Dancing Dots congratulates our star customer, Jessica Bachicha! Read all about her below. Bill McCann Founder and President of Dancing Dots since 1992 www.DancingDots.com -----Original Message----- From: musictlk-bounces@xxxxxxxxxx [mailto:musictlk-bounces@xxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Rovig,Lorraine (by way of David Andrews <dandrews@xxxxxxxx>) Sent: Wednesday, October 27, 2010 9:36 PM To: musictlk@xxxxxxxxxx Subject: [musictlk] blind opera singer in The Magic Flute this weekend NFB member, Jessica Bachicha, to sing lead in Mozart's opera, "The Magic Flute" WHAT: Opera: CUA to Stage The Magic Flute Blind Doctoral Student to Play Queen of the Night President John Garvey Appears in Walk-on Role Oct. 29 WHEN: Thursday, Oct. 28, 7:30 p.m., preview performance Friday, Oct. 29, and Saturday, Oct. 30, 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 31, 2 p.m. WHERE: The Catholic University of America Hartke Theatre 620 Michigan Ave., N.E. Washington, D.C. DETAILS: Blind doctoral candidate Jessica Bachicha will perform the role of the Queen of the Night in the Oct. 29 and 31 performances. To read a story about Bachicha, click <http://publicaffairs.cua.edu/releases/2010/10JessicaBachicha.cfm>here. On Oct. 29, Catholic University President John Garvey will appear in a walk-on role in CUA's production of The Magic Flute, an opera in two acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Sung in German with English dialogue, the production is directed by Jay D. Brock, lecturer in the drama department and artistic director of Opera Alterna based in Washington, D.C. David Searle, assistant professor and director of orchestral activities and conducting studies, will lead the CUA Orchestra. The opera, with libretto by Emanuel Shikaneder, chronicles the rescue of Pamina - daughter of the Queen of the Night - from Sarastro by the hero Tamino, who is armed with a magic flute. Mozart's final masterpiece is filled with enigmatic references to the Freemasons. The composer and librettist were friends and members of the fraternal organization. Rife with ritual and symbolism, the fairy-tale opera is a playful but profound look at man's search for love and his struggle to attain wisdom and virtue. The opera features the virtuosic arias of the Queen of the Night and the folksong-like melodies of the bird catcher Papageno. Tickets for the Oct. 28 performance are $10 for general admission and $5 for students, seniors and CUA alumni, faculty and staff. Tickets for the other performances are $15 for general admission and $10 for students, seniors and CUA alumni, faculty and staff. For more information, contact the Benjamin T. Rome School of Music at 202-319-5414. SPONSOR: Benjamin T. Rome School of Music -30- #053 Oct. 20, 2010 Blind Doctoral Candidate Blossoms at CUA's Music School Jessica Bachicha to Play Queen of the Night in The Magic Flute [] Singer Jessica Bachicha with her voice coach Sharon Christman, associate professor and chair of the voice program. Catholic University doctoral candidate Jessica Bachicha stands next to a grand piano in Ward Hall, rehearsing the Queen of the Night's difficult vengeance aria for the upcoming production of The Magic Flute at Hartke Theatre. As her voice rises, so do her hands. A beaming Sharon Christman, associate professor and chair of the voice program, says "That was beautiful." But Christman notices that her student's hand movements do not reflect the drama in her voice. She takes Bachicha's hands in her own as she demonstrates more expressive gestures. Bachicha focuses on memorizing the movement of her teacher's hands. As the practice session ends, Bachicha turns and reaches for a water bottle. Her hands rest for a second on a bottle of hand sanitizer, and then she finds the water bottle. The winner of a concerto competition at CUA earlier this year, Bachicha happens to be blind. (To watch a video of Bachicha rehearsing, click <http://voice.cua.edu/bachicha.cfm>here.) Eroica, which recorded Bachicha's "Illuminations" CD, notes that Bachicha "sings with the freshness of Charlotte Church, the vigor of Maria Callas, and the resonance of Kiri Te Kanawa." A resident of Baltimore, Bachicha expects to graduate in 2011 with a Doctor of Musical Arts degree. She was accepted at CUA's Benjamin T. Rome in 2008 following an audition that amazed Christman and other music faculty. At the time, Christman knew that she wanted to work with Bachicha, but she realized she would need the support of other professors. "When I heard Jessica, there wasn't a doubt in my mind," says Christman, herself a renowned soprano who sang the Queen of the Night role at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City. "Jessica has a potential performance career. Her voice is lovely; she is beautiful and personable - the total package - but her stage experience had been somewhat limited." Bachicha says, "At Catholic University, it's been so refreshing to work with musicians who recognize me as a peer and realize that's it not that different from working with a sighted singer. The thing that matters most is musicianship and the faculty here judge me on that alone." [] Jessica Bachicha At the conservatory where Bachicha earned a master's degree in vocal performance before coming to CUA, she notes that she learned a lot from the faculty. She performed as a soloist in recitals and in concerts with orchestra and chamber groups. But she did not have the chance to perform a major opera role. With a voice like Bachicha's, Christman notes, there's a responsibility to provide the opportunities she needs to realize her full potential. "We have no right to set limits on Jessica when she doesn't set any on herself," Christman notes. And what better place to grow as an artist than at Catholic University, where faculty members routinely go the extra mile for their students, says Christman. David Searle, assistant professor, director of orchestral activities and conductor of the CUA Orchestra, says that when working with Bachicha, he sometimes gives her an audible cue - a loud breath - "when there's no audible pulse in the music." Bachicha's academic resume is impressive. In addition to earning her master's in vocal performance at the New England Conservatory, Bachicha spent a year as a graduate research student at the University of Leeds in England, and earned bachelor's degrees in music and foreign languages from the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque. As part of her doctoral work at CUA, she is designing interdisciplinary courses that explore the ways in which music reflects philosophical and theological truths. As she explains, "music is a door between the worlds of intellect and affectivity. Beautiful music infused with meaning can bridge the gap that often exists between the two and, more importantly, the longing for realization which moves the will to moral action." Bachicha notes that her role in The Magic Flute and the opportunity to work with the music faculty has enabled her to grow significantly as a musician. "I have a lot more confidence in myself and in what God wants to do through me," she says. "It's so important to be an instrument of the music and to ask 'how can I do that better?' The more confidence you have to have in yourself, the more you have to let yourself go and just think about how can I serve better as a musician." <http://publicaffairs.cua.edu/newsandinfo/newsreleases.cfm>More news from CUA -30- #058 Last reviewed: October 20, 2010 Reason. Faith. 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