Letter to the Editor: E.O. Smith Vocalists to Perform at Carnegie Hall

Dear Editor,

There's an old joke involving a tourist visiting New York City for the first time. When the tourist, hoping to see the sights, asks a New Yorker how to get to the famous Carnegie Hall, he receives the answer "Practice, practice, practice." However ineffectual this quip may be as directions for a tourist, it proves to be accurate advice to any performer hoping to make it to this prestigious performance hall as three E.O. Smith High School Students could tell you.

This February E.O.S. seniors, Allan Martin, Beth Noble and Sarah Welden, will travel to New York City for the American High School Honors Performance Series at Carnegie Hall. There they will perform in an honors choir, something even long time experienced performers aspire to. Though the members of the trio are no novices. These students are veterans to the Eastern Regions Music Festival, All State Musical Festival and New England's Music Festival. Having participated in these festivals, summer music programs and stage competitions they are accomplished choral singers, solo vocalists and musical theater performers. Based on these impressive resumes and their participation in school music ensembles E.O.S. choral director, Catherine Rowe, nominated the three students along with Bibi Mama, Haley Hamlin, John Mindek and Joseph Mohrbacher, to audition for the choral division of this series.

The three finalists sent audition tapes to the program at the end of the last school year and received letters of acceptance this past October. Now, in only a few months, they will join other students, aged sixteen and up, from around the United States and Canada for a five day musical venture.

While in the city they will see a Broadway production and receive special recognition on the CBS Early Show broadcast. Most importantly, the students are excited to meet with other teenagers who are truly passionate about music. There's a great moment, Noble explains, when that first sound comes together from kids who are really into music. The students also look forward to the privilege of working under acclaimed choral director Dr. Eph Ehly and fulfilling the dream of performing at Carnegie.  After working with the director and other students, the E.O.S. performers will give their concert on their fourth day in New York.

All three students are excited to perform in the legendary venue but also to continue to pursue music in their futures. Martin, Noble and Welden hope to study musical theater, music education and vocal performance (respectively) in their coming years at college.

- Christina deVecchis