Victoria Bechtler

Background

Victoria is a young adult with autism and learning disabilities. Her story is remarkable.

She did not speak till the age of six. After a year or so of echolalia (imitating language that she heard, but not using it as a means of communication), her first independent spoken work was “Whoopi!” after Whoopi Goldberg, her favorite actress. While she did not begin to speak till late, she sang from her earliest years. A natural high soprano, she has an outstanding talent for singing opera, oratorio, and show songs.

Victoria has made remarkable progress since she became my student. When this video was made, she had been my student for just over two years.

Videos

Here is a heartfelt rendition of “Think of Me” from The Phantom of the Opera.

This is another of her favorites: the aria “Rejoice Greatly” from Handel’s Messiah.

And here she is singing Puccini’s aria “O mio babbino caro”