From Leonard Bernstein to The Beatles, New York’s Carnegie Hall has hosted some of the biggest names in music.  In three months the Mornington Peninsula Chorale will join them.
The choir has been invited to take part in a performance of Welsh musician and composer Karl Jenkins’ Requiem on January 15 as part of Distinguished Concerts International New York City’s Concert Series.

Fifty-one of the choir’s 100 members will spend seven days and eight nights in New York, performing at Carnegie Hall and in a church in Manhattan, in what choir convenor Judi McKee says will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

The choir has performed several of Jenkins’ works in the past after seeking his permission to do so, and Judi believes he probably put the choir’s name forward for the Requiem performance.
“We received a call from DCINY inviting us to audition for the performance – Carnegie Hall is very discerning about the quality of performances.  Our audition was fantastic – we performed an excerpt from Felix Mendelsohn’s Elijah under the banner of choir director Tom Buchanan, which we sang earlier this year.  An audio-visual contractor filmed the performance, which was sent to DCINY and they were impressed.”

DCINY artistic director and principal conductor Dr Jonathan Griffith described the choir as “wonderful musicians deserving of the community’s recognition and support”.

Judi says each choir member will have to find a “bare minimum” of $4500, which includes rehearsal costs as well as travel and accommodation expenses, but it’s an experience that far outrivals anything in the choir’s 30-plus-year history.  “To walk in the steps of some of those famous singers who have performed at Carnegie Hall will be incredible.”

Karl Jenkins found fame as a member of the highly influential jazz-rock ensemble Soft Machine before releasing a string of vocalise-style albums, movie scores, and compositions for the likes of Kiri Te Kanawa and the London Symphony Orchestra.  He received the OBE in 2005 for services to music.

To donate to the choir’s expenses, visit australianculturalfund.org.au/projects/mornington-peninsula-chorale-new-york-tour/