Soprano soaring at age 13 Yarmouth girl earns comparison to Church

By any definition, Laura Darrell is an exceptional young woman.

The Yarmouth eighth-grader plays flute in band, sings in chorus, plays sports every day after school and maintains one of the top grade-point averages in her class.

But what sets apart the 13-year-old most from others her age is her voice, a soaring soprano that has earned her comparisons to international child star Charlotte Church. Her voice is a natural gift that has been polished by several years of vocal training.

She was selected as Outstanding Female Vocalist at the 1999 Maine State Vocal Jazz Festival. This year, she’s gained the coveted soloist spot in “Magic of Christmas,” the Portland Symphony Orchestra’s popular holiday concert series.

“She has a really refined voice for her age, and she has good stage presence,” PSO’s music director and conductor Toshi Shimada told Down East magazine. “She looks very professional, and yet she has a youthful enthusiasm that is refreshing. There was no question whether she would sing with us or not. She sounds like an angel.”

Darrell has become a regular presence in southern Maine theater. Her roles have included Mary Lennox in “The Secret Garden” and Princess Ying Yaowlak in “The King and I,” both Portland Players productions; and Amaryllis in “The Music Man” and Myra in the world premiere of “In the Beginning,” both produced by the Maine State Music Theatre.

Darrell is at home on stage.

“When the music starts up, it’s your time to sing,” she told Down East. “And I love the lights, the spotlight. Just being there, and having your part of the stage light up. It’s your cue to do something.”

Her brilliant voice now has been captured on CD, as she performs 10 holiday songs on “A Very Special Christmas.” All proceeds from this season’s sales of the album, produced by Con Fullam, will benefit the Maine Children’s Cancer Program. The goal is to raise at least $100,000.

The Maine Children’s Cancer

Program is a subsidiary program of Maine Medical Center. Based in Portland, the program serves infants, children and adolescents across Maine. Health insurance reimburses the general medical care that the program provides.

However, funds for psychosocial support and outreach programs, as well as clinical research activities, are obtained from fund-raising projects such as “A Very Special Christmas.”

The CDs and cassettes of the album are available at all Shaw’s Supermarkets, Reny’s department stores, Mr. Paperback bookstores, Maine’s 22 Elks Lodges, Lynn’s Hallmark in the Maine Mall and The Notes in Yarmouth.