New Jersey Stage Issue 48 | Page 111

“The Prayer” is a song made fa- mous by Celine Dion and Andrea Bocelli. They recorded it for the Quest for Camelot soundtrack in 1998 and the song would go on to win the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song. It was also nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song and the Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration. According to Paciga, it was one of his grandparents’ favorite songs. “They absolutely loved the song and would play it all the time at home,” he explained. “They kept saying, ‘John, you have to make your own version of this someday.’” Paciga met Charlotte MacMur- ray at Delbarton last year when she auditioned for the school’s Abbey Players’ production of Catch Me If You Can. She wound up playing Brenda Strong and he played Carl Hanratty. “Over the course of this past year, we did some more shows together and I thought she had a perfect voice for this collaboration,” said Paciga. Watch John Paciga & Charlotte MacMurry with “The Prayer” NJ STAGE - ISSUE 48 INDEX NEXT ARTICLE 111