A Santa Clarita Youth Orchestra member is looking forward to her first concert in Carnegie Hall in New York next year.
Emma DeCourt, 15, a Canyon Country resident and Gorman Learning Center student, has been selected for the 2018 High School Honors Performance Series at Carnegie Hall.
Offering local highs school students a chance to perform at an internationally renowned arena, DeCourt auditioned for the Honors Performance Series earlier this year, according to her mom, Maria DeCourt.
For Emma, performing at the venue is “a dream coming true.”
“I didn’t think I’d get in,” Emma said, “it’s just not something a lot of kids my age can do, or even maybe some adults, so i just think it’s really special.”
She will perform in February with the Honors Symphony Orchestra, one of the five Honors Ensembles is limited to the highest-rated high school performers from across the world.
Earlier this year, Emma auditioned for the Honors Performance Series and was accepted after a review by the Honors Selection Board. Acceptance to the elite group is a direct result of the talent, dedication and achievements demonstrated in her application and audition recording.
For the series, she’ll join other performers from all 50 United States plus the District of Columbia, Guam, six Canadian provinces, Australia, China, Hong Kong, Mexico, New Zealand, Qatar, South Korea, and the United Kingdom for a special performance at world-famous Carnegie Hall, a venue that marks the pinnacle of musical achievement.
“Being selected to the Honors Performance Series is something each Finalist should be extremely proud of accomplishing,” said Morgan Smith, program director. “We processed more than 18,000 nominations this year and have selected nearly 700 of the most talented student performers from around the world. Working with these conductors and performing at Carnegie Hall is a once-in-a- lifetime experience that these musicians never forget.”
They’ll get the opportunity to learn from world-renowned conductors, collaborate with other finalists, and get a taste of New York City.
Two performances, an Honors Choral Performance and an Honors Instrumental Performance, will take place Sunday, February 4, and are open to the public.
Emma has studied music for six years, and also is a member of Santa Clarita Youth Orchestra, with a concert coming up Dec. 2 for the local group.
The Honors Performance Series was created to showcase accomplished individual high school performers on an international level by allowing them to study under master conductors and perform in the celebrated venue, Carnegie Hall.
The local student is also hosting an online fundraiser to help offset the cost of the trip at gofundme.com/EmmaToCarnegieHall
