I’m singing at Carnegie Hall this Friday night, October 12, in this concert:
The New York Pops
Some Enchanted Evening: The Music of Rodgers and Hammerstein
Performers
- The New York Pops
Steven Reineke, Music Director and Conductor - Aaron Lazar
- Kelli O’Hara, Guest Artist
- Paulo Szot
- Essential Voices USA
Judith Clurman, Music Director and Conductor - New York Theatre Ballet
Diana Byer, Artistic Director
I’m singing as a member of the chorus Essential Voices USA, and I’m excited to be part of this concert for a number of reasons. One is that I love singing in choruses and have done so for most of my life. I had been looking for a new chorus to sing with, and after interviewing composer Joshua Schmidt last spring about his concert with Essential Voices USA, I knew I had found a great chorus.
While I love singing traditional choral music, I’ve enjoyed exploring the songs of Rodgers and Hammerstein for this concert. I already know their work, of course, but it’s different when one is really studying the music and words vocally and is inside the music as one is when singing. I’ve always loved Rodgers and Hammerstein as musical theater writers, and it will be exciting to perform their music at Carnegie Hall for the Rodgers and Hammerstein families.
I wish I could say that this was my Carnegie Hall debut, but I actually performed with a chorus there in 2002 when I was in college. I will instead call this my triumphant return.