Amira Willighagen (born 27 March 2004) is a Dutch soprano"Ave Amira" documentary, Omroep Gelderland TV station, Willighagen's official YouTube channel, 30 December 2016, retrieved 10 October 2019 who won the sixth season of Holland's Got Talent in 2013, at the age of nine. She moved to South Africa in 2018.
Early life Amira Willighagen was born in Nijmegen to a Dutch father and a South African mother whose mother tongue is Afrikaans. She grew up surrounded by classical music. At the age of seven, during a holiday in the United Kingdom, she heard the aria "Nessun dorma", performed by Luciano Pavarotti."Amira Radio Interview Calon FM", Amira Willighagen | Official, YouTube, 30 July 2020, retrieved 7 November 2020 In that period she looked at her brother Fincent playing the violin, their mother Frieda also played the violin and the father Gerrit played the piano. She did not know how to play instruments, so she tried to sing vocally. At the beginning, before taking singing lessons, Willighagen taught herself to sing opera arias, using YouTube tutorials."Self taught, 11 year old will blow you away with her beautiful voice", FUSION, YouTube, 26 January 2016, retrieved 21 January 2020 That's how she discovered her talent and passion for music. Even her mother was surprised when she heard her the first time singing.Amira – I Will Be With You, With All My Heart album promo, Afrikaans is Groot, YouTube, 7 March 2018, retrieved 24 November 2019
Two of her first public appearances took place in 2012, at the "Music makes Friends" festival in Colmschate (accompanied by her family) and as a solo singer in the Emmaus Children's Choir, singing a Dutch version of the song "Nella Fantasia".Amira Willighagen – Nella Fantasia (2012), Amira Willighagen | Official, YouTube, 2 November 2013, retrieved 1 February 2020 After two years of practice and performance improvement, she was ready to participate in the show Holland's Got Talent. Indeed, she won the admiration of the jury, the public and millions of people from all over the world who saw her on television and on the Internet."Holland's Got Talent", AmiraFans, retrieved 24 November 2019
Career
Holland's Got Talent Willighagen auditioned for Holland's Got Talent and so impressed the judging panel with her version of "O Mio Babbino Caro" from Puccini's opera Gianni Schicchi"Nine-year-old blows judges away", Stuff.co.nz, 30 October 2013 that within seconds the judges were staring in awe and disbelief. Her performance rapidly became a YouTube hit, with over 150 million combined views, as of January 2024. In the semi-finals, she performed Gounod's "Ave Maria". "You're a star who belongs on stage!", said Dan Karaty, one of the judges, after her performance in the semi-finals.Amira Willighagen – Ave Maria, in the semi-finals of Holland's Got Talent 2013, Talented Young Musicians, YouTube, 23 December 2013, retrieved 16 December 2019 In the final she sang "Nessun dorma", from Puccini's opera Turandot. She won the competition with over 50% of the votes of the TV-viewers and audience."Breaking: Amira Willighagen, Better Than Jackie Evancho, Sings 'Nessun Dorma' to Win Holland's Got Talent", Classicalite, 28 December 2013
2014–present
After the success from Holland's Got Talent, during 2014 Willighagen was invited to various TV shows: at South African Internet station Channel24, on 21 March 2014 at Omroep Gelderland (Netherlands), on 11 May 2014 at Life4You – Carlo & Irene on RTL 4 (Netherlands), on 7 June 2014 at Willkommen bei Carmen Nebel (Welcome to Carmen Nebel) on ZDF (Germany), at RTL (German TV channel), performing "I Have a Dream",Amira Willighagen – I Have A Dream, Ammar AL-HIAJI, YouTube, 3 April 2015, retrieved 18 November 2019 on 20 August 2014 at Susana Giménez on Telefe (Argentina) and on 21 December 2014 at Du côté de chez Dave on France 3.
In February 2014, Willighagen recorded her debut album, Amira, accompanied by the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra."Amira's first CD is coming!", AmiraFans, 5 February 2014 The album contains 10 tracks, including the songs she performed during Holland's Got Talent. Other tracks from this album are "Nella Fantasia", "Song To The Moon", and "Pie Jesu" from Requiem (Lloyd Webber).Amira (10) – Amira, Discogs database, retrieved 23 November 2019 The album was released in the Netherlands on 28 March 2014, reaching a Gold status only two weeks later. André Rieu invited Willighagen to follow a masterclass in London, after a member of his orchestra saw her in the Holland's Got Talent audition on YouTube.Amira Willighagen's biography, Amira-online.com, retrieved 9 January 2020"André Rieu – Masterclass for Amira Willighagen and brother Fincent – 7 December 2013", Amira Willighagen | Official, YouTube, 20 December 2013, retrieved 9 January 2020 Then, on 11 and 12 July 2014, she appeared with André Rieu and his Johann Strauss Orchestra in Maastricht, during the recording of the album Love in Venice."Performance Amira & André Rieu big success", AmiraFans, 13 July 2014, retrieved 9 January 2020
Amira's first international performances took place at the Starlight Classics Concerts in Somerset West, South Africa on 28 February and 1 March 2014. On 30 April 2014 she performed in Las Vegas as part of the prize she received when winning Holland's Got Talent. Amira's performances include appearances in the Netherlands, South Africa, Belgium, USA, Germany, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, France, Poland, Hong Kong, Argentina, Mexico, Malta, Monaco, Iceland, Austria, and Botswana.Amira during Living Maths interview by Steve Sherman, YouTube recording of live stream, 10 May 2017How is Amira now?, Youth Journal, Dutch TV station NPO, broadcast on 12 September 2019, retrieved on YouTube on 11 January 2020
On 8 November 2014 Willighagen visited the Pontifical Urbaniana University in Rome to receive the International Giuseppe Sciacca Award 2014."Amira, giovanissima soprano, Premio Sciacca Musica", premiosciacca.it, 8 November 2014 In November 2015, Willighagen released her second album, Merry Christmas. Besides a selection of well-known Christmas carols ("O Holy Night", "Silent Night", "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing"), the album contains various famous arias and hymns ("Panis angelicus", "Ave Maria (Vavilov)").Amira (10) – Merry Christmas, Discogs database, retrieved 23 November 2019 The albums Amira and Merry Christmas were produced by the record label Sony Masterworks.Willighagen's discography, Discogs database, retrieved 2 February 2020 She held also Christmas concerts on 15 December 2014 at the Royal Albert Hall London,"Amira enchants Royal Albert Hall", AmiraFans, 21 January 2015, retrieved 8 November 2019 on 19 December 2015 in the Petrus Canisius Church in Nijmegen, The Netherlands (where she sang "See, amid the Winter's Snow", "Panis angelicus", "Sancta Maria" and "Ave Maria" by Gomez),"Amira special guest during Christmas concert Nijmegen Men’s Choir", Gelukskinders Foundation, 6 November 2015, retrieved 8 November 2019Amira Willighagen official YouTube channel, retrieved 9 November 2019 on 21 December 2015, in the St. Jacobs Church, The Hague,"Amira Willighagen – O Holy Night (St. Jacobs Church, The Hague) – Christmas Concert 2015", Amira Willighagen | Official, YouTube, 22 December 2015, retrieved 8 November 2019 on 16 December 2017, in the St. Steven's Church in Nijmegen (where she performed "Dormi, Fili", "Onse Vader", "Jerusalem", "Panis Angelicus", "See, amid the Winter's Snow", "Stille Nacht / Silent Night", and "How Great Thou Art"), on 15 December 2019, in Nijmegen ("Joy to the World" was one of the songs in the program), on 16 December 2019 in Dreumel.Nijmegen and Dreumel Christmas Concerts, AmiraFans, 23 December 2019, retrieved 24 December 2019 On 9 December 2019 Amira performed in the Sint-Jacobskerk, The Hague, which was recorded and later broadcast on 25 December 2019 on Omroep MAX public broadcasting television.Amira Willighagen - Ave Maria (Schubert) | Trouw Christmas concert 2019, Omroep MAX, YouTube, 7 January 2020, retrieved 20 July 2020
In 2015, Willighagen participated, on 4 April, at the Sanremo Junior Festival in Malta,"Amira Willighagen – 2015 Sanremo Junior Festival – Guest Appearance", Amira Willighagen | Official, YouTube, 5 April 2015, retrieved 8 November 2019 in September in the show "Superkids – die größten kleinen Talente der Welt" ("Superkids – the biggest little talents in the world"), broadcast by the German TV station Sat.1, where she performed "Ave Maria (Vavilov)"11 years old stunning soprano! | Superkids, YouTube, 25 September 2015, retrieved 24 October 2019 and in December in Madrid.Amira Willighagen – O Mio Babbino Caro by Puccini (Madrid) – Christmas Concert 2015, Amira Willighagen | Official, YouTube, 18 January 2016, retrieved 15 February 2020 In 2016, she sang at the Vacation Festival (Festival della Vacanza) in Lecce, Italy (on 28 May),Amira Willighagen – Ave Maria by Bach / Gounod (Lecce, Italy), Amira Willighagen | Official, YouTube, 5 December 2016, retrieved 15 February 2020 at the Conservatory of the North West University, Potchefstroom (on 23 November)Amira Willighagen – O Mio Babbino Caro, Gelukskinders, YouTube, 13 December 2016, retrieved 11 January 2020 and also she performed "Nella Fantasia" in the Afrikaans Is Groot concert (in November).Amira Willighagen ~ Live in Concert ~ Nella Fantasia, Amira's Archive, YouTube, 21 October 2017, retrieved 24 December 2019 In 2017 she sang, on 20 May, at the Aqua Musica concert in Steenbergen, The NetherlandsAmira singing "Voi Che Sapete" at Aqua Musica, Steenbergen, Amira Willighagen | Official, YouTube, 9 July 2017, retrieved 16 February 2020 and on 2 December, in the Max Proms concert held in Utrecht, performing a short version of "O Mio Babbino Caro" and "Your Love" (the theme of the movie "Once Upon a Time in the West").Amira Willighagen – O Mio Babbino Caro & Your Love at MAX Proms 2017, Amira Willighagen | Official, YouTube, 27 December 2017, retrieved 6 January 2020 On 2 and 3 March 2018 she sang again at the RMB Starlight Classics concert.RMB Starlight Classics 2018, Amira-online.com, 2 March 2018, retrieved 6 January 2019
At the end of July 2016, Willighagen performed at the Classics Is Groot concert held in Pretoria, South Africa, where she sang "O Mio Babbino Caro", "O sole mio" (in duet with Patrizio Buanne),Amira Willighagen & Patrizio Buanne – O Sole Mio, Amira's Archive, YouTube, 19 November 2016, retrieved 27 October 2019 "Nella Fantasia" ("In My Fantasy"), composed by Ennio Morricone (originally released by Sarah Brightman in 1998) and the well-known song "My Way" (together with the other artists).2CD "Classics Is Groot" (2016) , Gelukskinders Foundation online store, retrieved 27 October 2019 At Classics Is Groot 2017 she performed "Nessun dorma", "Flower Duet" (with Corlea Botha), "Amazing Grace" and "My Way" (in group).2CD "Classics Is Groot 2017" , Gelukskinders Foundation online store, retrieved 29 October 2019 At Classics Is Groot 2018 Willighagen sang "Gabriellas sång" – with lyrics in Swedish (from the soundtrack of the movie As It Is in Heaven), "Hallelujah" (from the album With All My Heart), "Amigos Para Siempre" (in duet with Patrizio Buanne) and "Keeping the Dream Alive" (together with the other singers).Various Artists – Classics Is Groot 2018 (CD) , Raru online music store, retrieved 2 November 2019 In July 2019, at Classics Is Groot, she performed a medley from the musical The Sound of Music: "Prelude / The Sound of Music", "Edelweiss" and "Climb Ev'ry Mountain".