Students were only high-school performers at concert
Choir students from Gar-Field High School recently sang for nearly 2,000 listeners at Carnegie Hall in New York City as part of the venue’s Ensemble Debut Series. Members of the school’s Select Women, Concert, and Dominant choirs raised their voices at the March 5 performance, where the three groups were distinguished as being the sole choir ensembles on the show’s program. The trip offered a unique experience for the students, allowing them to perform in a professional setting rich in history and prestige, and the school was honored by being the only high school featured at the Carnegie Hall concert.
“Other than a once-in-a-lifetime chance to perform at the world-famous Carnegie Hall as high-school singers, the students learned how to work together as a group to reach a common goal,” says Douglas M. Burney, who directed the group at the event. “The work ethic the students showed and the professional nature in which they went about all aspects of the trip – both getting there and performing there – showed just how great the students at Gar-Field High School are.”
The choirs’ presentations included a variety of both contemporary and classical pieces. Among the twelve songs scheduled as part of the performance were “Wie will ich mich freuen” (from Cantata 146) by J.S. Bach; “Consecrate the Place and Day” by Lloyd Pfautsch; and “Praise His Holy Name” and “True Light” by Keith Hampton. The Dominants also premiered a piece called “Sleep, My Love” by Brian Edward Galante, which was commissioned by Burney and the Gar-Field High School Dominants in 2005.
Gar-Field student Mikey Wright says that the trip not only affected him personally, but that all of the choral students learned what it takes to make it as a professional choir. “The experience helped us grow as a group and learn to overcome various obstacles together,” says Wright.
“Throughout all of the ins-and-outs of school rehearsals I found I had to challenge myself vocally, and because of that I have improved immensely,” says Samantha Bashore, who also went to Carnegie Hall with the Gar-Field choirs. She says that the experience helped make all of her efforts seem worthwhile. “I’ve found that hard work and practice really pays off.”
Under Burney’s direction, the choirs have consistently received superior ratings at the district, regional, and state levels and in 2004, they received three first-place awards at Music Fest Orlando. This trip to New York City marks the latest step in the high school’s musical success.
In addition to the choirs’ time at Carnegie Hall, the New York City trip included a bus tour of the city, a visit to a local high school for lunch and rehearsal, and trips to the Empire State Building, Ground Zero, and Chinatown.
“The trip was honestly a trip of a lifetime; an experience that will stay with us forever,” says student Ciera Johnson. “We were given the chance to feel like real performers, and it is the greatest feeling in the world!”
3/16/06
