On Wednesday, March 27, the Liberty Singers and Concert Chorale flew to New York City to perform a song at Carnegie Hall, the historic concert venue. Last year, the Liberty choirs were invited to sing there this year as a result of their incredible performances over the past ten years.
To the average person, this may not seem like a big deal. But performing at Carnegie is every musician’s dream.
“There’s a saying: for football players, it’s the Super Bowl; for musicians, it’s Carnegie Hall,” choir director Robin Wood said.
Since the end of last school year, both of the choirs have been practicing the five part piece that they are going to sing, Lux Aeterna. 27 minutes in length, the song gave the singers quite the challenge, but true to form, they took it in stride and are ready to take the iconic stage in New York.
“You can always prepare more, but I feel ready,” Wood said. “We had trouble because of all the missed school days in February, but the students have really taken it upon themselves to practice on their own. Every time we run through it and I think something is going to go wrong, it doesn’t. They’re ready.”
For senior Liberty Singers member Logan Johnson, this is the perfect end of his ten year choir journey with Wood.
“To be able to perform on one of the most prolific stages in the country with such an amazing choir and piece of music is incredible, and I’m really excited about it. It really shows how much hard work pays off,” Johnson said.
A special thing about this trip is that both choirs get to attend. Whether students are first-year members or seasoned veterans, they have the opportunity for this once-in-a-lifetime experience.
More than just for themselves, the choir members are grateful that they get to go to Carnegie because they get to do it for their teacher.
“This is Mrs. Wood’s dream, and I’m really happy that we get to help her achieve this,” freshman Concert Chorale member Caitlin Thornhill said.
The love between Mrs. Wood and her students is what has allowed the choirs to be so successful. The mutual hard work has built a strong program that lives up to the high expectations for doing events like this one.
“This is really the peak of the last ten years,” Wood said.