Freedom High chorus students are preparing for the experience of a lifetime — an upcoming trip to sing at the renowned Carnegie Hall in New York City.
Amber Faircloth, the school’s choral director, says Freedom students will perform in the National Concert Chorus, singing a variety of choral repertoire numbers under the direction of esteemed directors, along with several other high schools from across the country.
The trip will include three days of rehearsals with the students from other schools. The students, their chaperones and teacher also will see the musical “Hadestown” and do some sightseeing. They’ll have a dress rehearsal and concert in Carnegie Hall, then attend a reception at the Hard Rock Café, where the venue will be shut down exclusively for them from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m.
The event is put on by National Concerts, an organization that aims to “provide impactful performance opportunities for musicians, empowering them to reach their highest potential through innovative collaborations.”
Of about 70 total students in Freedom’s chorus program, 33 will attend the trip Mar. 29-Apr. 2. The National Concert Chorus performance will be held on Tuesday, April 1.
Faircloth says her goal is to do a big trip every year. She wasn’t able to lead trips during and shortly after Covid but, in 2023, she took students to New York City to do a Broadway tour, where they saw three shows and participated in a workshop. Last year, they went to Williamsburg, VA, where they participated in the Williamsburg Heritage Festival and were evaluated on their performance.
“The performance part of the Williamsburg trip made it so much more special because they had something to work toward,” Faircloth says.
This year, she is thrilled to take them to the next level. “Carnegie Hall is a very special venue they wouldn’t otherwise have the opportunity to perform in,” she says.
Faircloth has taught at Freedom since her graduation in 2018 from Florida State University in Tallahassee with a Bachelor of Music Education degree. She’s made it a goal to give her students memories that will last a lifetime, like the ones she had as a student in Hillsborough County’s Newsome High in Lithia.
“My high school chorus teacher gave me the best chorus experience,” she says. “I remember in vivid detail my madrigal dinners and competitions and trips. I want to give my students memories they can take and live with the rest of their lives.”
She says chorus also offers students a positive experience and something fun in their day to look forward to, and exposes them to new things they can be successful with, such as Freedom’s own annual madrigal dinner, as we reported last issue.
A madrigal dinner, an evening of Renaissance-style entertainment, may be something students are not familiar with until they join chorus, she says, but “it’s a fun, festive way to ring in the holiday season.”
Upcoming performances that are open to the public include a coffeehouse fundraiser with solo and small group performances at Lutz Community Church on Friday, April 11, 6 p.m. “Shrek the Musical” will be held in the Freedom auditorium the weekend of May 1-3 and the chorus spring concert will be Thursday, May 15, 6:30 p.m.
Please Help!
Faircloth says Freedom is looking for community support to help her chorus students take the trip of a lifetime to perform at Carnegie Hall.
Students have already paid $1,725 each to attend, but that is well short of the actual cost of the trip. “A lot of students have taken up jobs to pay for the trip themselves, and their families are working very hard for them to have this opportunity,” Faircloth explains. “We’ve done quite a bit of fundraising and applied for grants to cover the cost as much as possible.”
Faircloth says she’s hoping additional community support could help to limit the amount students have to pay for New York City’s famously expensive meals and activities.
To support the students’ trip, visit FreedomHSChoralBoosters.square.site and choose the “Donate” option. Businesses that are interested in sponsorship opportunities, which will include recognition on social media and in concert programs, can email AmberFaircloth@HCPS.net for more information.
