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Paseo Chamber Choir set to perform at Carnegie Hall

The Paseo Academy of Fine and Performing Arts Chamber Choir will perform at Carnegie Hall during the first few days of April.
Carnegie Hall Website
The Paseo Academy of Fine and Performing Arts Chamber Choir will perform at Carnegie Hall (above) during the first week of April.

The Paseo Academy of Fine and Performing Arts Chamber Choir will be packing their bags for the Big Apple this April.

The legendary New York City music venue will host the choir from Kansas City for a stretch of performances from April 1-4.

The old joke about how to get to Carnegie Hall (practice, practice, practice) couldn't be truer for the 20 Paseo Academy singers going to New York. Choir director Willie Thornton says his students will be doing plenty of that as the concerts get closer.

The ensemble is learning six songs for the performance. "We're going to have rehearsals, of course, during the week, we're going to have rehearsals on the weekend, because we have to really maximize the time that we have," explains Thornton.

To prepare, Thornton breaks down the composition into its components to study and practice with the choir. This can mean 30 minutes on just phrasing or dynamics or the history.

"I always want our students to understand what they're singing," says the director. "Why you're singing it, who you singing for and what type of message do you want to convey."

Thornton says this is a once in a lifetime opportunity for the students and for him. "I'm just so excited about it. I really am."

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