Students in the Upper School Choir and Orchestra programs performed at Carnegie Hall in New York City on March 28. They traveled as a group, visiting

Bel Canto member Maya Ray ’25 said the trip was especially meaningful because of the music they performed.

“The song we played, Hiawatha’s Wedding Feast, hadn’t been played in Carnegie in over 100 years,” Ray said, “We only played indigenous music, and diverse music, which was really historic.”

Ray said she enjoyed the group’s visit the Museum of Modern Art, as well as seeing one of the last performances of “Chicago” with the original cast.

“All the students voted on what musical to see, and we all decided on Chicago,” Ray said, “It was amazing to see and experience, because as a theater nerd, I got to see such an influential musical with such an impressive cast.”

Alexia Aridi ’25 said she enjoyed exploring the city and performing with her peers.

“I hung out with my friends roaming the streets of New York to go to cute little breakfast places,” Aridi said, “It was a really cool experience overall, especially playing in Carnegie.”

Lok Gertschen-Klaseus ‘25 said he is grateful that the school’s music program provided the opportunity to travel and perform.

“We really got to see Carnegie, being inside was super cool,” Gertschen-Klaseus said, “I think it’s really special that our school gives us the chance to go on this trip, to play such cool music in New York City as a group.”

Choir Director Zanaida Robles said there is still progress to be made in representing diverse voices in music, but that she felt the trip was a success.

“There is still so much work to do to bring the music of underrepresented and marginalized composers into our collective consciousness,” Robles said. “I couldn’t be more proud of our work. My life and the lives of our singers and instrumentalists are forever changed for the better thanks to this monumental experience.”