This you have got to hear. Self taught 9 yr old girl sings Puccinini. Staggering.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

11. I disagree. Although her voice is unusually mature-sounding,

there is evidence of strain when she goes for the high notes. That's because she has too little breath support, so she has to strain with her larynx instead of using her abdominal muscles, which is what a mature singer does. This kid is just too young to have that kind of strength - and you need strength and endurance and a lot of breath capacity to do opera. She can hit the notes but not cleanly because she has to take a breath before she goes there. She's cute, and has a nice voice for her age, but no ethical voice teacher would let a 9-year-old try to perform Puccini. My understanding is that she's self-taught - listens to Puccini on YouTube.