Once upon a time, there was a girl who wielded a sword. Her name was Beatrice Vio or “Bebe” for short. When Bebe was just 11 years old, she came down with a severe case of meningitis. She survived a quadruple amputation, forcing her to relearn almost everything. But Bebe wanted more than just to walk or brush her teeth—Bebe wanted to fence again. And beyond that, Bebe wanted to win. Using prostheses of her own invention, Bebe fenced all the way to the paralympic games. [This episode originally aired June 2019.] About the Narrator: MARCY VAJ is a busy violinist/violist, composer, personnel manager/contractor, and teacher. She has co-produced and orchestrated several albums and written countless arrangements. She received orchestration credit on "Prince of Egypt" and "Antz." Her credits include scoring the documentary "California Women Get The Vote" (2011) and the award-winning short film "Click Three Times." Since 2000, she has been a member of Composers Ensemble LA (CELA), a 12-piece composer/player workshop that writes concert pieces for the group. Marcy is a founding and touring member of The Hollywood Bowl Orchestra. She was Sir Paul McCartney’s concertmaster for the 2012 Grammys, has a solo on the last albums of Glenn Frey (of the Eagles) and Charlie Haden (of Quartet West), and one on, Turkish piano star Kerem Gorsev’s in 2015. She also soloed in 12 chamber concerts in La Sainte Chappelle, Paris, served as concertmaster for the San Diego Chamber Orchestra under the baton of Thomas Conlin and the Zachery Opera Awards under Frank Fetta. Her string quartet is featured on the Paul Williams DVD, "I’m Going Back There Someday." In 2011 and 2012, she soloed and played principal in a chamber orchestra in London's Royal College of Music for the week of the Royal Wedding and again for the week of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee. As a violinist/violist, she has accumulated hundreds of film credits including: TED, Ice Age, The Flintstones 1 & 2, Nutty Professor 1 & 2, Are We There Yet, Shrek, Armageddon, As Good As It Gets, and Matilda. She is an adjunct professor of violin/viola at Santa Monica College and also teaches privately. Credits: This episode was produced by Elena Favilli, Joy Fowlkes, and Meg Murnane, with writing by Abby Sher and narration by Marcy Vaj. Jestine Ware edited all scripts and Janice Weaver fact-checked all scripts. Sound design and original theme music by Elettra Bargiacchi. Mattia Marcelli was the sound mixer. Special thanks to Clio McClure who coordinated all credit recordings and narrator donations.
