NYC: Riverside Poly’s Choir goes to New York City and performs at Carnegie Hall.
By Leilani Orozco, Staff Writer
On Valentine’s Day Weekend, Poly’s Bella Voce and Chamber singers took a trip across the country to perform at Carnegie Hall. Mrs.Walton, Poly Choir’s Director, takes Bella Voce and Chamber singers on a yearly spring trip in which they are expected to perform their spring set of songs. This year’s trip took an unexpected turn for the better. Mrs. Walton was in contact with her choir professors from Fullerton University. Her professors were scheduled to lead the performance at Carnegie Hall and invited Mrs.Walton to bring her students and have them perform a set of songs.
The weeks leading up to the event became very stressful. Most students found it difficult to raise the money to go on the trip. With the expectation of getting ahead in school before they left and learning all the songs they would perform at Carnegie Hall, the build up of pressure and stress became immense. Learning the songs was hard but Chambers and Bella Voce rose to the challenge and were ready by the time New York came along. The students were ready to head off to New York City.
While in New York, Poly’s choir was able to have fun as tourists but were also obliged to rehearse for five hours before the show. Chamber singer, Mattie Gaines tells us that performing at Carnegie hall was a dream come true. She felt so blessed to be given the opportunity to go to New York City and perform at a place the best performers around the world perform. When they weren’t performing or rehearsing, Bella Voce and Chamber members were touring the Empire State Building, the Metropolitan museum, and the 9/11 memorial. One of the nights the students went to watch the new Broadway Musical, Mean Girls. The trip for choir as a whole was a pleasant and fun experience.
On their way back, students experienced several flight delays. This was stressful for them since they were expected to go to school the following morning. Thankfully, Mr. Hansen was understanding of the eight hour delay and excused the students from school for the day. Other than the unexpected flight delays, the trip was a great experience for Poly Chamber Singers and Bella Voce.