Florida Catholic | ‘Magical’ Trip For Miami Students

‘Magical’ trip for Miami students

For members of the chamber choir at St. Thomas the Apostle School, it was a double bonus to sing at Carnegie Hall and see the pope.

KAREN OSBORNE | FLORIDA CATHOLIC STAFF

Published: 05.02.08

NEW YORK | When the members of the chamber choir at St. Thomas the Apostle School learned they were going to sing at Carnegie Hall, they did what excited middle-schoolers usually do: cheer.

“I was, all of a sudden, ‘Oh my gosh!’” said sixth-grade chorister Nicole Fernandez.

The 18-voice St. Thomas the Apostle chamber choir was invited to participate in a mass choir performance, featuring schools from south Florida, held at famed Carnegie Hall in Manhattan April 21. Organized by Dr. Giselle Rios of Barry University, the mass choir also featured students from Barry and Carrolton School of the Sacred Heart, among others. The concert was produced by the Mid-America Production Co.

To add to the excitement, the girls, their parents and their teachers were also able to attend Pope Benedict XVI’s Mass at Yankee Stadium April 20.

“They worked really hard,” said band director Jacqueline Perez, who sang with a Barry University choir at a similar concert in Carnegie Hall as an undergraduate there. “I already had that experience and it’s very nice to lead the girls in that great moment. It was amazing, singing in this most famous place. It’s such an honor as a performer.”

It was choir director Carolina Planos’ first time in Carnegie Hall. “When I went on stage, I was in awe. All I can think of is that I’m in the same place where all these famous musicians played. It’s very special,” she said. “It’s an emotional feeling to have all of this happening at the same time. It’s been a magical weekend.”

In November, the choir members first heard that they were invited to sing at Carnegie Hall and preparations for the trip began. The choir joined others from south Florida in rehearsing composer Fred Coulter’s Spanish “Gloria,” a world premiere; Villa-Lobos’ challenging “Chôros No. 10, Rasga o Coração”; and arrangements of Spanish zarzuela opera songs, all of which were performed at the concert by students of all ages.

In December, both teachers found out that the visit of Pope Benedict XVI coincided with their choral performance and asked their pastor, Father Daniel Kubala, if they could be considered for tickets to attend the Mass at Yankee Stadium. The pastor contacted the Miami Archdiocese, which presented the case to the New York officials responsible for ticket disbursement.

“We got the green light in March. That put the cherry on top,” said Planos.

Along with their daylong Mass experience at Yankee Stadium, the girls had to rehearse for four hours at a time three days in a row. They also had fun by going to the Statue of Liberty, taking pictures outside Carnegie Hall and buying brand-new coats and sweaters to handle the chilly New York April temperatures.

Many of the girls count themselves lucky to be able to experience what they did. “It’s like a dream come true,” said sixth-grader Sofia Prieto. “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime. It’s very beautiful inside. It’s gorgeous. And we’re with tons of choirs, so it sounds so pretty.”

The girls were originally daunted by the 26-page “Gloria,” and especially liked singing the piece by Villa-Lobos. “Everybody’s singing different parts,” Sofia explained. “You have to really pay attention or you get lost.”

At Yankee Stadium, “We waited in line a lot, but it was worth it,” said fifth-grader Monique Abalia. The young choristers had fun waving the yellow-and-white Vatican flags given in the goody bags distributed at the stadium, and watching the pope drive around the infield in his popemobile. They passed the time spent in the three-hour-long food lines by chatting and wondering what their concert would be like.

“Not everybody gets this chance,” said Alexandra Dominguez, a sixth-grader. “No matter how old I get, I’m always going to remember this trip.”

Nicole added, “What luck was it that it happened on the same week? It was just magical.”

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