Event Features Pianist Yegue Badigue, from Chad,
In Cambridge Symphony Orchestra's Opening Season Concert
BOSTON, Nov. 19 /PRNewswire/ -- This Thanksgiving, Yegue Badigue, a gifted
music student in his final year at Perkins School for the Blind, realizes a
dream -- making his debut symphony orchestra performance. Twenty-two year old
Badigue will play the Andante from Mozart's piano concerto No. 21 as a special
guest soloist in the Cambridge Symphony Orchestra's (CSO) opening season
concert.
From a small village in the African country of Chad, Yegue is one of nine
children, five of whom are blind. Despite the challenges of a home with no
electricity, no access to musical instruction, and in a country of dire
poverty and civil war, Yegue's love of classical music bloomed. The first
blind child to be educated in Chad, he was discovered at a concert in
N'Djamena, the capital, by Michele Halstead, the wife of David Halstead, the
former U.S. Ambassador to Chad who was astonished to discover that he was
blind and losing his hearing. Mrs. Halstead contacted her sister Denise
Fitzgerald, a teacher at Perkins School for the Blind, who helped arrange for
a scholarship.
Following his arrival at the historic institution in August, 1999, Yegue
underwent a thorough evaluation by the staff at Perkins -- a unique service
available to all students prior to admission. Although the exact cause of
Yegue's blindness is still unknown, his hearing loss has fortunately been
stabilized.
"My performance with the CSO is the moment that I've been dreaming of
since I was a young child and a wonderful way to give thanks to the community
for all of the extraordinary opportunities I've had in the past three years,"
said Badigue. "Coming to Perkins opened my mind to a world I couldn't even
imagine before I left Chad," he continued. "Access to technology that might
be taken for granted here, like a hearing aid, Braille and computers, have
revolutionized the way that I can express myself through music."
Kevin Lessard, president of Perkins School for the Blind, added, "Yegue
has an incredible inner drive and spirit that has helped him flourish at
Perkins, from learning to play new instruments such as the clarinet and cello,
to inspiring his fellow students. We will be in the front row applauding his
symphony orchestra debut. We look forward to Yegue continuing his musical
career and the many goals he is establishing for himself."
The CSO concert is on Sunday, November 24 at 3:00 p.m. at the Baldwin
School (formerly the Agassiz School), 28 Sacramento Street in Cambridge. An
encore performance takes place on Monday, November 25 at 7:00 p.m. at Dwight
Hall, Howe Building, Perkins School for the Blind, 175 North Beacon Street,
Watertown. Admission is free to both events; both locations are handicap
accessible.
"The Mozart concerto that Yegue will be performing is an incredibly
demanding piece even for a pianist who is not challenged by vision and hearing
disabilities," said Storm Barkus, Badigue's piano teacher at Perkins. "Yegue
learned the piece entirely in Music Braille before working on the
interpretation -- a testament to his extraordinary musical sense and
willpower."
Yegue added, "In my country we don't celebrate Thanksgiving, but I have
been blessed in so many ways that I'm proud to participate in this very
American holiday by sharing Mozart's beautiful concerto with my adopted
community."
The concert will be conducted by Mark Latham, also a violinist and
composer, who brings over 15 years and three continents worth of professional
experience to the CSO. In addition to Yegue's performance, the orchestra will
play Berlioz's Roman Carnival Overture, Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition
in an unusual orchestration by Simpson and Vaughan Williams' The Lark
Ascending. The soloist for the Williams piece is Heidi Braun-Hill, on violin.
Ms. Braun-Hill performs regularly with Emmanuel Music of Boston, the Rhode
Island Philharmonic, the Red House Opera Group, Auros and Alea III.
The CSO is a unique community organization dedicated to providing the
adult amateur musician a forum to gain symphonic playing and performance
experience; performing eight symphonic and four chamber music programs
annually at community and outreach sites throughout metro Boston; and
performing and commissioning new works by emerging composers. For more
information on the CSO, visit http://www.cambridgesymphony.org or call
617-576-1819.
Perkins School for the Blind helps people who are blind or low visioned,
deafblind and multi-handicapped to reach beyond expectations. The nation's
first school for the blind, Perkins was established in 1829 and provides
academic and life skill services to all ages, including infants and elders in
their homes, school-age children on campus, and deafblind children in programs
around the world. For more information, please visit http://www.perkins.org.
SOURCE Perkins School for the Blind
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Related links:
http://www.perkins.org
http://www.cambridgesymphony.org
CONTACT:
Robert Guthrie of Perkins School for the
Blind, +1-617-972-7339; or Kristina Hallman, +1-202-537-5199, for
Perkins School for the Blind
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