There’s an old comedy routine in which someone looking for directions says, “How do I get to Carnegie Hall?” The response is, of course, “Practice.”
This is exactly the attitude John Bapst junior Denver Powell had as he prepared over the winter to join the choir of the Honors Performance Series at New York’s Carnegie Hall by the WorldStrides Heritage Performance Program concert in February 2014. The John Bapst junior wanted to be ready for conductor Dr. Lynne Gackle to work her magic with the 300-person ensemble comprised of students from all over the United States and its overseas military bases.
In addition to the extensive at-home preparation each student was expected to have done, each day Denver and his fellow musicians endured nine hours of rehearsal in preparation of the concert on the famed stage of Carnegie Hall. While his hard work at home preparing his parts made the grueling process somewhat better, he was quick to caution, “Don’t go into anything thinking that you have everything down; don’t go into it feeling cocky! Really learn your music.”
After the long rehearsals there was always a fun activity or “wonderful social learning experience” attended by all of the students. Denver made friends in the group and visited the city. Among his favorite experiences was a Broadway show about jazz called “After Midnight” which featured the actress and vocalist Fantasia in her final night in the lead. “I was ten feet away from her! Her voice should be classified as a religious experience.” he exclaimed. Another highlight was visiting the Top of the Rock, the observation deck of the Rockefeller Building. “Now that is beautiful. You think New York is beautiful below,” he mused reverently, “you get there and it’s lights for miles. It almost looks like the northern lights.”
The city wasn’t the only thing that captured Denver’s appreciation. His fellow performers left him in awe as well. As an audience member, he enjoyed the Honors Orchestra in particular. “The orchestra played Tchaikovsky’s 4th Symphony. Talk about musicianship, they totally blew me away!” He found inspiration in his own performance too, “We all just came together and sang. We can all come together and work toward something that is greater than ourselves.”
12.00
There’s an old comedy routine in which someone looking for directions says, “How do I get to Carnegie Hall?” The response is, of course, “Practice.”
This is exactly the attitude John Bapst junior Denver Powell had as he prepared over the winter to join the choir of the Honors Performance Series at New York’s Carnegie Hall by the WorldStrides Heritage Performance Program concert in February 2014. The John Bapst junior wanted to be ready for conductor Dr. Lynne Gackle to work her magic with the 300-person ensemble comprised of students from all over the United States and its overseas military bases.
In addition to the extensive at-home preparation each student was expected to have done, each day Denver and his fellow musicians endured nine hours of rehearsal in preparation of the concert on the famed stage of Carnegie Hall. While his hard work at home preparing his parts made the grueling process somewhat better, he was quick to caution, “Don’t go into anything thinking that you have everything down; don’t go into it feeling cocky! Really learn your music.”
After the long rehearsals there was always a fun activity or “wonderful social learning experience” attended by all of the students. Denver made friends in the group and visited the city. Among his favorite experiences was a Broadway show about jazz called “After Midnight” which featured the actress and vocalist Fantasia in her final night in the lead. “I was ten feet away from her! Her voice should be classified as a religious experience.” he exclaimed. Another highlight was visiting the Top of the Rock, the observation deck of the Rockefeller Building. “Now that is beautiful. You think New York is beautiful below,” he mused reverently, “you get there and it’s lights for miles. It almost looks like the northern lights.”
The city wasn’t the only thing that captured Denver’s appreciation. His fellow performers left him in awe as well. As an audience member, he enjoyed the Honors Orchestra in particular. “The orchestra played Tchaikovsky’s4th Symphony. Talk about musicianship, they totally blew me away!” He found inspiration in his own performance too, “We all just came together and sang. We can all come together and work toward something that is greater than ourselves.”
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