[Greater-baltimore] FW: Our Jessica Bachicha

Wed Oct 27 18:25:46 UTC 2010

________________________________

From: Cheadle, John 
Sent: Wednesday, October 27, 2010 2:03 PM
To: NCB Staff
Subject: Our Jessica Bachicha

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 here
<http://publicaffairs.cua.edu/releases/2010/10JessicaBachicha.cfm> .

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 
here <http://voice.cua.edu/bachicha.cfm> .)

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."

More news from CUA
<http://publicaffairs.cua.edu/newsandinfo/newsreleases.cfm>  

-30-
#058

Last reviewed: October 20, 2010
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John A. Cheadle 
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NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND
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