The Senoir Choir went to New York to sing in a concert celebrating the 20th Anniversary of The Armed Man, A Mass for Peace by Sir Karl Jenkins at the world famous Carnegie Hall in New York.
This is their tour diary.
NY2020 DAY 1
Sleep deprived yet excited, 38 pupils and 4 staff from Coleraine Grammar School arrived at JFK airport just after 1pm on Thursday 16th January.
By 6:30pm we had checked into the Park Central Hotel, had something to eat in Times Square and were queuing outside the Richard Rodgers Theatre on
Broadway prior to the highlight of the day – ‘Hamilton’. Some struggled to stay awake for the three-hour show but it was an amazing end to the first
day of our New York adventure
NY2020 DAY 2
Morton Williams, on 57th Street, provided a hearty early breakfast before a brisk 23 block walk down 5th Avenue to 34th Street. The Empire State Building was our destination. We learnt about the history of the building, its construction and then enjoyed the views of
NYC from the 86th floor. It was a beautiful day, but very cold! A subway ride to Cortlandt Street and the 9/11 Museum was our next stop.
This collection is a fitting tribute to those who lost their lives in 2001 and the heroes who tried to save them – a moving experience for our young
choristers. Day turned to night when we were on the viewing gallery of the One World Observatory and then we had a quick walk to Chinatown for tea.
After another subway ride to 42nd Street and a few hours shopping we retired to our rooms in the hotel for a much needed rest.
NY2020 DAY 3 …
… began very early. A subway ride to Battery Park was required for our 9:30am Statue of Liberty cruise. It was a chilly -5°C but felt much colder on
the boat. A brief stop at Ellis Island was all we could afford in order to make it back for the 12:45pm call time in the Grand Ballroom of the Park
Central Hotel for our first rehearsal. 4 ½ hours later and without a break, the 279 choristers from all over the globe were finished! It was intense,
exhausting but very helpful preparation in advance of the concert on Monday night in Carnegie Hall. Bubba Gump’s Shrimp Co. in Times Square was the
venue for tea, but the walk downtown was all the more difficult after an afternoon snowfall. The NY Knicks were at home to the Philadelphia 76ers in
Madison Square Garden and 7 fortunate pupils and 2 staff managed to get tickets. After a dramatic 4th quarter, the Knicks were unlucky to lose by 3.
It was another memorable but exhausting day in NYC for the CGS Choir.
NY2020 Day 4
The alarm rang at 6am and some choir members were finding the pace a struggle. The rehearsal began at 8:15am and, before anyone had a chance to say ‘good
morning’, the choir were told off for not warming up their voices! Four hours later we were having our books signed by Sir Karl Jenkins and it was
time to rest. Sunday afternoon provided an opportunity to attend the 3pm Times Square Church service. 14 staff and pupils went along and we were warmly
welcomed and shown to our seats high up in the balcony. After an hour of worship, Pastor Nik Godshall spoke on what it means to be born again. After
the service we headed south to Stella 34 Trattoria on the 6th floor of Macy’s for tea. It was quite an upmarket restaurant but we enjoyed beautiful
home cooked pizza and cannoli for dessert. Lights were out at 10pm in preparation for the 20th anniversary concert the following night in Carnegie
Hall.
NY2020 Day 5
Today was the primary reason for all the fundraising and rehearsing during the past year. After breakfast we enjoyed a lovely walk through Central Park.
A light covering of snow was still evident in places and a clear blue sky all around added to the beauty of it all. Following a little free time for
yet more shopping on 5th Avenue, we had our stage call at 2:15pm in the Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage of Carnegie Hall. Sir Karl Jenkins was intent
on getting every detail accurate. Balance, intonation, diction – all had to be perfect. Two hours passed quickly and suddenly it was time for concert
preparations. We took a few quick photos in the hotel before walking over the road to the venue. We were kept backstage during the first half as the
Miserere choir performed, then it was our turn just after 8pm. The 279 strong choir raised their standards and eclipsed all previous efforts to astound
the audience and earn a standing ovation. It was a truly moving experience, particularly for the staff and parents in the audience. Once the composer,
conductors and soloists had taken their bows it was off to Rosie O’Grady’s down 7th Avenue for the post-concert dinner. It was a lovely
way to end a memorable day – the Coleraine Grammar School choir had done their school, town and country proud at the 20th anniversary concert of this
very popular piece of music – allegedly performed on average twice a week for the past 20 years, no mean achievement!
NY2020 Day 6
The final day! Sadly, our trip was almost over. As the sun shone in Manhattan and temperatures started to rise we took to the ice of the Wollman Rink in
Central Park. It was a beautiful setting to have some fun and contemplate the previous night’s concert. Some skaters were, however, more adventurous
than others and after about 2 hours on the ice there was just enough time to squeeze in some last minute shopping before The ‘Golden Touch’ coach collected
us at 5pm for the transfer to JFK airport for the flight back to Dublin. The trip was a wonderful experience for all the pupils and staff involved.
Lots of laughs, a few tears but immense pride in completing the journey to Carnegie Hall. Thanks again to all the parents and friends who have organised
events and supported the fundraising activities during this past year and well done to the 38 pupils whose dreams became reality on January 20th 2020.
Until the next time!
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