If you ask Americas High School choir director Rocio Manriquez how the varsity treble choir got to Carnegie Hall, she will probably say practice and an awesome audition video.
Last August, Manriquez submitted an audition for the students to perform with the National Youth Choir. Not only were the students chosen for the performance, but they were selected as the featured choir to open the National Youth Choir and Instrumental Music Festival at New York City’s prestigious Carnegie Hall on March 26, 2023.
“The choir has been working so hard since last year and this year, so when New York came up, I said, “Why not? Let’s go for it! Let’s try it!” And they did it, so it’s very exciting.”
From the renowned Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage, the choir showcased their talent by performing three songs, including an arranged commissioned piece of the traditional spiritual song “Lord, I Know I’ve Been Changed” by University of Texas at El Paso music major Abeni Merriweather.
For 11th grader Aliyza Lopez, the song represented the musical journey that she and her fellow Trailblazers have been on, which culminated with the choir’s performance at Carnegie Hall.
"I feel like there's always the high school concerts and the concerts at other schools, but Carnegie Hall is such an amazing opportunity,” Lopez said.
The choir received a standing ovation after their presentation, which also included the “Seal Lullaby” by Eric Whitacre and “Am Wildback die Welden” from “Vier Lieder aus dem Jungbrunnen” by Brahms, which they sang in German.
Manriquez, who has led the Americas High School choir for two years, said performing at Carnegie Hall felt like a dream.
“Seeing the grandness of the theater and hearing the voices of the choir ringing through the hall was a magnificent experience,” Manriquez recalled. “The choir sang better than they had all year; they were able to sing from the heart and truly understand and convey the meaning in all their songs to the audience.”
For Merriweather, who also is a composer, songwriter and producer, watching the choir sing in person at the storied music venue was surreal.
“These things don’t just happen to anyone,” Merriweather said. “I’m very happy and proud of them because not just any high school choir gets selected to perform at Carnegie Hall.”
Published April 14, 2023
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