Voice of an Angel

Book excerpt: Charlotte Church is 14 years old, but with the voice of a 23-year-old. She lives with her parents, Maria and James, in Cardiff. Her first stage appearance was at the age of three during a seaside holiday in Caervarvon. By the time she was eight the purity of her voice had won her many local singing competitions and when she responded to a request from a daytime televison programme to hear from 'talented kids' the sound of her voice singing on the phone caused the producers to invite her on to the show, which she completely stole. She was soon signed up by Sony Classical, and after the release of her album, Voice of an Angel, she was invited to perform for the Prince of Wales' 50th birthday celebrations at the Albert Hall, for Pope John Paul's Christmas concert at the Vatican and for President Clinton at the White House. Her ambition is to sing at La Scala, Milan.