What do Frank Sinatra, The Beatles, and Luciano Pavorotti have in common with three CCHS students? As of 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, March 29^, 2015, all six individuals have performed at Carnegie Hall.

Seniors Alec Kowalski and Meg Larkin joined freshman Gianna Gallo to sing at Carnegie Hall with their parochial choirs. Through an audition found by the St. James Choir Director, the students submitted a YouTube video of them singing. St. James’ choir was selected as one of about twenty choirs from around the United States, and Meg was individually chosen to perform a solo out of 200 other auditions.

The students were in New York City from March 26th to the 29^th, arriving early in order to rehearse with the other choirs as well as director Deke Sharon before their performance on Sunday afternoon. Still, Gianna, Alec, and Meg found time to enjoy the surroundings by visiting New York attractions like Broadway and Central Park.

During the performance, the choirs performed songs from the movie “Pitch Perfect” as well as other rearranged songs from famous musicians such as Michael Jackson, Irving Berlin, and others. As the performance was performed acapella, “everything was performed using only our voices,” said Alec. “There were no instruments during the show.”

Deke Sharon, the man who directed the singers at Carnegie Hall, was also the director of music for the movie “Pitch Perfect.” Meg said, “It was an honor to be able to work with him, because performing songs from Pitch Perfect was probably my favorite part of the show.”

Alec said that it was very difficult for him to highlight his favorite part of the experience, but he noted that the show was sold out and “We were so good that by the end we had just about everyone in the theater dancing and singing along with us.

Singing provides an escape for Meg and Alec both. “I really just like how I’m able to freely express myself through the music. It’s almost as if there’s a sense of stepping into another world for a little bit before coming back to reality,” said Alec. Meg agreed, ”It’s sort of an escape for me and I know that’s super cliche but it’s so true. It’s so easy to get lost in the words and the emotions, and I love that.”

While neither Alec nor Meg could choose their favorite artists, both are inspired by the soul and emotion many artists are able to convey. “My favorite artists to sing are Patty Griffen and Adele. They inspire me because they have so much heart in their music, and I love to try to do that too,” said Meg.

Overall, Alec and Meg said that their experience singing at Carnegie Hall was one they will never forget, and they have made new friends from all over the world through the opportunity. “The best part of the experience was knowing how many greats had performed in Carnegie Hall before me,” Meg said. “Concert posters from The Beatles to George Gershwin hung all around backstage, so knowing that I had sung in the exact same place where they had was a really incredible feeling.”