South Delta Secondary Grade 12 student Elizabeth Dane will perform at Carnegie Hall in New York on Sunday.
She's taking part in the 2014 High School Honors Performance Series as part of the Honors Choir. Participation in one of the series' three ensembles (choir, band or orchestra) is "limited to the highest rated high school performers from across North America and select schools internationally," according to a press release.
Dane, 17, leaves for New York today.
"I'm excited but there's part of me that's very apprehensive," she said.
There will be lots of rehearsals with the group before performing, Dane said, noting she'll also get to go see a Broadway show and visit The Today Show.
She's working on memorizing six pieces of music for the performance, including songs in English, Russian and Hebrew.
"One of them is a Russian
tongue twister. It's so hard. It's super fast. All the music is so hard."
Dane auditioned this fall for the Honors Performance Series and was accepted after a
review by a selection board.
"Being selected to the Honors Performance Series is something each finalist should be extremely proud of accomplishing," said program director Morgan Smith.
"We process thousands of nominations annually, selecting only the most talented performers applying on an international level.
"Working with these conductors and performing at Carnegie Hall is a once-in-a-lifetime experience that these student musicians never forget."
Dane is part of SDSS' South Delta Sounds and won an individual award for her solo singing performance at the Heritage Music Festival in New York last April.