ST. LUKE’S CHOIR SINGS AT CARNEGIE HALL! HOW DID THAT HAPPEN?

The simple answer to that question and using the common response to “How do you get to Carnegie Hall?”, is “PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE”. While indeed that is true (more on that later), how singers from St. Luke’s choir came to represent the choir and the congregation on the famous Carnegie Hall stage is quite a story.

Well over a year ago, St. Luke’s Choir received an invitation from Dr. Jennaya Robison, director of the National Lutheran Choir, and Manhattan Concert Productions to participate in a Church and Community Choir Festival at Carnegie Hall in New York City in June of 2025. Intrigued, more information was gathered and presented to the choir at their first gathering of the year in early September 2024. The response was quite unexpected, and it was clear we had well over the minimum number of interested singers to move forward with this incredible opportunity.

Between October 2024 and June 2025, those singers committed to participating spent their own money and time in preparing and planning for the trip and the concert. Most of their work was spent learning the 7 pieces of music (which each singer bought out of their own pocket) to be sung at Carnegie Hall. Hours were spent on their own using Practice Tracks provided by the concert production folks to learn their parts inside and out. Nine group rehearsals were held here at St. Luke’s and Elk River Lutheran Church (a choir also participating in the concert). Needless to say, the practice, practice, practice got the choir to where they needed to be before leaving for New York City.

Once in New York, the singers had plenty of time to sightsee but there was more work to be done. Dr. Jennaya Robison led three rehearsals with over 180 singers at the hotel where participating choirs stayed plus a dress rehearsal with instrumentalists (brass ensemble and organ) at Carnegie Hall. All the efforts came together on the evening of June 24th with a concert that included the church and community choirs, a youth choir, Mozart’s Requiem and a Louisiana wind ensemble. The concert was well received and all who participated were moved by the experience.

This fall there will be a congregational event where all will get a chance to experience the concert on our sanctuary’s big screen. Look for more information to come out on this as we get closer to the fall.
The simple answer to that question and using the common response to “How do you get to Carnegie Hall?”, is “PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE”. While indeed that is true (more on that later), how singers from St. Luke’s choir came to represent the choir and the congregation on the famous Carnegie Hall stage is quite a story.

Well over a year ago, St. Luke’s Choir received an invitation from Dr. Jennaya Robison, director of the National Lutheran Choir, and Manhattan Concert Productions to participate in a Church and Community Choir Festival at Carnegie Hall in New York City in June of 2025. Intrigued, more information was gathered and presented to the choir at their first gathering of the year in early September 2024. The response was quite unexpected, and it was clear we had well over the minimum number of interested singers to move forward with this incredible opportunity.

Between October 2024 and June 2025, those singers committed to participating spent their own money and time in preparing and planning for the trip and the concert. Most of their work was spent learning the 7 pieces of music (which each singer bought out of their own pocket) to be sung at Carnegie Hall. Hours were spent on their own using Practice Tracks provided by the concert production folks to learn their parts inside and out. Nine group rehearsals were held here at St. Luke’s and Elk River Lutheran Church (a choir also participating in the concert). Needless to say, the practice, practice, practice got the choir to where they needed to be before leaving for New York City.

Once in New York, the singers had plenty of time to sightsee but there was more work to be done. Dr. Jennaya Robison led three rehearsals with over 180 singers at the hotel where participating choirs stayed plus a dress rehearsal with instrumentalists (brass ensemble and organ) at Carnegie Hall. All the efforts came together on the evening of June 24th with a concert that included the church and community choirs, a youth choir, Mozart’s Requiem and a Louisiana wind ensemble. The concert was well received and all who participated were moved by the experience.

This fall there will be a congregational event where all will get a chance to experience the concert on our sanctuary’s big screen. Look for more information to come out on this as we get closer to the fall.

---