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KPCC: Pasadena - Take Two / Tuesday Reviewsday: Barbara Padilla

Classically trained soprano Bárbara Padilla was ready to conquer the musical world with her music. Then she was diagnosed with Stage-4 cancer/Hodgkin's Lymphoma. After recovering from chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant in the middle of finishing a graduate degree in music at the University of Houston's Moores School of Music, her family encouraged the songstress to audition for "America's Got Talent" in 2009. She impressed the judges and was picked to appear on the show.
 
The program allowed Padilla to perform in front of a national audience all the way to the finals. The opportunity opened the door to her debut self-titled album, which was recorded at the Capital Records studios in Los Angeles and the iconic Abbey Road studios backed by the London Symphony Orchestra. The result is her new self-titled album that beautifully showcases the Guadalajara-born singer's ability to captivate in Spanish, English and Italian in music that highlights her mesmerizing voice-a voice that doctor's at one point believed would be damaged with her cancer treatments. But she was unaffected.
 
Padilla's debut album introduces the singer's favorite arias, classical compositions and pop songs with a total of 10 tracks. Producers include Gregg Field and Jorge Calandrelli, who is also the arranger and conductor. The album was engineered, mixed and mastered by Al Schmitt, Mike Hatch, Paul Blakemore, Field and the late Phil Ramone.