On Wednesday, March 22nd, the Concert Choir left the high school at 7:00 A.M. for New York City. They stopped at Wartburg College to have a clinic with Dr. Lee Nelson, who worked with them on Flight Song in preparation for their adjudicated performance later in the week. They drove for 23 hours and arrived at the New Jersey entrance of Ellis Island early on Thursday. In preparation for this stop they had researched and written papers on their ancestors and when and where their families immigrated. They spent the morning in the Ellis Island museum and on Liberty Island, learning about the history of coming into the country, concluding with a perforamce of Bandari on the steps of the Ellis Island Immigration Museum. That evening they saw Dear Evan Hansen, a recently opened Broadway show. It was an overall favorite of the three shows they saw on the trip. They were given the opportunity that night to see Times Square as they walked back to their hotel.
The following day was spent in Queens at the Aaron Copland School of Music in Queens College, performing for professional conductors and composers and having workshop sessions. The choir heard the Sprauge High School Choir from Oregon, before going to a Masterclass led by Andrew Lunsford, a professional opera singer, with three other choirs from around the country. They were adjudicated by three professional conductors and composers, including Tesfa Wondemagenu, who worked closely with the choir last year preparing for their NC-ACDA performance. They surprised Tesfa with an unannounced performance of his composition Dream Within A Dream. Directly after that performance, they had a clinic with Tesfa to conclude their day at the college. That evening they saw Miss Saigon, which had been off Broadway for 23 years before the opening of the revival the night previous.
Saturday was the big day: Carnegie Day. The students and chaperones got up very early and first went to the 9/11 Memorial. It consists of two elaborate holes in the ground where the towers one stood, with water flowing down. It was the quietest the Concert Choir has ever been. We then visited the museum, which featured a real construction worker from the site. He was visibly traumatized by the events of that day.
We spent little time at the 9/11 Center – we had a concert to prepare for. We headed to a nearby church where our mass choir would be practicing. Z. Randall Stroope was our conductor through rehearsal and was a joy to work with. He knew exactly what needed improvement and how to fix it. After a few hours of practice, it was time for the real deal.
Carnegie Hall is a colossus. If you think you know how big it is, you’re wrong. About 3,000 can fill the venue. Sitting and waiting for your turn is the most nerve-racking part of it all. But when they finally called us up, all nervousness instantly transformed into excitement. We were Concert Choir, and we were ready.
It all flew by so fast, everything felt like a blur, and, before we knew it, we were on a dark Manhattan street corner, followed by the world’s fastest bus loading. After a long, exhausting night, we were cashed.
The next day was our last in New York, and filled with fun and relaxation. We took a visit to the top of 30 Rock, home of NBC Studios. After that, we went down a few floors, and had a tour of the Studio’s proper. We went into Jimmy Fallon’s studio, the SNL stage, and even made our own late-night talk show skit with our groups. It was a load of laid-back fun, and felt like a well-earned treat after the previous day’s work. The choir returned to Mason City exhausted but excited to utilize their experiences in upcoming concerts and Large Group Contest.
By Sarah Dodd and Waroon Jalukar, MCHS Juniors