How did this North Texas choir get to Carnegie Hall? It started with a YouTube performance
Performing at Carnegie Hall in New York is beyond anything Jeannie Seth ever imagined.
The 75-year-old real estate agent has been with the Voices of Flower Mound choir since it was formed over 16 years ago. She knew the group was good. But stepping up to one of music’s most hallowed stages is quite the nod.
“For our little group from Flower Mound to have that kind of recognition, will be something I will always treasure,” Seth said. “As one of my friends said, ‘we can put that in our obituary’.”
With a little bit of cyber luck and a whole lot of talent, this community choir from North Texas got on the radar of Distinguished Concerts International New York, a production company that produces concerts at Carnegie Hall. Representatives from the production company caught a performance of the choir from 2018 on YouTube, and they were impressed.
The choir was performing “Amazing Grace” arranged by famed Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square director Mack Wilberg at the Lamb of God Lutheran Church in Flower Mound.
A letter was sent off to choir director Arturo Ortega telling him they were working on a concert centered around arrangements by Wilberg. Would his choir be interested?
“Obviously, we said ‘yes’,” Ortega told the Star-Telegram. “To be invited and be a part of that recorded history... is truly an extraordinary feeling for us.”
That was in 2019. After enduring a worldwide pandemic and several calendar adjustments, the choir is ready to step up to the biggest stage of their careers.
Roughly half of the 78-member choir is making the trip to New York for the Monday evening concert. They will join four other choruses on New York’s fabled musical Mecca.
Carnegie Hall first opened its doors in 1891 and has hosted some of the greatest composers and musicians in history — from Tchaikovsky and Leonard Bernstein, to The Beatles and Billie Holiday. Now, the iconic venue can add a choir all the way from North Texas to its registry.
Seth is among the choir members making the trip and still can’t believe its all happening.
“This will be something that we will remember forever,” she said, “It’s just one of those bucket list things that we didn’t even know was on the bucket.”
Voices of Flower Mound were ready, then COVID hit
The Carnegie Hall concert was originally scheduled for June 2020, but COVID-19 put a stop to the performance.
It also sidelined the choir for roughly 13 months.
An airborne virus is not exactly something to trifle with when you have people standing shoulder to shoulder singing from the top of their lungs, Ortega said.
While it was heartbreaking for the choir to postpone their trip to New York, Ortega said they had other things on their mind.
“Everybody was asking those questions in general like, ‘Are we gonna ever come back? Are we ever going to be a choir again? Are we ever going to do concerts again’?,” Ortega said.
A little over a year later, the choir came back together.
But fear of the pandemic lingered. Ortega was not ready to green light a trip to the big city. By 2023, after a years-long wait, the singers are eager to show off their pipes.
“It’s finally hitting so close to home, we’re almost there,” Ortega said. “Our plane tickets are booked, people have hotel rooms, I mean it’s happening.”
Business of song first, then fun in the Big Apple
Ortega flew out to New York Wednesday and the choir will be going Friday, ahead of a weekend full of rehearsal and fun.
But first, they have to take care of business. There will be rehearsals all weekend and also on Monday afternoon before the evening concert.
A bonus: the choir’s pianist, Paul Lees, is also coming. Ortega received a call from New York a few weeks ago saying they were short one pianist for the concert and asked if he wanted to bring their own accompanist.
That was a quick yes, Ortega said.
In between the business of singing, the choir will get to explore and enjoy the Big Apple. Ortega said the choir is going to make the most out of the trip. Some members are planning to see Broadway shows, while others have plans to explore the city.
“It’s gonna be truly an event of a lifetime for many, many people,” he said. “It’s incredible, it’s absolutely incredible.”
This story was originally published February 16, 2023 at 3:27 PM.
