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UNC musician plays baroque cello
on ‘Casanova’ film soundtrack

CHAPEL HILL — UNC cellist and music professor Brent Wissick will start the new year on a high note. He plays the baroque cello on the soundtrack of the movie "Casanova."

Starring Heath Ledger and Jeremy Irons, the film about the legendary lover and notorious swashbuckler is set in Venice in 1753. The movie opened in limited release on Dec. 25 and is slated for wider distribution on Friday (Jan. 6).

"The producers decided they wanted both period music and instruments for some of the scenes set in 18^th-century Venice, and I was part of a group from the Boston Early Music Festival called to participate," said Wissick, who has taught cello and chamber music in UNC’s College of Arts and Sciences since 1982.

Listeners can expect to hear "lots of Vivaldi, Albinoni, Paisello and even some Rameau," said Wissick, who has a special interest in music, instruments and performance practices of the 17^th and 18^th centuries. Wissick also regularly performs 20^th-century works, as well as 19^th-century variations on opera melodies by cellist composers. He co-founded the UNC faculty music group Ensemble Courant.

He confesses that he hasn’t seen the movie – yet.

"I saw a few cuts at the recording sessions in New York City and have seen the trailers," he said.

Wissick has now had his brush with Hollywood, but his concerts and teaching also have taken him throughout North America, Europe, Asia and Australia. He can be heard on several record labels, including Koch International, Albany and Titanic.

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Contact: Brent Wissick, (919) 962-3763, bswissic@email.unc.edu

College of Arts and Sciences contact: Kim Weaver Spurr, (919) 962-4093, spurrk@email.unc.edu

News Services contacts: Print, L.J. Toler, (919) 962-8589; broadcast, Karen Moon, (919) 962-8595