When Ohio State’s Chorale performs at Carnegie Hall in New York City Saturday, it will join the ranks of the esteemed musicians who have stood on that stage for more than 100 years.

“Performing in Carnegie Hall is the epitome of singing,” said Hilary Apfelstadt, Chorale’s director and a School of Music faculty member.

Apfelstadt was invited to bring Chorale to Carnegie Hall to perform in the “War and Peace” concert.

“There are a couple of directors who are invited to do these kinds of shows, and I was invited and of course, I said ‘Yes,'” Apfelstadt said.

Chorale is a mixed-choir made up of mostly juniors, seniors and graduate students, many of whom are music majors. Members are selected based on a singing and sight-reading audition.

Additionally, Apfelstadt selected four high school choirs and a college choir to perform with Chorale.

Three of the high school choirs, those from Dublin Jerome, Hilliard Bradley and Bexley High Schools, are local.

The Bexley High School Vocal Ensemble is directed by Amy Johnston Blosser, who has undergraduate and graduate degrees from OSU’s School of Music.

“She just has a fantastic program,” Apfelstadt said of Blosser.

Apfelstadt found the fourth choir, the Parkersburg High School Choir from West Virginia, when she judged them at a national choral festival last year.

“They were just remarkable,” Apfelstadt said of the Parkersburg group. “All four have wonderful reputations, and we wanted to find top-rate programs.”

OSU’s Chorale and the four high school choirs will be joined by the Averett Singers, a small auditioned choir from Averett College in Danville, Va.

Gail Allen, the Averett Singers’ director, jumped at the opportunity to participate in this event.

“Performing at such an acclaimed venue is every musician’s dream, but knowing that my students would also benefit from working with a conductor as esteemed as Dr. Apfelstadt made the opportunity irresistible,” Allen wrote in an e-mail.

“We needed to find two pieces with orchestra that were contrasting and about 35 minutes,” Apfelstadt said. “It’s the kind of music I knew Chorale would sing well.”

The selections also work nicely with the concert’s theme, “War and Peace.”

“The Brahms piece is a lament for death and it has a lot to do with conflict and resolution, and that’s what I think ‘War and Peace’ is about, conflict and resolution,” Apfelstadt said. “The Beach is a celebratory piece that also has a lot of resolution.”

Apfelstadt selected “Festival Jubilate” partially because she wanted a piece by a female composer, she said.

“It was the first piece commissioned by an American woman, which is a really big deal,” Apfelstadt said.

Two other acclaimed choral directors will be bringing several choirs as part of Saturday’s concert, but Chorale will hold a special place in the program.

“We’ve been put last in the program, so we’re kind of like the grand finale,” Apfelstadt said.

Apfelstadt hopes that those involved appreciate the professional experience this opportunity will provide.

“I want them to see what it’s like to perform in a professional setting with a professional orchestra,” she said. “They will certainly be treated like professionals.”

Members of Chorale seem to recognize the distinctive nature of this opportunity.

“I also believe performing quality repertoire with a professional orchestra provides a unique experience for any singer,” Goede said. “I would hope this tour inspires each of us to seek a deeper level of commitment to our musicianship and artistry.”

Chorale will perform Wednesday in Buffalo, N.Y. They were invited to perform by an OSU alumnus, Apfelstadt said. They will then travel to New York City, where they will have an opportunity to sightsee when they are not rehearsing.

This will be many of the students’ first trip to New York, and the performance in Carnegie Hall will be the highlight of the trip.
“For them to hear themselves in Carnegie Hall is just such a memorable experience,” Apfelstadt said.

“Performing major choral works with a professional orchestra in one of the world’s most revered concert halls is the epitome of musical expression and growth,” Allen said. “The preparation is intense, but the musical result is beyond magical.”