Jackie E's on target for more success

You already knew Jackie Evancho is a remarkable singer; that was crystal clear the moment she first opened her mouth on TV’s “America’s Got Talent” and let loose with operatic notes that made jaws drop in living rooms coast-to-coast. But here’s something you might not realize about the now-12-year-old suburban Pittsburgh soprano — she’s excellent at archery, too. And not because she’s among the throngs of young girls inspired by the bow-and-arrow prowess of Katniss, lead character in the book-turned-movie phenomenon “The Hunger Games.”

“That’s what everyone thinks, but even before I heard about ‘The Hunger Games’ I always loved archery,” Evancho said last week in a phone interview. Already skilled at archery technique, Evancho picked up her training once Katniss, played by future Oscar-winner Jennifer Lawrence, landed in movie theaters. “I said, ‘Oh my gosh, I have got to be as good as her,’” Evancho said.

Evancho, herself, has raised the bar incredibly high for prodigy singers, following up her 2011 “America’s Got Talent” appearance with three solo albums that have sold millions. Last year, PBS debuted a special featuring Evancho singing favorite movie songs, such as “Pure Imagination” from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory”, and “My Heart Will Go On” from Titanic. The PBS show and corresponding album spurred a nationwide tour that makes a Tuesday stop at Heinz Hall in Pittsburgh.

Evancho will be backed by the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, drawing from her movie soundtrack and pop-opera albums.She’s sang on prestigious stages from Hollywood to New York to St. Petersburg, Russia, but said, “I get more comfortable, and I’m really honored, when I get to perform in my home state.” Evancho made her Pittsburgh Cultural District debut in October 2011 at the Benedum Center, starring in a sold-out Pittsburgh Opera performance.

As with that show, she isn’t planning to talk much to the audience between songs Tuesday, shyly explaining, “I’m still getting the hang of that.” Candid moments like that are when you’re firmly reminded she’s only 12, even though she already has produced chart-topping albums that have gone gold and platinum. Robert Redford hand-picked Evancho to play his daughter in “The Company You Keep”, a political thriller set for theatrical release next month. The film let Evancho work alongside a star-studded cast that included Susan Sarandon, Shia LaBeouf, Terrence Howard, Anna Kendrick, Nick Nolte and Stanley Tucci.

“It was really fun just having that experience of acting for the first time,” Evancho said. “Especially with such an honorable cast. That’s more than I ever could have asked for.” Evancho’s character, Isabel, lost her mother a few months earlier, “and so she’s really clingy to her dad,” explained Evancho, who said she would welcome future film roles.

One of her next challenges, after the Heinz Hall show, is to sing with Cirque du Soleil Extravaganza in Las Vegas on March 22. “I’ll be singing in the air and in the water,” she excitedly told her 31,000 Twitter followers. Sounds like a wild show. “Luckily for me I’m not afraid of heights and not afraid of water,” she cheerfully added on the phone.

In the course of a 10-minute phone chat, Evancho exuded optimism, innocence and a sincere modesty. Asked what musical direction she expects her next album to take, Evancho said, “I can never really tell, but it will have more original music.” She’s begun trying to write her own songs “but whenever I’ve written poetry, I always assumed it wasn’t good enough for a song. “I’m trying to get there,” she said. She’ll get there, and probably sooner than most people would expect, relying on the same perseverance she uses when practicing archery. Though not at the expense of growing up too fast, as seen by her request for her 13th birthday. “I did ask for a dirt bike,” Evancho said.