''Prelude to a Dream'' is the debut studio album of American singer

Jackie Evancho Jacqueline Marie Evancho ( ; born April 9, 2000) is an American crossover music#Classical crossover, classical crossover singer who gained wide recognition at an early age. Since 2009, she has issued a platinum-selling extended play, EP and nine ...

, released on November 10, 2009.Caulfield, Keith
"''Got Talent'' Kid Jackie Evancho Makes Chart Impact"
billboard.com ''news'', August 19, 2010, accessed January 20, 2012 Evancho was nine years old when the album was released. The album consists mainly of covers of

classical crossover Crossover is a term applied to musical works or performers who appeal to different types of audience. This can be seen, for example, (especially in the United States) when a song appears on two or more of the record charts which track differ ...

songs such as

Andrea Bocelli Andrea Bocelli (; born 22 September 1958) is an Italian tenor and multi-instrumentalist. He was born visually impaired, with congenital glaucoma, and at the age of 12, Bocelli became completely blind, following a brain hemorrhage resulting fro ...

's "

Con te partirò "Con te partirò" (; "With You I Shall Depart") is an Italian song written by Francesco Sartori (music) and Lucio Quarantotto (lyrics). It was first performed by Andrea Bocelli at the 1995 Sanremo Music Festival and recorded on his album of the ...

" and " The Prayer",

Josh Groban Joshua Winslow Groban (born February 27, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actor. His first four solo albums have been certified multi-platinum, and he was charted in 2007 as the number-one best selling artist in the United States, wi ...

's "

To Where You Are "To Where You Are" is a song performed by American singer Josh Groban on his 2001 self-titled debut album. It was written by Richard Marx and Linda Thompson and produced by Richard Marx. Commercial performance When released as a single in 20 ...

" and

Martina McBride Martina Mariea McBride (née Schiff, born July 29, 1966) is an American country music singer-songwriter and record producer. She is known for her soprano singing range and her country pop material. McBride was born in Sharon, Kansas, and relocat ...

's "

Concrete Angel "Concrete Angel" is a song written by Stephanie Bentley and Rob Crosby, and recorded by American country music artist Martina McBride. It was released in November 2002 as the fourth and last single from McBride's ''Greatest Hits'' compilation alb ...

", and also included some classical pieces and a rendition of "

Amazing Grace "Amazing Grace" is a Christian hymn published in 1779 with words written in 1772 by English Anglican clergyman and poet John Newton (1725–1807). It is an immensely popular hymn, particularly in the United States, where it is used for both ...

", among other selections. The album was released independently through

CD Baby CD Baby, Inc. is an online distributor of independent music. The company was described as an "anti-label" by its parent company's Chief Operating Officer Tracy Maddux. The CD Baby music store was shut down in March 2020 with a statement that "C ...

. Nine months later, after Evancho's first performance on ''

America's Got Talent ''America's Got Talent'' (often abbreviated as ''AGT'') is a televised American talent show competition, and is part of the global ''Got Talent'' franchise created by Simon Cowell. The program is produced by Fremantle (as well as distribut ...

'', the album charted in August 2010 on the ''Billboard'' 200 at #121 and at #2 on the Billboard Classical Albums chart. Evancho's parents withdrew the album later the same month, however, citing Evancho's vocal progress since its recording.Sciullo, Maria
"Jackie Evancho: Little girl with the big voice"
''

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette The ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'', also known simply as the PG, is the largest newspaper serving metropolitan Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Descended from the ''Pittsburgh Gazette'', established in 1786 as the first newspaper published west of the All ...

'', August 30, 2010, accessed January 20, 2012

Track listing

Notes * The album originally had 13 tracks. The track "Teaching Angels How to Fly" was added later.

''America's Got Talent'' impact on sales; withdrawal of album

Jason Dowd of ''The Expressionist'' magazine gave ''Prelude to a Dream'' a glowing review. Rating the album 5 out of a possible 5, Dowd wrote: For the first nine months after its independent release, however, the album "had sold a negligible amount". On August 10, 2010, Evancho performed on a special YouTube quarter-final edition of the fifth season of ''

''. She was selected to perform after submitting an audition clip on YouTube of "Panis Angelicus" that received the most viewer votes of any submission. In her first performance on the show, Evancho sang "

O Mio Babbino Caro "" ("Oh my dear Papa”) is a soprano aria from the opera ''Gianni Schicchi'' (1918) by Giacomo Puccini to a libretto by Giovacchino Forzano. It is sung by Lauretta after tensions between her father Schicchi and the family of Rinuccio, the boy s ...

", receiving a standing ovation, and was awarded a trip to

Universal Studios Florida Universal Studios Florida (also known as Universal Studios or USF) is a theme park located in Orlando, Florida. Primarily themed to movies, television and other aspects of the entertainment industry, the park opened to the public on June 7, 1990 ...

for receiving the most fan votes of all the YouTube submissions to the show. After this performance, the album debuted in August 2010 on the ''Billboard'' 200 chart at #121 and at #2 on the Billboard Classical Albums Chart.Trust, Gary
"Chart Beat Thursday: Eminem, Katy Perry, Billy Ray Cyrus"

Prometheus Global Media Prometheus Global Media was a New York City-based B2B media company. The company was formed in December 2009, when Nielsen Company sold its entertainment and media division to a private equity-backed group led by Pluribus Capital Management and ...

, August 19, 2010, accessed July 8, 2014 It sold 4,000 copies that week (nearly all were digital downloads) and remained on Billboard's Classical Albums chart for four weeks. Nine of the songs on the album charted on Billboard's Classical Digital Songs chart. Evancho's parents withdrew ''Prelude to a Dream'' from distribution in late August 2010. Evancho's father, Mike Evancho, gave the following reason for the withdrawal: "Because the CD was recorded about a year and a half ago and her current voice no longer sounds like what it did then ... we decided to withdraw ''Prelude to a Dream'' and will be concentrating on new material as part of her progress." The CD has become a collector's item, and autographed copies have sold for more than $3,000."Jackie Evancho Autographed ''Prelude to a Dream''"
eBay, July 3, 2011, accessed September 15, 2012

Charts and sales

Chart positions

Sales

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Prelude To A Dream 2009 debut albums Jackie Evancho albums Classical crossover albums Self-released albums