebook version is still there - the only other place you can now hear it is by buying the "love in Venice" DVD (Andre Rieu).
I love your reactions and have subbed. I have to say though, the audio quality on this one is really bad and does not do the performance justice. It is thin and goes in and out a bit. Those who haven't heard this before, please check the actual vid as the quality is awesome and moving. She is an amazing young lady and has done great humanitarian work already in her young life. I believe she chose this singing style for this song to suit the setting. She is capable of amazing vocals. I personally loved her choice of style/technique for this performance, just let down on the audio quality and disagree somewhat with some of the comments. Still, enjoy your vids, keep it up!
I wonder if you listen another opera singer, now 20, that also won the got talent in combined Check Slovakian version. She’s studying opera and we see less and less videos being released these days: Patricia Janeckova is my preferred opera singer because (I have no musical education!) she’s a perfectionist and shows a deep passion for what she does, and an absolute admiration for her teacher Eva Drizgova Jirusova while singing in duet Canzonetta sull’ ária, I believe at age 14. And of course, Angelina Jordan is the best melinium singer, at least!
I agree with your take on her vocal issues, her breathing - however her jaw use, mouth and resonance may have more to do her being from Holland speaking Dutch and being a bit of an athlete (competitive distance runner) as a younger girl. her life seems by all accounts to be very physically active (figure skating, field hockey). I have seen what coaches have tried to do to get her to open her mouth and extend her jaw and it seems to put a strain on her upper register. The closed mouth though kinda' unique to her fits the notes she produces. I hope she finds her way back from S. Africa to Europe where she can study with top coaches or to NYC to do the same. I pray no one injures her vocal chords in the mean-time. I also hope she finds her way to the Opera stage and not to do too much of the cross-over industry where she's more of a side show participant - that so far seems to be where she's headed.
Hello there, I really love your reviews and I'm curious about what you would say about Lara Fabian, French Canadian singer. No particular song but anything live by her. Gr. Mona
Anyone who sings opera has the ability to sing in several languages. The coach was very kind but not critical (evaluative, not negative) enough. Everyone has good and bad points in what they do.. The coach should have told us more about both for Amira. She's a teacher. She should be educating listeners, not just heaping praise on Amira.
She was completely self-taught when she first appeared on Holland's got talent (I don't know if she still is or not) - here's the link with subtitles ua-cam.com/video/qDqTBlKU4CE/v-deo.html . Also another great young singer to see, who won Norway's got talent at 8 years old, is Angelina Jordan - a great song to see her do is 'I put a spell on you' =) ua-cam.com/video/nwFloCPXzCs/v-deo.html
Come on you use to sing in pubs and working men clubs . So how come you are critical of somebody who can sing. Put back on the video of you singing in the clubs with your group on stage . So people can react to you
Deanna Durbin was destroyed by Hollywood "Shirley Templifications"! However, she was clever enough to bag it and live out her life in a lost corner of France!
Well, it's very nice to hear the views of a vocal coach, who specialises with young voices. And gratifying to hear that you think she is great. As of course I do. You really should listen to some of her other key performances, which mark her out as something very special. Such as:- ua-cam.com/video/rmU4AXPEufE/v-deo.html Completely out of this world, and a virtuosic tour de force. Some legato failings, taking breaths mid lyric, but by the end of the song she had cracked it. She has had a natural vibrato which she can employ at will, since day one. So unusual in one so young. And what power! Beautiful natural timbre. I only hope vocal coaches don't diminish her wonderful natural talent! For me, the main thing she must address is diction. In this performance, many consonants are indistinct, particularly 's' and 't. Almost like a small lisp. And for me she sometimes sings in the wrong key, and tries to sound overly operatic, when her natural unadorned voice is her biggest asset. Yes, I agree she could go in any direction. Though I wonder if classical live opera will mean she only really receives exposure to a small, privileged audience. And she is too good for that. Much as I dislike the term 'crossover,' her versatility will probably take her in that direction. As long as she sticks with quality material. I think of her like a young Sissel. Sissel is wonderfully versatile, singing classical, opera, traditional folk, crossover. And sings perfectly in several languages. Amira could do amazingly well if she follows a similar path. It would be great if you could perhaps review her Reykjavik performance, And also Maastricht with Andre Rieu in front of 10,000, though the best video of that has come down from YT, which is a crying shame. Regards.
As a vocal coach who professes a love of young voices; I am surprised that you knew nothing of Amira prior to this. Added to this, you chose to comment on her make up and pronunciation in your initial comments. You might just as well comment on Pavarotti's obesity and terrible English in a critique of his vocal qualities..
@@HonestVocalCoach You stepped into it when you tried to be honest. Some of these Amira fans are really OTT. Knowing Amira or not has nothing to do with a critique. She is a Dutch girl whose Englist is a second (or third) language.
I don’t know much about singing and vocal training but I did think it was unusual for her to sing with her mouth not as open as I would have imagined, especially when singing Italian which has so many open mouth vowel sounds. I’d have to wonder how her intonation abd tone would sound. More diaphragm control for inspiration, but she has managed to use it for vibrato?
G CS She had mastered diaphragm breathing by the time she won the seven hills run (in her age class)(cross country running) at 8. See ua-cam.com/video/GZPduzaId4Q/v-deo.html So her vibrato has always been from her diaphragm
Is it me but your video Audio sound, seems like it all over the place, so if you base Amira by your audio sound? i do think your honest opinion of this Angel is totally wrong?
Thanks for the very objective and profound evaluation, Georgina. I have been observing Amira's development for quite some years and I share most of your points. I still find that she has potential - but unfortunately she's being "sold" to the wrong people. Her technique is far from satisfying.
Jimmy Futch. Sadly, Amira can never do anything to please Jane Jannke (alias Classic Bird 262). She doesn't like her singing operatic arias and if she sings classic/cross-over she doesn't like those. Clearly, she doesn't like her singing hymns, either! She even made sarcastic comments when Amira sang at the funeral of her much-loved grandmother! A sad case, indeed, Jimmy!
I'm sorry but I believe Amira has the most beautiful voice ever to walk this planet. And I'm not alone.
I completely agree with you!
absolutely true!!!
She have but this woman is a pro. She knows what is talking.
You are definitely not alone.
If I am not mistaken her top note in Amazing Grace was E6 - which puts her in the upper Soprano range (those typically reserved for the rare coloratura sopranos). Sounded like she achieved that with absolute ease. Don't agree that she is a Mezzo-Soprano since she achieves great power in the early 6th range effortlessly. Is this not extraordinary for a teenage voice? Potential to be one of the vocal greats when mixed in with her Dutch accent and tone clarity. The only soprano I would pay money to hear and the most stunning to watch.
If you don’t mind me asking, how many sopranos have you heard? I’m just interested if your opinion is based on your own experiences or in (antique) stereotypes.
She is magnificent. Amira is a gift to the world. She performs only 12 times a year and each performance is eagerly awaited by her legions of followers.
Hard to believe that you had not heard of Amira after her performances when she was much younger. She is a fantastic talent. When I first heard her sing, I cried just for witnessing something extraordinary - close to perfection.
Every few hundred years God gives special people exceptional talents. He chooses the artist, composers, inventors, orators and gives them to us. It is up to us to tank him for his blessings and din't criticize . Before you make another critical comment you need to hear a studio recording and step back into your music room.
I so love how Amira sings. It doesn't matter if her vowels is not that great. But her voice is great, incredibly gifted. Her talents is a gift from God, and what she does with that talent is a gift back to God. She has a beautiful heart and love for others. How beautiful that she uses her talent to help the poor. I love her accent when she sings. To sing multiple different languages, is absolutely amazing. I listen to her all the time, because she is my favorite child opera singer that I have been watching from the very beginning. I listened to the other's young opera singers. But Amira really captivated me. The very fact she is self taught, was a gift from God, no other way to explain it. Now, she is having training and will do even more amazing, which I have heard. I love it very much!
God smiles on Amira, her singing is music to His ears.
Amira Singing Voice, makes me emotional every time, there is some think about her voice that gives me peace and calming i have never liked opera or classical, but Amira as made me a fan. This is a voice of an Angel who cares for other's. so i do not agree with your comments please do some research she mite surprise you.
How can you possibly not have heard of Amira?!
I stumbled on Amira by accident, and she singlehandedly converted me to an Opera/Classical arias fan. Previously, I only listened to, occasionally, "growing up" rock and roll plus some Broadway songs. Now I'm all over the world listening to most anything Except "Pop/Commercial" radio. Japanese ENKA is a genre you Have to look at. Misora Hibari doing Danny Boy or Ave Maria. The Three Tenors did a cover of one of her songs, live. I must've been under that rock, too, to have come so late to Amira, or Jackie, or Charlotte.
Me too
omg WHAT did I just hear? You said she should blend her makeup better. Im a makeup artist and that makeup is clearly made by a professional . I am a pro so I know. I wish you could sing as well as Amira.
AFTER WATCHING THIS VIDEO YOUR A JOKE ! Your audio sucks and your choice to comment on her makeup was just IT FOR ME !! Do tell how her breath control was lacking! What ( because your a couch) do you have out there so we can critique just how good you are! !
The 2017 Tri-fecta, Amazing Grace, Nella Fantasia, In The Stars. All were magnificent and some of my favorites.
I've heard of Amira and enjoyed her singing for some years now, but I've never heard of you until now.
You got that right.
The most beautiful voices in the world come from the heart, (The Art of
Singing by William Shakespeare, not the playwright,) while the voices of
those who strive to be technically perfect or strive for fame and
fortune come from the head. The differences are noticeably apparent in
the voice. When Amira walks out onto the stage she's not there to get,
she's there to give and win over your heart, but this she does naturally
without even trying, and like a mother hen, she draws the audience
under her wings before she lets one note escape her throat. Then when
she sings, it is then that you feel the love and warmth that she desires
to share welling up inside of you. If Amira wants anything at all, it's
to share the love she feels, with you. This makes her unique. This love
she has extended to the underprivileged children of South Africa by
donating half of what she earns from the sale of her albums to building
playgrounds through her own charity, something she has been doing since
she was 10 years old and had dreamt of doing since the age of 7. By the
end of 2019 she will have built 9 or 10 playgrounds in South Africa. She
doesn't do this for recognition. She really loves these children and
more than anything else desires for them to be happy. It is perhaps this
love more than her voice that is drawing millions of people from around
the world to recognize her. Why not look at Amiras Official FACEBOOK
webpage to learn more about her. You won't be sorry.
Love what you said. Except I believe at last count it is 12 or 13 playgrounds. She is surely a special person
Beautiful, beautiful comment!!!
Dear Vocal Coach. Regards but I have been expecting some more Amira reactions from you ?? I must say that in my opinion the mistake you seemed to make with this reaction as stated in other comments is that you did not appear to know who you were dealing with here. Amira holds back on her performances in this one she was just 13 years old !!!!!!!!! Who else could command such respect, the backing of a full symphony orchestra and near global attention at this age. When she finally lets loose I believe she is without doubt heading for the sort of greatness the world has not seen for a long time - perhaps ever. She is already a superstar in the eyes of large parts of the world even though her concert appearances are held back due to her age and school. For some mystifying reason the BBC has so far ignored her which I think is why you were not aware they also seem to be ignoring our homegrown Prodigy Alma Duetscher who is about the same age.
Alma’s about her age. She and Alma have videos of them singing Alma’s STEPSISTERS DUET together from her CINDERELLA opera that sold out in San Jose, California.
English is not her first language. I have followed her for a number of years and she just gets better and better. Watch the video of her singing with Paul Potts.
The New Foundry Studios Yorkshire I think you would really enjoy reacting to another song Amira sang at that same concert its Amira Willingham Flower Duet Live 2017. It is an opera aria, a duet with a very highly trained partner, Corlea Botha of South Africa.
Relative to Amira singing with that narrow cheeked more closed mouth technique. It is something she was trained to do by Miranda Kralingen who gave Amira a master class. It was too help her save air and give a rounder sound. She had Amira squeezing her cheeks with her hand while singing. Anyway, I would be very interested to hear your reaction to that piece of music.
The third performance by Amira at the same concert was another opera aria. It's. Amira Willingham Nessun Dorma CIG 2017. She was 13 at all of the performances.
To me, Nessun Dorma is the most beautiful and you get a much clearer view of her mouth and lips and cheeks as she utilizes the technique she Learned from Miranda. It's very beautiful but not as popular as the flower duet. It's nice to have a professional critique of her performances. Thank you.
That "girl with a lovely voice" is the best soprano EVER !!!! And she is only 14 years old !!
Emilio Berstein the best ever? She’s very good but hardly the best.
Teresa Glover The appreciation of music is very personal. To you, she may not be the best. But to millions around the world, she is.
From 2016 up to the present, Amira Willighahen has been the most-searched and viewed singer of operatic arias on social media. No "opera star" even comes close.
I tried adding together the 10 most-viewed arias uploaded on yt since late 2016 i could find- excepting clips from talent shows- and the total still falls short of what Amira's videos got in terms of views.
The best in any particular genre is the one who makes the most number of people happy. After all, music is about giving happiness.
13 at this performance; her birthday is 27 March, 2004. This performance was on June 9, 2017.
@@teresaglover969: For her age 13 at the time of Amazing Grace, she is
When she song Omi babino Caro with André. People were crying. It was amazing.
For a vocal coach (a nice one at that), I'm surprised you have never heard of this girl. I would suggest you do some more research on her and see how she started out and how she got more coaching from experts in the field. She does these shows to raise money to build playgrounds and such for those who don't have them. Look her up sometime. : )
Grannieannie F m
She did react on Amira when she won the Holland got talent. Maybe she did not see that this girl was the same girl. You see a lot of singers when you react on video’s
Do you know she is self taught from UA-cam videos? Her brother was getting violin lessons and she wanted to do something for herself.
This coach needs to get a new job as she doesn’t know what she is talking about. Last time I watch her reaction.
i agree.
Watch her first public performance on Holland's Got Talent, age 9. singing opera that she learnt listening to you tube!
Thank you for your professional and honest critique of this Amira performance - it was performed in South Africa in Pretoria in 2016 at an annual concert called "Classics is Groot" - so Amira is really well known and loved by the Afrikaans community - she is performing in November (two concerts) with Il Divo - again in Pretoria at the SunTime Arena - can't wait!
CIG-2016---O mio Babino Caro, O' sole mio, Nella Fantasia,...CIG-2017..Nessum Dorma, Flower Duet, Amazing Grace,...CIG-2018---Halleluya, Amigos para siempre, Gabrielas' Song
Orchestras all over the world dream to have Amira sing with them accompanying.
Amira singing with Patrizio Buanne-O Sole Mio and another song that's is great also is Flower Duet with Corlea Botha
my wife loves that, we play that in the car along with a variety of Korean, Japanese, Chinese, English etc songs and guitar...and stuff from the 12 year old composer Alma Deutscher.
Marieke van Ommeren love the flower duet absolutely amazing
You should watch the same song with Ben Heijnen. He challenged her to hold notes and belting high notes as well. She just killed it. I recomend you to watch it.
@@akanecortich8197 Did you know that Alma and Amira are big friends.
You were right in your review ignore the haters. Love your honesty
She won Holland got talent in 2013. She self taught from u tube videos.
Love Amira!😊💕
Hi Georgina. I’ve just been re-visiting some of your reactions & in particular, Amira Willighagen, the Opera singer who won Holland’s Got Talent at the age of nine ( which you reacted to ) & at this point , had not had a single singing lesson. I have followed her career since, & would love you to react to the latest uTube performance when singing a medley from Sound of Music. Now aged 15, her voice maturity is astounding with a resonance that lingers & her diction is superb. Also astounding is that whatever she sings , she does so effortlessly, even in the higher register, & she appears to never be out of breath.
I believe I speak on behalf of all Amira followers to ask you to do at least one more reaction on this beautiful young lady with a magnificent Opera voice.
Got her lungs as a winning distance runner. Winning steeplechases in high school now.
Take a look at her body of work... you will be amazed at how the lovely little Amira stands head and shoulders above the rest.
Note about above - 'little' qualified, or refers to 'Amira' and not the rest of the sentence (you could read it two ways)!
Mary... To try and lessen any ambiguity I have added an additional descriptive. If anyone thinks that "qualified" is the intended meaning please rethink that because it certainly isn't
Fantastic? Magnificent?Fabulous? A special phenomenon of God? Only? Inccomparable? The most perfect and wonderful voice in the world? The best of the best? The special Angel of God? The special Princess of God? Yes all this is Amira believe❤❤❤❤ Thank you my God for Amira❤❤❤
I have yet to see anyone comment on one of Amira's other loves; running track. Good lungs. The Ole Solo Mio duet was just beautiful and hilarious and you can see the smiles on the faces of the musicians . A moment of joy. AMIRA, please come to Boston soon !
I think you need a better sound system Ms Vocal Coach I`ve heard much truer versions of this performance this.
hi coach! one question how is amira bring people to tears with her voice is it pure sound that remain in your head when she stopped singing
your comments brought a smile to my face. You seem like a good person so i hope you will take my review of your review with grace- it isn't intended to be mean spirited at all. If you notice, or care, you will perceive a bit of coolness from many who responded to your video. I have studied voice under one of the most renowned vocal teachers in the world. The mistake you are making, is that your analysis was made under vast ignorance of your subject- Ms Willighagen. In short, it is premature of you to try and comment on this young lady, who has been singing since she was a little girl, has sung in front of countless audiences, and more importantly---has performed around the world for years now, with some of the biggest opera stars and the most renowned orchestras in the world of opera. She is an award winning super star who has already been compared EASILY with Maria Callas and other greats of the past. Her appearance in concert with this world class orchestra is not an audition, nor is it anything new to her. She is FAR into a well earned success, however young she is, and is known as a stunning figure, electrifying audiences wherever she appears, and adding to her ALREADY MILLIONS OF FANS AROUND THE WORLD. She is a sought after performer, who sells out her shows, which is why producers and orchestras seek to sign her.......ONE YOU TUBE VIDEO OF HERS HAS...... 39 MILLION VIEWS..... DO YOU SEE??....God Bless. (as to your comment about her make-up.......I was thinking how lovely she has become, even more as she has grown ..from 8 years old , and she was beautiful then.....
.
The lady didn't say anything thing wrong with her singing so I don't know why you on your high horse. Get lost
But in the end, criticism was a positive one.
She just 12 years old here. See her auditions when she was 9 at Holland got talent.
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Even better would be a version with English subtitles. The one here: ua-cam.com/video/qDqTBlKU4CE/v-deo.html has been blocked in the Netherlands by the stupid RTL producers, but hopefully Georgina will still be able to watch it.
On another note: doesn't Amira's participation alone prove that the title of the show is apt. After all, it's "Holland's *Got* Talent* , not "Holland Has *Nothing But* Talent".
13 years
Actually she was 13 here.
13 - her birthday was 27 March 2004; the performance was early in June 2017
That was my thought too, being there live would be unbelievable.
The abrupt volume changes in the audio are RUINING the impact of her voice. This is not the way the video normally sounds on UA-cam, You need to fix this, because you are commenting on artifacts of the playback which do not reflect her voice. And by the way, she is best known for her operatic performances, and in this video she is 13 years old. She won Hollands Got Talent at age 9, singing grand opera.
Can you imagine how she changed after O Mio Babbino Caro at Holland's Got Talent what she won!?
Greatest opera singer in the world.
I assume you don’t know much about opera singers. And I actually like Amira. Just being realistic😂
You have to react to 3 more with Amira:
Amira with Andre Rieu in Maastricht 2014.....
Also Amira with Patricio Buanne singing “O Sole Mio”.
Simply magical....
Also her “Flower Duet” with Corlea Botha......breathtaking.....
Honest Vocal Coach. If you would like to hear a contrast in Amira's singing you might enjoy "Amigos Para Siempre" provided by gsacni. As this is only a rehearsal there are some quality limitations but it is an excellent video.
the only person amongst 100s to make a negative remark on such a perfect singer still as you said not you thing so maybe stick to your thing
You had to be living under a rock if you never heard of the greatest voice in the world.**DR KEL
Georgina, I'm gonna quote ya on that "one of the greatest".
I just watched your newest review of her work at 9.
Thank you so much for taking the time....
I don't know if you are listening the original sound of the video, but I feel this audio look like it's stripped half of the quality, kinda you do with mp3 files from 320 to 96 kbps quality. The original is way more rich.
@@strikebr You are right, this quality was awful.
the best version of this song I've heard amira you are awesome from bonnie Scotland
New Foundry: For her age, Amira has a huge volume of performances. That would take a lot of time to review. As for coaching, she spent about an hour with
Andre Rieu when she was 9 in prep for her first performance with him. In interviews with and documentaries about her, we have seen her with two other coaches short term. I think she has settled on a semi-permanent coach since moving to South Africa in 2018. Honestly, she has such a vast range of voicing techniques, it would be hard to say she sings 'this' way or 'that' way..
I thought of something else that you might find interesting. I think, now, she remembers to close them but her eyes sometimes get really odd and glazed (you can't miss it). She has had so many questions about it, she has explained it in interviews. At those times, the audience the orchestra and stage have disappeared. She doesn't feel like a little girl anymore. She is just part of the music. It is very pronounced at her Reykjavik concert.
If you have time and interest.
ua-cam.com/video/rmU4AXPEufE/v-deo.html
Of course she has had training - but there is a difference between training of a young girl and formal opera training. Amira is still not fully clear of puberty. Here's the history: She was self-taught only up to the audition for Holland's Got Talent. She got some tips from Andre Rieu before the semi-finals of HGT. Immediately after her HGT victory, she started preparing for her first album, with Maike Van der Wiel as a singing coach. She received the first CD for her tenth birthday (March 27, 2014). She sang at Andre Rieu's Maastricht concerts on July 11 & 12, 2014. She was taking lessons with Maike from then to past her second album, and she also had master classes with Henny Diemer - see ua-cam.com/video/A-xQBhOWcoI/v-deo.html - and another teacher (Bea van der Camp) in Crans Montana (Switzerland). The album was released in December 2015, a bit too late to catch the Christmas market. You can find both albums on Amazon co UK, and also from Amira's charity organisation, Gelukskinders. In early 2016 she had a master class with Miranda Van Kralingen - see ua-cam.com/video/wBHxRnyfaM0/v-deo.html . This was a major turning point in her career. About that time, she left Maike, who had advised her not to sing opera, and searched for another teacher; she eventually found Marijke Hoksbergen - see ua-cam.com/video/vN-DOKdIaxU/v-deo.html - and she stayed with Marijke until January 1, 2018, when she moved to South Africa. From mid-2016 onward, she also attracted the attention of Coleske Artists, who took over from SONY with her recording contract; and after the 2016 "Classics is Groot" performance, Corlea Botha decided to work with her in a performance of the flower duet from the opera "Lakme" by Delibes; they performed it at CIG 2017. So she was in effect getting both weekly lessons from Marijke plus master class work with Corlea in this period. After CIG 2017, she started recording her third album, with Coleske Artists - it's available worldwide - "With all my heart"; its release was delayed until March 2018, because CA realised that they needed world-wide copyright protection, and negotiated with Universal Music Group, which took some months. This means Amira is now "Big Business". She performed at Starlight Classics in February 2018, and Classics is groot 2018, in June - the DVD of that is now out, via Gelukskinders. Her current coach is Suzette Wilkens - see ua-cam.com/video/dEc-h1bA5YY/v-deo.html
She was the little girl who sang O mio babino caro. Holland's got Talent that you reviewed.
Amira high level class
At 9yrs old hervoice is so robust, if you close your eyes, you would think it's an adult. What a gift.
she is an angle...I wish Democrats would take time out to listen to Amira and calm down...Heaven has sent a child to soothe the ruffled feathers, calm the jittery nerves, placate the hostile and reach for the hated hand to agree to understand each other. .
Everyone needs to chill. Not just Democrats
i am predicting this girl amira is heading to be a world class singer. please how is she able to bring people to tears
She already is World Class. She is perfection, a Gift.
She also donates half of her earnings to Charities for the poor in South Africa. Her brother designs and builds playgrounds for the Choldren in South Africa.
Her Mother is South African, her Father from the Netherlands.
The Parents have taught their Children well. Humble, give back.
I salute them.
How much more of an adult this once little girl looks now and so is the quality of her singing. What's more, her upper notes ring loud and clear and open, and unforced.
Yes - her body is still growing - so she has to adjust her technique to suit the changing shape and size of her vocals etc etc her training will be from professional opera teachers, so no worries that she will have the perfect technique when she is an adult. . Haven't seen too much of her, just a few times since she was 8 years old. Big voice for a little girl at the time. I loved her duet O Sole Mio. i notice she has increased her range quite a bit - when she was 8-9 she sounded a bit like Maria Callas believe it or not. Amira has incredible spirit and lovely personality.
She trained herself on Maria Callas.
You have to watch the video of her white of started obio ba bino caro by hollands got talent amira. Please i wanna what you think of that.
O mio babino caro actually
@@davemellet6878 thanks that's what I mean.
I think you should know that Amira taught herself to sing by watching You Tube. She has recently moved to he new home in South Africa. True she is very young, only just into her teens, and has a lot to development in technical matters but has been said to have the most perfect tone of any singer. I think Amira will make a massive impression as a concert performer rather than as an opera company type singer, such as Patricia Janeckova or as a crossover power ballad singer as Jackie seems to be concentrating. However it's not a contest and all three young ladies reduce me to tears every time.
The three young sopranos you mention have all brought me to tears & are all three destined for great things. Patricia Janeckova has developed into such an outstanding opera/stage performer but does not seem to get as much attention or perhaps its just she has less video presence online. All are wonders at such a young age.
hugh st.martin Patricia is well on her way to a wonderful career in opera. The very fact she is known as an up and coming performer destined for the opera stage probably reduces her views. Even Amira, who has quite a fan following, gets comparatively reduced views on her opera aria performances no matter how beautiful the performance.
I don't know if it's because people don't recognize the titles of the songs so they don't listen, or the style just doesn't appeal to a broad swathe of the public. It's probably a little of both.
Neither one has to worry, both are just outstanding.
Les, please don't cry....just enjoy the beautiful voice of Amira, Patricia & Jackie....like I do....& if you want to have a good sleep, you can listen to Angelina "good looking" Jordan. You will be dreaming like flying to the moon for the beauty of her voice & singing.
Amen. Thank God for all these wonderful singers.
A fine posting and well explained. I do hold Amira just a bit better than the others. She can do it all and should not restrict herself. I am hoping her producers will see that Kismet was written for her and she owns it ! I believe a Broadway style review with a short tour or a return visit with Andre Rieu on tour with Kismet as the thyme. And selfishly, a hug and 4 front row tickets to a New England opening from Amira. Amira; you are the ONE !
by the way, Glennis gave a full whitney tribute concert in Amsterdam last friday and sundaynight. It was soooo amazing! I have never heard her singing this good! She was so into it because Whitney is her big idol and she finally had the chance to give a full Whitney concert. She sang 29 songs and all stunning, all flawless. On my channel I have a playlist with all the songs i recorded frontrow and in good quality. You will really be amazed how good she was at these concerts. It is if the is raising the bar even higher after being on AGT.
I hope you are listen to a better audio track then we hear the sounds is terrible (what we hear) It looks like echoing.
onsterfelijke Yes indeed, I think you're right. Sounds quite distorted and awful, like maybe having been funneled through too little bandwidth? (The commentary is nice though.)
Please reactie to the flower duet with Amira it's absolutely beautiful! She does amanzingly well with this hard song! Xx from the netherlands
She is amazing I think you're doing amazing things too though anyone who tries to teach vocal to the masses is sharing wonderful music with people who don't always get a chance to listen to classical music or really learn to sing it's a good thing you're doing.
loved your review of Amira, she is a pleasure to listen to and watch. would have been great to be there in the live show alright!
She began singing classical music at nine by listening to great singers on the internet, and never had coaching. Obviously from that time she is getting very good coaching.
Love Amira!! God bless you!
You saw her before when she participate in Holland Got Talent. You did a reaction than. She was 8 years old at that moment.
Please react to Amira Willighagen - Your Love
Amira - your Love : I am a Amira-Fan and this song is my favorite. This is absolute SUPER!!
My favorite; How Great Thou Art, ( not religious stri9ngs attached ) just waiting to hear the last 30 seconds each time thrills me through and through. You got to turn the volum up a squeak and listen in a quiet room. This is an angel, singing just to you...
I hope under perfect conditions they will try a re-do this with Amira holding the last note about 5 seconds longer.
This isn't Amira's best song. The points you make, she changes as she's gotten older. Her voice is remarkable!
being Dutch english is a second language to her so if pronunciations are a bit odd it's that. also remember Amira taught herself to sing opera at the age of nine by watching youtube videos, so she wouldn't left out of family music. so one must forgive her if there are a few bad habits. she now lives in South Africa and has a vocal coach that's helping improve her singing, listen to her newer performances to see how much stronger her singing is getting.
I've heard this quite a few times. Every time leaves me a weeping, runny nose mess.
please hear amira nellia fantasia. i concider this to be her best sound . i love to hear what you think
@@HonestVocalCoach It's. Amira Willingham Live in Concert Nella Fantasia .
Shame on you, you erase the comments that are not favorable to you. But I'll put it back.
What planet do you live on, woman? Amira already has 5 years of successful international career, just so you know.
QueenoftheNorth did a Reaction to this and the recording she used seemed much clearer than this. A pity because this one didn't seem to do justice to Amira's ability.
Why should an expert know of every famous person? Fame doesn't equal talent nor does it dictate what an expert should focus upon. Get yer head outta yer arse and talk to actual experts in any given field. Sure, you can be surprised an expert hasn't heard of X or Y or Z but getting antagonistic belies your ignorance, not theirs.
I believe the best technique she has used was from a recording of Mio Babbino Caro sung in Rejkavik. Give that one a go.
Yes, I believe it was the best.
Haha -- no offence but you are only being honest as to your coaching limitations -- Amira has sung with most of the great opera singers of our time -- and she has been doing so since she was 9 and was self taught!!! --- I would say personally, but I am not a vocal coach, that this singer is 100% vocally perfect otherwise she would not be as successful as she clearly is.
Amira is outstanding but you also need to Watch Angelina Jordan’s performances!!!!!!!
That´s true for sure, but I assume this vocal coach wants to teach Screamin´Jay how to sing the right way. Angelina´s new Original "Shield" is mind blowing beautiful 💕
She is a already traveled and known all over the World.
Watch her performance of André Rieu. Same thing: The voice being stretched beyond her natural capacity. I am befriended with an opera singer. She has done extra ordinary training to keep her voice beautiful beyond the natural aging. For the last few years, she is preparing herself for Wagner Walküren performances.
Wow i am curious who your friend is and how she sings! Must be a superstar!
I've seen the Andre Rieu performance many, many times as well as most of her videos up to now. Amira is singing well within her natural capacity which you negatively comment on for very obvious reasons.
Hi! See her audition in Hollands got talent, O mio babbino caro, to see where she started at 9 years old!
hi coach!. just to say you want to watch this date october 21 2017 version of nellia fantasia by amira
No one in the whole world out sings Jackie Evancho. That is not to find fault with Amira Willighagen she is Excellent and I wish her a long and happy life as she makes those of us who listen to her happy.
Sorry Jackie has some talent for sure but Amira leaves her in the dust. Amira has a special voice and talent which is rare and very special. In comparison Jackie is just a very good amateur. She is good don't get me wrong. In comparison though Amira's voice is stunning she is at the front of the line for God given talent. She will go very far. God has blessed her with an extraordinary voice.
No comparison. I love Jackie, but she "works" at her singing.
Amira does not struggle, is natural and was born to do this.
Amira has perfect pitch and tone and keeps getting better each year.
I just watch a Jackie video she sang in at age 17, yes, beautiful, but strained and too dramatic for my liking.
The comment about the makeup had me cackling. Um, the "wet" look and the "brown" bit don't need blending. Her dewy skin and highlight are very much in synch with how young women wear their makeup these days, and her bronzer is also very fashionable. Maybe you can leave comments about a 14 year olds makeup out of your commentary.
quadbox maybe try using some yourself
Yes, the production is over the top...If your not into those things, it's understandable, but...I kinda like it...sometimes :)
Lots of technical comments...you would understand if you had her background story.
Sill you did give a little to her talent...get hold of her story. very nice.
October, 2018
To be honest, ( not knowing what to expect ) I was hoping for a much more critical ear, and less attention paid to her Make up !!
The young lady - assuming that you are competent in your field - is lacking in certain areas. It would have been so nice to hear much much more explanation from YOU, about what you were referring to in some of your insights offered .
You did very well and you matched my feelings. I love Amira's work and yes their is always for improvement.
And there are factors like puberty to consider. She has been singing right through puberty, well enough to star in these shows, but she is very likely holding back, as she should at this stage. We'll see more when she's 16.
Amira has a deeper voice than when she was younger. A bit like Charlotte Church.
At the same concert, see ua-cam.com/video/Kk1l84UW1pI/v-deo.html - and please react to this one: facebook.com/MaxAmini/videos/10153249540242628/ - she was ten at this performance, and it has been cited as showing "an astonishing mastery of resonance" - see www.oxfordsinginglessons.co.uk/understanding-resonance-with-mri-scans/ (go to the end of the article and see who he cites) . She is using "closed mouth" in "Amazing Grace" because she is singing with reduced air pressure, because her natural resonance was so great that it was making her sound a bit shrill on the high notes. The performance with Andre Rieu has been removed from UA-cam by Universal Music Group for copyright reasons, but the facebook version is still there - the only other place you can now hear it is by buying the "love in Venice" DVD (Andre Rieu).
The video of hollands got talent is her best than the audition.
I love your reactions and have subbed. I have to say though, the audio quality on this one is really bad and does not do the performance justice. It is thin and goes in and out a bit. Those who haven't heard this before, please check the actual vid as the quality is awesome and moving. She is an amazing young lady and has done great humanitarian work already in her young life. I believe she chose this singing style for this song to suit the setting. She is capable of amazing vocals. I personally loved her choice of style/technique for this performance, just let down on the audio quality and disagree somewhat with some of the comments. Still, enjoy your vids, keep it up!
Quite right. The audio on this was poor.
I wonder if you listen another opera singer, now 20, that also won the got talent in combined Check Slovakian version. She’s studying opera and we see less and less videos being released these days: Patricia Janeckova is my preferred opera singer because (I have no musical education!) she’s a perfectionist and shows a deep passion for what she does, and an absolute admiration for her teacher Eva Drizgova Jirusova while singing in duet Canzonetta sull’ ária, I believe at age 14. And of course, Angelina Jordan is the best melinium singer, at least!
Indeed, Angelina for me is the best Jazz singer at the moment. Amira however is a classicle (opera) singer.
not nearly her best performance, but it was great, as usual.
You must be joking.
I agree with your take on her vocal issues, her breathing - however her jaw use, mouth and resonance may have more to do her being from Holland speaking Dutch and being a bit of an athlete (competitive distance runner) as a younger girl. her life seems by all accounts to be very physically active (figure skating, field hockey). I have seen what coaches have tried to do to get her to open her mouth and extend her jaw and it seems to put a strain on her upper register. The closed mouth though kinda' unique to her fits the notes she produces. I hope she finds her way back from S. Africa to Europe where she can study with top coaches or to NYC to do the same. I pray no one injures her vocal chords in the mean-time. I also hope she finds her way to the Opera stage and not to do too much of the cross-over industry where she's more of a side show participant - that so far seems to be where she's headed.
Hello there, I really love your reviews and I'm curious about what you would say about Lara Fabian, French Canadian singer. No particular song but anything live by her. Gr. Mona
You have to realize Amira is singing in a FOREIGN LANGUAGE**DR KEL
Anyone who sings opera has the ability to sing in several languages. The coach was very kind but not critical (evaluative, not negative) enough. Everyone has good and bad points in what they do.. The coach should have told us more about both for Amira. She's a teacher. She should be educating listeners, not just heaping praise on Amira.
She was completely self-taught when she first appeared on Holland's got talent (I don't know if she still is or not) - here's the link with subtitles ua-cam.com/video/qDqTBlKU4CE/v-deo.html . Also another great young singer to see, who won Norway's got talent at 8 years old, is Angelina Jordan - a great song to see her do is 'I put a spell on you' =) ua-cam.com/video/nwFloCPXzCs/v-deo.html
This young lady is Dutch and an Opera singer. This was not a good video to choose to show her at her best.
Come on you use to sing in pubs and working men clubs . So how come you are critical of somebody who can sing. Put back on the video of you singing in the clubs with your group on stage . So people can react to you
Pretty poor sound quality on this video. Wonder if the fact that her vowel sound is unusual is because she is singing in a foreign language?
My all time favorite, Deanna Durbin how would she be rated today. I loved her movies.
Deanna Durbin was destroyed by Hollywood "Shirley Templifications"! However, she was clever enough to bag it and live out her life in a lost corner of France!
Well, it's very nice to hear the views of a vocal coach, who specialises with young voices.
And gratifying to hear that you think she is great.
As of course I do.
You really should listen to some of her other key performances, which mark her out as something very special.
Such as:-
ua-cam.com/video/rmU4AXPEufE/v-deo.html
Completely out of this world, and a virtuosic tour de force.
Some legato failings, taking breaths mid lyric, but by the end of the song she had cracked it.
She has had a natural vibrato which she can employ at will, since day one.
So unusual in one so young.
And what power!
Beautiful natural timbre.
I only hope vocal coaches don't diminish her wonderful natural talent!
For me, the main thing she must address is diction.
In this performance, many consonants are indistinct, particularly 's' and 't.
Almost like a small lisp.
And for me she sometimes sings in the wrong key, and tries to sound overly
operatic, when her natural unadorned voice is her biggest asset.
Yes, I agree she could go in any direction.
Though I wonder if classical live opera will mean she only really receives exposure
to a small, privileged audience.
And she is too good for that.
Much as I dislike the term 'crossover,' her versatility will probably take her in that direction.
As long as she sticks with quality material.
I think of her like a young Sissel.
Sissel is wonderfully versatile, singing classical, opera, traditional folk, crossover.
And sings perfectly in several languages.
Amira could do amazingly well if she follows a similar path.
It would be great if you could perhaps review her Reykjavik performance,
And also Maastricht with Andre Rieu in front of 10,000, though the best video of that has
come down from YT, which is a crying shame.
Regards.
Beautiful performance. Amazing. Very disappointing reaction. Sad.
Oh get out of here. "She's sucking in air, she's keeping her lips closed, her makeup is brown." Glad your opinion doesn't matter.
As a vocal coach who professes a love of young voices; I am surprised that you knew nothing of Amira prior to this. Added to this, you chose to comment on her make up and pronunciation in your initial comments. You might just as well comment on Pavarotti's obesity and terrible English in a critique of his vocal qualities..
@@HonestVocalCoach You stepped into it when you tried to be honest. Some of these Amira fans are really OTT. Knowing Amira or not has nothing to do with a critique. She is a Dutch girl whose Englist is a second (or third) language.
I love the name Georgina. It's my grans name.
I don’t know much about singing and vocal training but I did think it was unusual for her to sing with her mouth not as open as I would have imagined, especially when singing Italian which has so many open mouth vowel sounds. I’d have to wonder how her intonation abd tone would sound. More diaphragm control for inspiration, but she has managed to use it for vibrato?
G CS She had mastered diaphragm breathing by the time she won the seven hills run (in her age class)(cross country running) at 8. See ua-cam.com/video/GZPduzaId4Q/v-deo.html So her vibrato has always been from her diaphragm
Copying Maria Callas’s mouth on TV.
Is it me but your video Audio sound, seems like it all over the place, so if you base Amira by your audio sound? i do think your honest opinion of this Angel is totally wrong?
Thanks for the very objective and profound evaluation, Georgina. I have been observing Amira's development for quite some years and I share most of your points. I still find that she has potential - but unfortunately she's being "sold" to the wrong people. Her technique is far from satisfying.
Jane Jannke's only function in life seems to be to troll and criticize Amira. Such a sad case of humanity.
Jane Jannke, who sold her? what wrong people? Yeah, she has the potential & at her young age, singing like that is very satisfying to me.
Jimmy Futch. Sadly, Amira can never do anything to please Jane Jannke (alias Classic Bird 262). She doesn't like her singing operatic arias and if she sings classic/cross-over she doesn't like those. Clearly, she doesn't like her singing hymns, either! She even made sarcastic comments when Amira sang at the funeral of her much-loved grandmother! A sad case, indeed, Jimmy!
please comment on singer Dorota Osinska, also from Got Talent, this time in Poland.
Please comment also on singer Angelina Jordan of Norway, winner of Norway Got Talent.