The Ferrum College Chorale will perform at Carnegie Hall’s Isaac Stern Auditorium in New York City on April 25, 2020.The invitation to perform came to Ferrum College’s Adjunct Instructor of Theatre Arts Adam McAllister, from Josh O’Dell. O’Dell is the choir director at Thrasher United Methodist Church; a part-time music professor at Radford University; and the creator of Voices of Appalachia, a select 50-person chamber choir of which McAllister is a member.
O’Dell was recruited by Mid-Atlantic Productions, a resource for film and television production professionals, to form his own choir to conduct at Carnegie Hall. The choir will be made up of approximately 125 singers mostly from the Roanoke and New River Valley areas.
“This will mark the first time in history that a musical ensemble from Ferrum College performs at the world-renowned Carnegie Hall,” said McAllister.
The invitation came at an appropriate time, as the College began offering a new Bachelor of Arts in music this fall. “It’s an exciting opportunity for our students and a wonderful way to celebrate the availability of our new Bachelor of Arts degree in music,” McAllister added.
“We are thrilled that Ferrum College and its music department will be represented in New York City at the most prestigious concert stage in the country and perhaps the world,” said Ferrum College’s Director of Bands and Assistant Professor of Music Sixto Montesinos. “We are excited to announce that our music majors will have opportunities to perform at places like Carnegie Hall in the future.”
Ferrum College Chorale members have been working hard to fund the cost of the trip by hosting 50/50 raffles and accepting “love offerings” from churches at which they sing. “I love the moment when everyone’s voices fit together perfect,” said sophomore Chorale member and computer science major Eric Mathews. “It’s hard work, but it pays off when we see the audiences’ faces.”
“I toured Carnegie Hall in high school when we went to New York for a choir competition,” explained Ferrum College senior and member of the Chorale Jamie Gilbert. “I never dreamed I would have the opportunity to sing there. As a musical theatre major, my dream is to perform on Broadway in New York. But if that doesn’t work out, at least I will have been able to sing at Carnegie Hall!” Gilbert will graduate from Ferrum College in May 2020.
Learn more about Ferrum College’s music department at https://www.ferrum.edu/school-of-arts-and-sciences/music/.