South Delta Secondary Grade 12 student Laura Marenych has been selected for the 2019 High School Honours Performance Series at Carnegie Hall.
Marenych will perform in February with the Honors Concert Choir. Participation in one of the five Honors Ensembles is limited to the highest-rated high school performersfrom across the world.
Earlier this year, she auditioned for the series and was accepted after a review by the Honors Selection Board.
Marenych will join performers from the United States, Puerto Rico, Guam, Canada, Australia, Bermuda, China, Hong Kong, Mexico, Poland, Qatar and South Korea for a special performance at the world-famous Carnegie Hall, a venue that marks the pinnacle of musical achievement.
“I am truly honoured to be involved in something of this caliber,” she said. “To get to work with students from all over the world and share a common goal is an experience that I will never forget.
“Carnegie Hall is a magical place where some of my musical idols have performed. I travelled to New York this past summer with my family. At that time I was excited to just walk past Carnegie Hall. And now that I am going to perform there I’ve realized that this will truly be a highlight of my life.”
According to program director Morgan Smith, being selected to the Honors Performance Series is something each finalist should be extremely proud of accomplishing.
“We processed more than 18,000 nominations this year and have selected nearly 700 of the most talented student performers from around the world,” said Smith. “Working with these conductors and performing at Carnegie Hall is a once-in-a-lifetime experience that these musicians never forget.”
Finalists will come together in New York City for five days in February. They will have the opportunity to learn from world-renowned conductors, work with other finalists, and get a taste of New York City. Two performances, an Honors Choral Performance and an Honors Instrumental Performance, will take place Sunday, Feb. 10.
Marenych has studied music for five years and is a member of the Equinox Theatre at SDSS under the direction of Jennifer McKee and Danielle Hamilton, Delta Youth Theatre with directors Tony Barton and Tracy Neff, and Delta Community Music School with Neff.
She has received scholarships from Delta Community Music School and was recently nominated for a Joey Award (Best Actress in a Musical) for her role as “Sharpay Evans” in High School Musical: On Stage that the Equinox Theatre performed last spring.
She has recently been cast as Laurey Williams in the Equinox Theatre’s upcoming production of Oklahoma in early 2019 and you can also see her in the upcoming productions of Willy Wonka Jr. (as “Mrs. Bucket” [cast 1] and “Mrs. Salt” [cast 2]) and Mary Poppins (as “Mary Poppins”) next spring.
