Prof. Eduardo Garcia-Novelli conducts the Carthage Choir at Carnegie Hall May 29, 2011. Prof. Gregory Berg is the accompanist.

Carthage Choir performs at Carnegie Hall

June 2, 2011

As a member of the Carthage Choir for the past four years, Marna Larson, '11, performed in concert halls across the United States and Europe. But the highlight of her college singing career happened a week after she graduated, when she and her fellow Carthage Choir members took the stage at Carnegie Hall.

"It's a really big deal to be invited to Carnegie Hall for a performance," said Miss Larson, who graduated May 22 with a degree in English and a minor in music. "I called my parents right after our choir rehearsal in which the news was announced. They were as excited as I was. They are both musicians, so they understood the level of importance this trip and performance had."

The Carthage Choir performed two concerts at Carnegie Hall on Sunday, May 29. They first performed a matinee concert with four other choruses and the New England Symphonic Ensemble. That evening, they performed a solo concert directed by Prof. Eduardo Garcia-Novelli and internationally known maestro Weston Noble.

"I never dreamed
I'd sing a solo in Carnegie Hall and get to bow for the audience on the stage, ever. It was amazing and a dream come true."

— Marna Larson, '11

"For the matinee performance, we were part of a large ensemble of around 200 singers from various choirs across the country," said Miss Larson, of Wausau, Wis. "The mass ensemble performed Franz Joseph Haydn's Lord Nelson Mass, a 40-minute piece." Charles Hausmann, director of choral studies at the University of Houston's Moores School of Music, conducted the concert. It included solos by Grammy-nominated soprano Caroline Worra, mezzo-soprano Gabriela Garcia, tenor Gregory Schmidt, and baritone Stephen Hartley.

The evening concert was part of the Carnegie Hall Choral Spotlight Series. The Carthage Choir performed eight pieces, accompanied by music professor Gregory Berg. The program included Magnificat by Giovanni Battista Pergolesi; "Kyrie" from Cantus missae by Josef Gabriel Rheinberger; Jubilate Deo by Ko Matsushita; Timor et Tremor by Terry Schlenker; This Marriage by Eric Whitacre; and Die Nacht by Heinrich von Herzogenberg.

"I actually had a solo in Timor et Tremor, which was thrilling beyond belief," Miss Larson said. "I never dreamed I'd sing a solo in Carnegie Hall and get to bow for the audience on the stage, ever. It was amazing and a dream come true."

Weston Noble, who acted as interim director of the Carthage Choir from 2007 to 2008, directed the choir in a performance of Jeffery Ames' In Remembrance. "Weston is amazing to work with," Miss Larson said. "I was fortunate enough to be one of the seniors who had studied under him as a freshman when he held a residency with Carthage. He is so humble and soft-spoken that it is hard to believe that he is as famous as he is in the choral and music world. ... Having my last performance with Weston be in Carnegie Hall was probably the best graduation gift I could have received."

The choir concluded their program with Plenty Good Room, arranged by René Clausen, which featured a scat solo performed by Elizabeth Hood, '11, and Daniel Ermel, '11.

"It was a spectacular performance for the choir," Miss Larson said. "It was the best we had ever sung."

"After we performed with Weston, we received a standing ovation," said Gabriella Heim, '12, a music education major from Grayslake, Ill. "This was before our concert was even over. Then at the end of our concert, we received another standing ovation. We received two standing ovations in Carnegie Hall. Simply amazing.

"So many famous and distinguished musicians have graced the stage at Carnegie Hall," Miss Heim continued. "I couldn't believe I was going to be in the hall, let alone performing in it. ... Only three choirs were selected to participate in the solo concert. I am very proud to be a part of Carthage Choir, and I am thrilled with our accomplishments."

The students were in New York May 26-30. While there, they visited the Empire State Building, Times Square, Central Park, Little Italy, Chinatown, SoHo, the Metropolitan Opera House, and Ground Zero, and saw the Broadway show How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, starring Daniel Radcliffe and John Larroquette. After the show, the students met the stars and got autographs.

"I can now check 'Perform in Carnegie Hall,' 'Meet Daniel Radcliffe' and 'Go to N.Y.C.' off my bucket list," Miss Heim said. "I will never forget this trip to New York City. It was truly life-changing."

In celebration of the choir's achievement, Carthage President F. Gregory Campbell hosted a dinner at the cityhouse Restaurant, located within Park Central Hotel in New York.

The Carthage Choir, now in its 84th year, performs all over the world. In recent years, the choir has sung in 30 states. Since 1973, the choir has taken 12 two- to three-week tours to Europe, including performances in Austria, the Czech Republic, England, France, Germany, Holland, Italy, Poland, Scotland, Switzerland, and Wales. Every year, the Carthage Choir is featured in the traditional Carthage Christmas Festival, reaching an audience of more than 4,500 people.