Bound for NYC and Carnegie Hall

Sean Feldman '14, Arts and Entertainment Editor|January 31, 2014

Purple Panthers will be taking the stage at the famous Carnegie Hall in February

Purple Panthers will be taking the stage at the famous Carnegie Hall in February

The Glee Club will be leaving Cincinnati on Friday, February 14th, to perform in New York at the world-famous Carnegie Hall on President’s Day.

The Glee Club and some members of Seton High School’s concert choir, around 40 students total, were invited last fall to honor in concert the Shawnee Press, which is celebrating 75 years of publishing music. The music departments of Elder and Seton gladly accepted the invitation, and have been preparing for their Carnegie debut ever since.
The trip cost each student around $1,500, which was raised through fundraising. The cost of the trip includes a round-trip plane ticket, a hotel right on Times Square, and a ticket to the Broadway musical Newsies.
I asked Senior Jay Quitter for his thoughts on the trip to New York, as he will be participating in the concert: “I am very excited to perform at Carnegie Hall because it has always been a dream of mine. 

Quitter’s excitement is certainly justified when considering the rich history of Carnegie Hall. Named after steel and industrial tycoon Andrew Carnegie, who was a great benefactor of the building project, the Hall was conceived withthe intention of having a world-class music venue in New York. Its cornerstone was laid in May 1890, and the building was completed in May of 1891. After their performance, students of Elder and Seton will join the ranks of musicians such as Pyotr Tchaikovsky, Judy Garland, Louis Armstrong, Julie Andrews, Frank Sinatra, and The Beatles, who have all performed on the Carnegie’s stage.

Judy Garland at Carnegie Hall, April 23, 1961.
Judy Garland at Carnegie Hall, April 23, 1961.

Curious as to how much stage time Elder and Seton would have in the concert, I asked Ms. Schad if she could give me an estimate, to which she responded, “A total of 10 pieces will be performed by the two choirs of Elder and Seton, in addition to a finale piece.”
Sophomore Anthony Ciarla also chimed in, “The fact that we are going to Carnegie Hall to sing still hasn’t really sunk in; the whole experience has been surreal.”
A hardy “Break a Leg” goes out to all those performing in New York!