Arts & Entertainment
 

Coming home

Another Houston native makes the return journey after taking a bite of the Big Apple

By Hannah Jackson
The Daily Cougar

Danica Dawn is a second year master's student in the Moores School of Music where she studies vocal performance. Dawn will perform in the difficult role of an old and crazed Miss Havisham in this Sunday's 2:30 performance of Miss Havisham's Fire. She said the "musical language is sophisticated" and "exciting."

Her vocal debut came at the age of six, when she played the part of Gretel in the Sound of Music. She began formal lessons as a sophomore in Humble High School and continued to perform locally. 

Dawn went on to study more than just vocal performance in college. She was recruited by The University of North Carolina in Greensboro to play soccer and received both athletic and music scholarships for her college career. Dawn said it was interesting to see the athletic and music department trying to work around the conflicting schedules for performance rehearsals or game practices and notes that they collaborated rather well.

After graduation from UNC, she returned to Houston where she performed with Alley Theatre and Main Street Theatre. Here she received roles in Dickens' Christmas Carol and the musical Nine.

After exploring Houston's performing scene, Dawn moved to New York where she performed with Tacoma Opera Co. and Surflight Theatre. She also collaborated for concerts where she had the opportunity to premiere new songs. She reflects on this with special fondness saying the work was "very satisfying artistically" and "fun." 

During this time she also worked at Wild Wood Festival in Little Rock, Ark., which she performed with for five years. She performed with UH vocal professor Joseph Evans in La Finta Giardinera, an opera that will be showing at the Moores Opera House on Feb. 5, 7 and 8 at 7:30 p.m.

Still, the creative works are not always appreciated monetarily and the "starving musician syndrome" brought Dawn back to her hometown. She began work on her master's degree at UH and last spring she was the soprano soloist for Dona Nobis Pacem by Vaughn Williams. In fall 2002, she was Antonio in the Tales of Hoffman. She has also done professional work with the Houston Symphony including a performance in A Midsummer Night's Dream and a Fourth of July concert. 

Dawn is a recent bride to her husband Jeff Johnston who works as an energy broker. She met him two and a half years ago and recalls their meeting as "love at first sight." She is also one of six children and daughter to a mother that she described as a "pillar that is always there for her." 

She encourages others to take advantage of the operas at UH. "A lot of things done here are to attract first time opera goers. Everything is fresh and has a bit of edge to it." She praises Buck Ross, director of the Moores Opera Center, saying that he is able to make the operas approachable for the first time opera viewer, sometimes simply through the "exciting spectacle and drama" of the production. Ross hopes those who take advantage of these operas will soon become opera connoisseurs. 

You will not want to miss the chance to hear Dawn's voice mixed with a fine production at the hands of Buck Ross and the many other fine performers this coming weekend.

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