The Rome School of Music, Drama, and Art

Mark your calendars! 🎻✨

Join us on November 9th at 2 PM in Heritage Hall (Father O’Connell Hall) for an afternoon of inspiring performances by CUA students, grad students, and the Catholic U Symphony Orchestra, led by Maestro Simeone Tartaglione!

Come support your fellow musicians and enjoy an unforgettable concert experience! 🎶

Congratulations to alum Nathan Blair (BM in Collaborative Piano, 2015), who has won First Place in the 2025 American Prize in Opera Conducting! 🏆🇺🇸

Nathan is currently Second Kapellmeister at the Deutsches Nationaltheater and Staatskapelle Weimar in Germany.
The American Prize is one of the most prestigious performing arts competitions in the U.S., recognizing excellence through submitted recordings at all levels—from high school to professional.

From 2018 to 2023, Nathan served as Kapellmeister and Répétiteur at the Saarländisches Staatstheater in Saarbrücken, Germany.

We are so proud to see our Cardinals achieving great things!

🎭 Catch Our Drama Faculty On Stage!
We’re proud to share that several of our talented drama faculty are performing in professional productions across the DMV:

✨ Madeleine Regina (Barry) in Doctor Moloch at Flying V (Silver Spring, MD)
📅 Oct 20 – Nov 2

✨ Sadie Koopman in Dream Hou$e at Next Stop Theatre (Herndon, VA)
📅 Now – Oct 5

✨ Claudia Rosenshield in The World to Come at Woolly Mammoth Theatre (Washington, DC)
📅 Feb 2 – Mar 1

✨ Tonya Beckman in Cyrano with Taffety Punk Theatre Company at Capitol Hill Arts Workshop (Washington, DC)
📅 Sep 25 – Oct 11

Come out and support our faculty as they bring their artistry to the stage! 🌟

🎶✨ We’re proud to share that Professor Christopher DeChiara (Music) was recently featured on WETA’s Classical Breakdown podcast!
In the episode, he takes listeners on a journey through the evolution of percussion—from its roots in prehistoric times to its role in 21st-century orchestras. Along the way, he demonstrates a wide range of instruments and styles while sharing insights into orchestral sounds, concepts, and techniques.
Tune in to hear his fascinating exploration of rhythm, sound, and the art of percussion : Link in our bio.

🎶 Alumni Success Spotlight 🎶
After earning her Doctor of Musical Arts in Piano Performance from CatholicU in 2012, Dr. Jessie Chin-Yeh Huang has built an extraordinary international career as a pianist and educator.
Just six months after graduation, she began teaching in India, later joining the Afghanistan National Institute of Music in Kabul—a challenging and deeply meaningful experience. Since then, her journey has taken her back to India and most recently to Croatia, where she now teaches at Adria International School, Opatija, the first established International Baccalaureate school in the area.
From Washington, D.C. to Asia and now Europe, Dr. Huang credits CatholicU—and the mentorship of professors Dr. Raliza Patcheva and Dr. Ivo Kaltchev—with giving her the foundation to embrace new challenges, connect with students across cultures, and keep music at the heart of everything she does.
Her story is a reminder that music isn’t just performance—it’s a bridge across borders.
 We’re proud to celebrate the global impact of our alumni!

Happy first day back, Cardinals✨♥️ Say hello to our MT class of 2029!

Who's ready to live that Cardinal life this year? Counting down the days to seeing you all on campus again✨

Happy International Tap Day!!!✨

(Anything Goes '23)

Please join us in congratulating our superb Class of 2025 as they prepare to walk across the graduation stage tomorrow! 🎓

Although we are sad to see you go, we are so proud of you all as you prepare to take flight and start this next chapter in your lives.

Never forget: once a Cardinal, always a Cardinal ♥️

As we finish up finals week for the Spring 2025 semester, let’s take a look back to some of the incredible concerts, exhibitions, and shows we’ve had on campus this term.

Everyone here at the Rome School of Music, Drama, and Art is lucky to benefit from the hard work and talent of our wonderful students, faculty, and staff. Thank you for being part of this journey and giving us all a ❤️