Amira Willighagen

Amira Willighagen speaks both Dutch and Afrikaans because she was born 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 England, she heard the aria "Nessun Dorma", performed by Luciano Pavarotti.[3] 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 learned by herself to sing opera arias, using YouTube tutorials.[4] That's how she discovered her talent and passion for music. Even her mother was surprised when she heard her the first time singing.[5] 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".[6] 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.[7]

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[8][9] that within seconds the judges were staring in awe and disbelief.[10] Her performance rapidly became a YouTube hit with over 41 million views as of January 2021. In the semi-finals, she performed Gounod's "Ave Maria".[11] "You're a star who belongs on stage!", said Dan Karaty, one of the judges, after her performance in the semi-finals.[12] 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.[13]

After the success from Holland's Got Talent, during 2014 Willighagen was invited to various TV shows: at South African Internet station Channel24, on March 21 at Omroep Gelderland (Netherlands), on May 11 at Life4You – Carlo & Irene on RTL 4 (Netherlands), on June 7 at Willkommen bei Carmen Nebel (Welcome to Carmen Nebel) on ZDF (Germany), at RTL (German TV channel), performing "I Have a Dream",[14] on August 20 at Susana Giménez on Telefe (Argentina), and on December 21 at Du côté de chez Dave on France 3.[15]

In February 2014, Willighagen recorded her debut album, Amira, accompanied by the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra.[16] 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).[17] The album was released in the Netherlands on March 28, 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.[18][19] Then, on July 11 and 12, she appeared with André Rieu and his Johann Strauss Orchestra in Maastricht, during the recording of the album Love in Venice.[20]

Willighagen's first international performances took place at the Starlight Classics Concerts in Somerset West, South Africa on February 28 and March 1, 2014. On April 30, 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.[21][18][22]

According to statements on her website, with half of the revenue she makes by performing and her album sales, Willighagen supports her own charity project, Stichting Gelukskinders (Lucky Children Foundation), to build playgrounds for poor children of South African townships. Also, an important part of the foundation's funds comes from donations.[23] The idea of creating playgrounds came up when she went to South Africa, to visit her grandmother, at the age of seven. She went outside to play, like any child, but the children from there didn't have a proper playground, so they just ran and threw stones. Astonished and disappointed, she said to her mother: "If I ever get any money I'd like to come back here and help these children have something to play."[24][25] That's exactly what she did: after only three years, on March 5, 2014, she opened the first playground in Ikageng, a township near Potchefstroom, South Africa.[26][27] To formalize development and maintenance of playgrounds, Willighagen's Gelukskinders Foundation was established on November 1, 2014.[28] On behalf of her foundation, Willighagen opened the second playground in Ikageng on August 1, 2016.[29] Amira opened the third playground, Amira Park – Sarafina, which was completed on January 20, 2017.[30] Amira opened her fourth playground in South Africa on June 20, 2017. Amira Park #4 was opened in Promosa.[31] On June 11, 2018, Amira opened her 5th playground at Lesego Primary School which included carousel, swings, slide, and a sandbox.[32] In July and August 2019 were opened six new playgrounds at schools near Potchefstroom,[33] their number reaching 13.[34] Other charitable actions worth mentioning are her participation in fundraising, for the victims of the Haiyan typhoon in Philippines (on November 18, 2013),[35] for UNICEF (on July 16, 2014)[36] and to support the victims of the devastating bush fires around Knysna, in extra concert at Classics Is Groot (on June 24, 2017).[37] In August 2020 Willighagen donated 80000 rands (about 5200 US dollars) to the Solidarity Helping Hand. Thus, a lot of children have got gifts, in the form of food and juices.[38]

On November 8, 2014, Willighagen visited the Pontifical Urbaniana University in Rome to receive the International Giuseppe Sciacca Award 2014.[39] 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)").[40] The albums Amira and Merry Christmas were produced by the record label Sony Masterworks.[41] She held also Christmas concerts, on December 15, 2014, at the Royal Albert Hall London,[42] on December 19, 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),[43][15] on December 21, 2015, in the St. Jacobs Church, The Hague,[44] on December 16, 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"),[15] on December 15, 2019, in Nijmegen ("Joy to the World" was one of the songs in the program), on December 16, 2019 in Dreumel.[45] On December 9, 2019, Amira performed in the Sint-Jacobskerk, The Hague, which was recorded and later broadcast on December 25, 2019 on Omroep MAX public broadcasting television.[46]

In 2015, Willighagen participated, on 4 April, at the Sanremo Junior Festival in Malta,[47] 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)"[48] and in December in Madrid.[49] In 2016, she sang at the Vacation Festival (Festival della Vacanza) in Lecce, Italy (on May 28),[50] at the Conservatory of the North West University, Potchefstroom (on November 23)[51] and also she performed "Nella Fantasia" in the Afrikaans Is Groot concert (in November).[52] In 2017 she sang, on May 20, at the Aqua Musica concert in Steenbergen, The Netherlands[53] and on December 2, 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").[54] On March 2 and 3, 2018, she sang again at the RMB Starlight Classics concert.[55]

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),[56] "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).[57] At Classics Is Groot 2017 she performed "Nessun Dorma", "Flower Duet" (with Corlea Botha), "Amazing Grace" and "My Way" (in group).[58] 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).[59] 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".

On March 2, 2018, Willighagen's long-anticipated album With All My Heart was released in South Africa, later as audio files worldwide, under the Coleske Artists label. The album marks a change in her singing career from opera to classical crossover. Several tracks were written especially for her (for instance "Drift Away" and "In The Stars"). Songs like "With All My Heart", "I Will Be With You" and a cover of "Gabriellas sång" are potential hits. Amira also sings duets with Corlea Botha ("Flower Duet"), Patrizio Buanne ("’O sole mio" and "Amigos Para Siempre") and Ruhan du Toit ("Follow Your Heart").[60]

Willighagen collaborated also with other artists: Ben Heijnen (Huizen, Netherlands, December 9, 2016),[61] Gissur Páll Gissurarson (Reykjavík, Iceland, December 2015),[62] Paul Potts and James Bhemgee (Durban, South Africa, August 9, 2014),[63] Fabio Armiliato (Naples, Italy, November 9, 2019).[64]

On January 1, 2018, Amira, her brother, Fincent and mother, Frieda moved to South Africa. During an interview in a Dutch regional newspaper, they stated the Dutch school system didn't offer Willighagen sufficient flexibility for performances. Also, Willighagen's new, South African manager planned to include fewer, longer tours.[65] In an earlier interview, Amira's mother (of South African origin) revealed that she and the children's father had parted.[66] "It's for me really nice to be back again here in Nijmegen, where I was born. Yes, old friends from middle school. That's nice, because I miss them of course a little bit when I'm in South Africa.", stated Willighagen in December 2019 in an interview for the TV station Omroep Gelderland, that broadcast also the Christmas concerts from Nijmegen (2017) and Dreumel (2019).[67]

Willighagen released three music videos: "Ave Maria (Vavilov)", from the album Merry Christmas,[68] "In The Stars", from the album With All My Heart[69] and "Cinema Paradiso (Se)", a song from the movie with the same title, in memory of the composer Ennio Morricone.[70] Willighagen's most viewed video recording on YouTube is that from André Rieu's concert in Maastricht (July 2014).[71] She also has performances featured on five DVDs and five CDs: Afrikaans Is Groot 2016, Classics Is Groot 2016, Classics Is Groot 2017, Classics Is Groot 2018 and Classics Is Groot 2019, all published by Coleske Artists.[72][73] The song "Barcelona", performed by Willighagen in duet with Ruhan du Toit, is included on Touch Of Class's album, More Magic.[74]

Among the concerts in 2019 can be mentioned: on March 21 in Sun Arena, Pretoria (with Helmut Lotti), on April 16 at Durbanville High School (with the Tygerberg Children's Choir), on July 19 and 20 at Classics Is Groot, Sun Arena, Pretoria, on August 10 in Kasane, Botswana, near a huge baobab (with Andre Swartz and Jannie Moolman), on September 14 at Louis Trichard Emmanuel Christian School, Zoutpansberg, on October 5 in Bloemfontein (with Jannie Moolman), on October 23 at Nelson Mandela University Auditorium, Port Elizabeth (with Corlea Botha), on December 1 in Turnhout, Belgium (with Marjolein Acke, Anne Keizer and the Cantabile choir, to mark Gelukskinders Foundation's 5th anniversary).[75]

According to her Facebook-account,[76] on November 9, 2019, Amira was awarded "International Mediterranean best female opera star 2019". Accordingly, the award was handed out to Amira during an International Organization for Diplomatic Relations (IODR) gala in the city of Naples where, as is further stated, she also performed a few songs. The Mediterranean Awards are an annual ceremony arranged by the Fondazione Mediterraneo, an Italian organization founded by Naples-based photographer, gallery-owner and architect Michele Capasso,[77] promoting dialogue and peace between nations on various levels. There are not known any references to specialized institutions of classical singing or opera in particular that would qualify for giving a profound assessment in an international context on this subject. Furthermore, there are not any reports or mentions about an award given to Amira Willighagen to be found on the organization's homepage.[78][79]

In mid-July 2020 was released a set of 4 DVDs - Five Years Gelukskinders - including the anniversary concerts in Turnhout (December 2019), images from backstage and rehearsals, and a documentary about the Gelukskinders Foundation (playgrounds openings and the concert given at the Tshupane school, with Siki Jo-An and school choirs).[80][81] In August 2020 Willighagen held a streaming concert, This is my Dream, that was available on Optog.[82][83] In this concert she sang ten songs never recorded or performed by her before, including "Senza Catene" (the Italian version of "Unchained Melody"), "Nelle Tue Mani" ("In Your Hands / Now We Are Free", from the movie "Gladiator") and others. She was accompanied on piano by Charl du Plessis.[84] On October 9, 2020, was released a live CD - Classics Live - which includes songs performed in the anniversary concerts in Turnhout (Warande and Wending), held in December 2019.[85] The 2020 Christmas concert, entitled "African Christmas with Amira and Friends", was available on Optog. In this concert also performed the tenor Lukhanyo Moyake, Mzansi Youth Choir and Charl du Plessis, on a Steinway piano.[86]

• Media related to Amira Willighagen at Wikimedia Commons
• Amira Willighagen at AllMusic
• Official website