Some people get a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to do what they feel like they’ve been born to do. That opportunity presented itself for Mackenzie Marshall of Lincoln County High School earlier this month. According to Marshall, it was one of the most important and eye-opening experiences of her life.
Last year, Marshall participated in the all-state choir, where she was nominated for the World Honor Choir. At first, she wasn’t sure if she should audition, but after reassurances from her family, friends and her choir director, she decided she should at least give it a shot. While it cost $300 to audition, it was worth it because a while later (so long that Marshall admits she even forgot about it), she received a surprising response: she was in.
And so began an adventure where Marshall joined 200 other students from 42 states and countries all over the world in the World Honor Choir. When Marshall first got to New York, where the concert would be hosted, she says she felt very intimidated. The rules were very strict, and they came with the promise that if the singers did not do their best and fill their position correctly, they would be ejected from the choir. They constantly had to wear masks due to COVID concerns, which made it hard to sing out, and they had very little time to enjoy the city, having to spend the vast majority of their time practicing their music.
“I felt like a little speck,” Marshall said during an interview.
However, the trials faded to the back of her mind as she realized the students around her were just as dedicated to the music as she was. The rules were strict, but they nurtured the professionalism that most of the kids there had already been practicing to get as good as they were, and it was through this dedication to their craft that Marshall was able to connect and relate to many of her fellow performers.
“I could just tell that people didn’t just make it in for the trip,” she related. “They had to work hard to get there…we were all there to do one thing, and that was to perform music.”
As the choir practiced and prepared for their concert with director Jeffery Ames, they eventually left their normal practicing space of the Sheraton Hotel to continue their work at Carnegie Hall. Marshall was impressed with the venue, commenting on how massive it was and how well the music echoed throughout the hall.
“I sneezed and it resonated,” she remembered with a laugh.
According to Marshall, this opportunity will not only be a big door opener for her following high school, but it will be one of her best memories.
“I’ll never forget the experience or the friends that I made and the sights that I saw, and being in Carnegie Hall. I stood right in the middle of Carnegie Hall. It was amazing.”