Carnegie Hall ‘mind-blowing,’ Konektis member says
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 02/04/2023 (400 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
“Amazing.” That’s how Konektis Choir member and Brandon resident Duncan Ross describes performing at renowned Carnegie Hall in New York.
He and other choir members got a chance to take the stage at the world-renowned concert venue in Midtown Manhattan on Saturday as part of a larger group of choirs from across Canada.
“It’s one of the most prestigious venues in the world,” said Ross, who arrived home in Brandon Sunday afternoon. “Just to have the opportunity is mind-blowing.”
Shown here is a view from the stage in Carnegie Hall in New York. It’s the view that members of Brandon-based community choir Konektis would have seen as they performed at the renowned music venue on Saturday. (Submitted)
Since its opening in 1891, the hall has been a destination for pre-eminent names in a divers range of music, from composers such as Tchaikovsky and Mahler to rock acts like The Beatles and Led Zeppelin.
And now, a Brandon-based community choir with members from across Westman and assortment of backgrounds can add its name to the list as it performed Saturday night as part of the Canada National Chorus, composed of choirs from across the country.
According to the Carnegie Hall website, it was built by William Burnet Tuthill, an architect and cellist who had never built a concert hall before. Based on Ross’ description of the acoustics, Tuthill did a remarkable job given his inexperience.
“Carnegie Hall is easily twice, three times as good as anything I’ve ever heard,” said Ross, who is a tenor with Konektis and has performed with choirs since he was four years old. “It is amazing, and just the building itself is absolutely beautiful.”
Konektis includes folks in their 50s, Ross noted, and members who are in high school. Their professions vary, too — Ross himself works at a bank, and there are teachers and a hardware store employee.
Yet together, and as members of the larger Canada National Chorus, they did something special in a very special setting.
“There were six pieces that we performed,” said Ross. “We performed it last night, and it was just fantastic. We got a standing ovation before we even finished the last song.”
Those pieces included one specifically written for Saturday’s concert, “The Wind is my Shepherd,” by Canadian composer Sarah Quartel.
Ross also praised Carnegie Hall staff for the experience.
“Everything was so top-notch, as you would expect, and it was just absolutely mind-blowing, the most professional production I could have ever been a part of. I’m so happy that I was able to have that experience.”
Ross added he and other choir members couldn’t pass up the chance to spend some extra time in New York to see the sights.
This was Ross’ first time in New York, after all, and he took the opportunity to visit the Metroplitan Museum of Art, the American Museum of Natural History, took in a Broadway show, visited the Metropolitan Opera. He also had some fun at a jazz performance by Jeff Goldblum and The Mildred Snitzer Orchestra.
» ihitchen@brandonsun.com