This four day weekend will see the Chamber and Chorale choirs traveling to New York City to work with other choirs from around the world and composer Ola Gjeilo. Much of their days will be filled with hours of long practices and sightseeing.

Junior Catherine Analla is excited for the trip and the opportunities it will bring to her and the choir in and outside of their four hour rehearsals.

“I’m probably most looking forward to being in Times Square and seeing a Broadway show and getting to be in Carnegie Hall. This is just things that seemed like a dream coming true,” Analla said.

Alongside Analla, fellow junior Josiah Haan looks forward to their viewing of the Broadway musical “Phantom of the Opera”, as well as the composer they will work with.

“[I look forward to] seeing my first Broadway show, ‘Phantom of the Opera’. I’m really excited for that. The other is getting to meet Ola Gjeilo, who’s the composer of the music [we’re performing], and getting to perform in Carnegie Hall with him,” Haan said.

The choir has been planning the trip since this time last school year and Haan is facing the fear that he may lose his voice during this trip due to the grueling rehearsals.

“[The hardest part will be] probably the 10 hours of rehearsal because I’m going to get really tired,” Haan said.”And making sure I don’t lose my voice because I do that a lot.”

Senior Rachel McCary also feels the rehearsals will greatly impact the choir due to their length.

“It’s going to be really exhausting with our rehearsals,” McCary said. “But I’m also slightly nervous we won’t be prepared enough.”

Analla is not as concerned with the length of rehearsals as she is their subject and the deep messages of the songs.

“Singing is a vulnerable thing because it’s not like playing an instrument where you can just like fix something here and there, it’s you and yourself,” Analla said. “So we are going to be with all these people who we don’t know, who we’ve never met in our lives and we’re going to be singing these songs which have very deep messages. I’m a bit nervous about singing with so many people I’ve never met in my life.”

Chorale and Chamber choir from FHC will be joined by choirs from all over the world to practice and perform music written by Ola Gjeilo in Carnegie Hall.

“It’s going to be us, I think the UK, Spain, New Zealand, Australia, Texas, and [kids from Francis Howell] North and we are going to rehearse for four hours,” Analla said. “We’re going to come together to work on our songs together for three rehearsals. And then on Monday, we’re going to have a performance where we’re going to be in Carnegie Hall.”