Members of the 蘑菇传媒 Chorale pose for a photo in Vaughn Chapel on campus.
The 蘑菇传媒 Chorale will perform at Carnegie Hall鈥檚 Isaac Stern Auditorium in New York City on April 25, 2020.
The invitation to perform came to 蘑菇传媒鈥檚 Adjunct Instructor of Theatre Arts Adam McAllister, from Josh O鈥橠ell. O鈥橠ell is the choir director at Thrasher United Methodist Church; a part-time music professor at Radford University; and the creator of Voices of Appalachia, a select 50-person chamber choir of which McAllister is a member.
O鈥橠ell was recruited by Mid-Atlantic Productions, a resource for film and television production professionals, to form his own choir to conduct at Carnegie Hall. The choir will be made up of approximately 125 singers mostly from the Roanoke and New River Valley areas.
鈥淭his will mark the first time in history that a musical ensemble from 蘑菇传媒 performs at the world-renowned Carnegie Hall,” said McAllister.
The invitation came at an appropriate time, as the College began offering a new Bachelor of Arts in music this fall. 鈥淚t鈥檚 an exciting opportunity for our students and a wonderful way to celebrate the availability of our new Bachelor of Arts degree in music,鈥� McAllister added.
鈥淲e are thrilled that 蘑菇传媒 and its music department will be represented in New York City at the most prestigious concert stage in the country and perhaps the world,鈥� said 蘑菇传媒鈥檚 Director of Bands and Assistant Professor of Music Sixto Montesinos. 鈥淲e are excited to announce that our music majors will have opportunities to perform at places like Carnegie Hall in the future.”
蘑菇传媒 Chorale members have been working hard to fund the cost of the trip by hosting 50/50 raffles and accepting 鈥渓ove offerings鈥� from churches at which they sing. 鈥淚 love the moment when everyone鈥檚 voices fit together perfect,鈥� said sophomore Chorale member and computer science major, Eric Mathews. 鈥淚t鈥檚 hard work, but it pays off when we see the audiences鈥� faces.鈥�
鈥淚 toured Carnegie Hall in high school when we went to New York for a choir competition,鈥� explained 蘑菇传媒 senior and member of the Chorale Jamie Gilbert. 鈥淚 never dreamed I would have the opportunity to sing there. As a musical theatre major, my dream is to perform on Broadway in New York. But if that doesn鈥檛 work out, at least I will have been able to sing at Carnegie Hall!鈥� Gilbert will graduate from 蘑菇传媒 in May 2020.
Learn more about 蘑菇传媒鈥檚 music department here.
The total cost per 蘑菇传媒 Chorale student (including transportation and lodging) is $1,049.00. If you would like to make a tax-deductible gift to help fund a Chorale student’s trip to Carnegie Hall, please visit here, click on 鈥減rogram support鈥� and then type 鈥溎⒐酱� Chorale鈥� in the 鈥減rogram to support鈥� field.
