9-year-old singing star at Nathaniel Witherell

Christmas cheer came to Nathaniel Witherell this week with a gift performance by renowned composer, keyboard artist and vocalist Tim Janis. Joining Janis was 9-year-old singing prodigy Jackie Evancho, who had the voice and look of an angel.

Janis, a Greenwich native, has partnered with many top artists, including Paul McCartney, Billy Joel, and Ray Charles -- but none as young as the Pittsburgh fourth-grader. Before an auditorium filled with residents, Evancho effortlessly filled the room with her amazingly resonant voice, singing such favorites as "Ave Maria," and Puccini's "O Mio Babbino Caro," which brought many to tears.

The youngster also sang "Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again" from the "Phantom of the Opera." It was a DVD of "Phantom," given to her by her mother, that catapulted Evancho into her budding singing career. Early in 2008, at age 8, she began singing its songs. Those songs led to her entering a talent competition and now has her headed for her debut at Carnegie Hall in 2010 -- after being discovered by Tim Janis. (Janis has extended her an invitation to sing with him in the fabled Hall.)

Evancho's mother, Lisa, sitting in the audience, said that her daughter has a coach to teach her "not to do wrong things," but any "rigorous training will have to wait until she is past puberty or her vocal chords will be damaged."

Janis, who grew up down the street from Nathaniel Witherell, was happy to return to his old neighborhood and in particular to Nathaniel Witherell, where his mother used to volunteer in the gift shop.

"At Christmas time," said Janis, "we want to use our gifts to raise everybody's spirits and celebrate. It's an honor to be with my friends and family." Janis, whose ministry as a musician is to perform often in support of a variety of causes, has guest conducted around the world, with the Czech National Symphony, the Kwazulu Natal Philharmonic, and in the U.S. with the Hartford Symphony Orchestra.