Montini Catholic senior Varshika Karthi, who is an Addison resident, is pictured here at the Civic Opera House in Chicago in front of a poster of “The Nutcracker,” as performed by the Joffrey Ballet. Karthi was able to take part in two Joffrey performances of the production on Sunday, Dec. 19.
Montini Catholic senior Varshika Karthi, who is an Addison resident, started her Christmas week on a “high note” after experiencing a magical day performing with the Joffrey Ballet in “The Nutcracker” on Sunday, Dec. 19. The talented artist is a member of Anima (pronounced Anima /AH-Nee-Mah and is the Latin word for Breath, Life, Soul Spirit).
Varshika and her choir were given what she termed as “an amazing opportunity to sing at the Civic Opera House in Chicago,” along with the Joffrey Ballet in their production of “The Nutcracker.” The group sang for both the 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. shows.
“We sang at the end of Act 1 for ‘The Waltz of the Snowflakes’ dance from near the Orchestra pit,” said Varshika. “We also sang well-known Christmas carols such as ‘Noel,’ ‘We Three Kings,’ ‘O’ Come all Ye Faithful,’ and many others in the lobby before the show began and during intermission to the patrons.”
Varshika was also thrilled to have been introduced to the conductor of the Lyric Symphony Orchestra, Mr. Scott Speck.
“I also had the opportunity to meet the Joffrey principal dancers as well as their youth dancers including a visit to the entire backstage of the Civic Opera House,” she said. “It was a marvelous experience!”
The opportunity marked the first Anima outing since 2018 (due to COVID-19 regulations) which took away a major portion of the singing group’s season in 2020. Varshika and Anima typically perform in two major concerts during the year and six to ten additional performances throughout the season.
“What an amazing opportunity for Varshika,” said Montini Catholic president Jim Segredo. “She is a very involved student who just helped us wrap up our annual ‘Season of Giving’ as a member of our Peer Ministry and Student Government teams. I am so impressed to hear about her opportunity to sing in ‘The Nutcracker’ — not many people get to do this — I’m sure it was an experience she will never forget.”
