GAC’s Concert Choir had the honor of being selected to perform "Lux Aeterna" with the New England Symphonic Ensemble at Carnegie Hall in New York City this year. Students were delighted to perform on the same stage that has hosted some of the best musicians in our country’s history. Students led by Dr. Marcus Miller put in many hours of practice to be “performance ready” for this special day.

This performance marked the first time a GAC ensemble has been invited to perform at Carnegie Hall, and one of our Spartans, High School student Autumn Clark '22, journaled about the trip in order to share her experience.

On our trip to NYC, I was surprised at how different the culture of NYC is when you compare it to my hometown of Atlanta. There were so many food trucks and people walking around! I was impressed with how large Central Park was; its wide-open feel contrasts with the rest of the city. The most challenging part of the trip was trying to see everything in the city while staying with my group. I often was left gaping at a cool building and had to be pulled away quickly just so we could go see another place in our short sight-seeing time block.

When we performed at Carnegie Hall, it felt so different from performing at GAC in many ways. I was mesmerized by how massive the building was and how many seats there were. There was also a huge incline from the stage to the very last row of chairs in the back, so you could still see every seat in the house. On top of that, there were amazing acoustics, where even the quietest of pianissimos could be heard in the very back of the hall.

The performance was so special to us because we worked incredibly hard to make it to this moment, and performing on the same stage where many of our idols had performed made it even more magical.

I will always remember admiring the beauty of Central Park and realizing the vastness of this great city from my airplane window while we were flying into the airport on that first day. I will also remember running through the city with my friends trying to take in all the sights while sprinting back to the hotel to make it back to practice on time.

I will never forget this amazing trip, and I am so grateful to GAC, my parents, friends, and God’s blessings to give me the opportunity of a lifetime.