CSHS senior Allie Miller (right)
For many singers,brperforming at Carnegie Hall is a dream. For Allie Miller, a senior at CarrollbrSenior High School, it's a dream come true. Miller was selected by choirbrteacher Marla Ringel to audition for the High School Honors Performance Series. She was selected as a finalist, and on February 7, Miller sang atbrCarnegie Hall as part of the High School National Women’s Choir.
More than 18,000 highbrschool students auditioned, and only 650 students worldwide were selected forbrthe honor. Read on to hear from Miller, who is now officially one of the world's most elite singers.
SouthlakebrStyle: How longbrhave you been singing?
Miller: I’vebrbeen singing publicly since the age of three!
SS: Did you ever dream one day you’d perform atbrCarnegie Hall?
Miller: Ibrdreamed that one day I could, but never actually believed that I would—especiallybrat the age I am today. I’m honored and filled with pride for this amazingbrexperience.
SS: What did the choir sing?
Miller: My conductor was ElizabethbrSchauer. We sang:
*Dixit Dominus, by JohannbrMichael Haydn
*Den Tod Versus ||,br by Johann Sebastian Bach
*Der Brautigam, bybrJohannes Brahms
*Ya Faraoule - Abrtraditional Lebanese and Egyptian folk song by Stephen Hatfield
*Bonny Wood Green - A traditionalbrIrish Ballad by Stephen Hatfield
*We Rise Again, by LeonbrDubinsky
SS: What was the experience like overall?
Miller: Thisbrexperience was unlike any other I’ve ever had the privilege of being part of. Ibrmet so many people from around the world and cultivated lasting relationships.brEveryone was equally talented and we all became very close. We practiced dailybrfor endless hours and made memories that are irreplaceable.
SS: How did you prepare for the performance?
Miller: Ourbrmusic was mailed to us over the course of a couple months and we were expectedbrto learn and sight read our material without being taught or conducted prior. Ibrpracticed mostly on my own and sight read the music before going to New YorkbrCity and with my voice teacher, Mrs. Regina Walters.
SS: Do you have any pre-performance rituals?
Miller: Onebrof my pre-performance rituals would have to be my alone time. I tend to needbrfive or 10 minutes of private time to warm myself up and collect my thoughtsbrprior to the performance. Also, to alleviate some of the nerves.
SS: Was anything surprising about the experience?
Miller: Yes!brI was blown away by the diversity of people from around the world thatbrperformed with me. There were students from Mexico, Panama, Guam, Germany,brChina and many other countries. It was amazing to sing with performers whobrspeak other languages and cultivate friendships around the world.
We all slept four peoplebrto a room, so we became very close with our roommates. Even though our time wasbrextremely rigorous and demanding, we found the time to relax and enjoybrourselves, while building lasting friendships.
We had lots of free timebrin the afternoons, which included guided tours around the city, a viewing atbrthe top of Rockefeller Center, a Broadway show (I chose “Phantom of the Opera”),brand a celebration dinner cruise aboard a humongous private yacht on the HudsonbrRiver.
SS: How does it feel to be part of such an elite groupbrof singers?
Miller: Itbrfeels amazing! The most amazing part of all of this is that it wasn't national;brit was international. I am absolutely honored to have been part of this incredible group of performers and to have sang where legends have performed. I will neverbrforget this experience or how it felt to sing at Carnegie Hall.
SS: What’s the biggest lesson you learned?
Miller: Thebrbiggest lesson I learned is practice, practice, practice and patience,brpatience, patience. It takes both to be a performer. You’re not always going tobrhave great days and your voice is not always going to give you what you expect,brbut as the saying goes, practice makes perfect. Keep trying and never givebrup.
SS: What would you say to aspiring singers?
Miller: Makebrsure you explore every opportunity. Never let one of those opportunities passbryou by. Build your musical resume and believe that you can achieve greatbrthings. All it takes is for someone to believe in you, but first you mustbrbelieve in yourself.
SS: What’s next for you?
Miller: College!brI'm so excited for this next chapter of my life and what it holds for me. Ibrhope to excel in music performance and continue performing around the world, orbras far as my talent will take me.
I intend to earn a degreebrin music education/music therapy and aspire to become as great as my choirbrteacher Mrs. Marla Ringel. She has been an inspiration to me, and without herbrguidance and education, I would have never made it this far.
SS: Anything else you'd like to share?
Miller: Ibrjust want to thank everybody for believing in me and providing me with thisbrunforgettable opportunity. I’m extremely honored. God has blessed me in sobrmany ways and I will never forget this amazing experience, nor the people I metbrat Carnegie Hall. I’m excited to see what the future has in store for me.
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