A Prestigious Honor

How do you get to Carnegie Hall? For a group of Steward students, it means hard work, excellent guidance, and lots of singing!

In early January, Middle/Upper School Choral Teacher Heidi Taylor and 26 of her choral students performed at Carnegie Hall. They were accompanied on the trip by Middle School Theatre/Upper School Public Speaking Teacher Susan Sanford and Middle School English Teacher Danny Spiziri. It was the second time that Ms. Taylor had traveled to Carnegie Hall with students, and it embodied two of Steward’s core values: individuality and inspiration.

“Another group of our choral students performed there in 2023,” she noted. “That year, I submitted videos and recordings as part of the audition process,” she said. “The audience enjoyed our students’ performance that year, and in 2024, when we performed at Disney World in Orlando, we scored high enough in that competition to be invited back to Carnegie!”

On January 19, the Steward choir performed Welsh composer Sir Karl Jenkins’ “Symphonic Adiemus” on the majestic Carnegie Hall stage. 

“‘Adiemus’ was written in 1994. It’s a modern song using classical forms, and the lyrics have no meaning … instead, they are used as another instrument to make music,” explained Ms. Taylor. “The full choral and orchestral version we performed was arranged in 2017. During rehearsals, they had the opportunity to meet Sir Jenkins, who is one of the most performed living composers. He’s a living legend!”

Lexi Turner ’28, a proud member of the Steward chorus and a Robson Scholar, has been taking singing lessons since she was eight years old. 

“I love the way that singing can convey any feeling or message that others can’t help but take in,” she said. “Emotions can be felt without any words.” Being onstage at Carnegie Hall overwhelmed her with feelings of “shock, awe, disbelief, and gratitude,” she added. “Sir Karl Jenkins wrote his entire concert in a nonexistent language, so each story we told was expressed through emotion alone. I was honored to meet such an accomplished person.”

Ms. Taylor said that making connections with the many international choir members who were performing at Carnegie Hall made the experience even more magical. 

“We served as interpreters to some of them,” Ms. Taylor said. “I would indicate what the conductor was trying to convey by showing or drawing the musical notation, and then they understood. It proved to me again that music is an international language.”

In between rehearsals and the performance, the Steward choir enjoyed some of New York City’s offerings. They attended a performance of the Broadway musicals “Happy Ending” and “The Great Gatsby.” They also toured RISE NYC, an immersive experience that combines a museum, themed galleries, and a 4D flying theatre simulation ride (“The students loved that!” said Ms. Taylor). 

Lexi said traveling with classmates and teachers was an enriching experience. 

“I am proud to be a Spartan because of the wonderful community that has helped me discover who I am and what I value in my relationships. The trip to New York City gave me the chance to become even closer to the Steward community.”