MANSFIELD — One of Mansfield’s most talented singers has practiced, practiced, practiced his way to Carnegie Hall.
Nicholas DeWalt, a Mansfield Christian graduate, has been selected to perform as a tenor for the Young Adult Honors Performance Series at Carnegie Hall. Participation in one of the Honors Performance Series is limited to the highest-rated young adult performers from across the world.
“It is an incredible honor to be selected as a finalist,” DeWalt said. “This feels like a huge accomplishment after years of intense study and hard work.”
DeWalt has studied music for more than 10 years and is currently a member of Collegians Chorale and Goliards Chamber Chorale at Mount Vernon Nazarene University (MVNU). He was nominated for the Honors Performance Series by his choir director at MVNU.
According to DeWalt, he auditioned for the Honors Performance Series by singing a videotaped Italian piece earlier this year, and was accepted after a review by the Honors Selection Board. He will join other performers from 34 US states and two provinces of Canada for a special performance at world-famous Carnegie Hall, a venue that marks the pinnacle of musical achievement.
“They select finalists from thousands of people,” DeWalt explained. “I honestly did not think I would be accepted. When I got the email and it said congratulations, I was instantly freaking out, I couldn’t believe it. I was pretty much speechless.”
The Honors Performance Series was created to showcase accomplished individual young performers on an international level by allowing them to study under master conductors and perform in the celebrated venue, Carnegie Hall.
“Being selected to the Honors Performance Series is something each Finalist should be extremely proud of accomplishing,” said Regyna Curtis, director of the Honors Performance Series. “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 2017 to learn from a world-renowned conductor, work with other Finalists, and get a taste of New York City. The Honors Choral Performance will take place Sunday, Feb. 5, at 8:30 p.m. and is open to the public. Tickets can be purchased beginning 60 days prior to the performance through the Carnegie Hall box office.
Part of the full New York City experience for finalists includes hotel stay, workshops with Broadway actors and even a celebration cruise around Manhattan. To that end, DeWalt has created a GoFundMe page to help fund his full Carnegie Hall experience; the page has raised $360 in a little over a week.
“In order to participate in this wonderful opportunity I have to raise $1,300 within a short amount of time,” DeWalt wrote on the page. “Any amount would be a great help to take me to New York!”
As a music education and vocal performance major at MVNU, DeWalt certainly looks forward to adding his Carnegie Hall performance to his resume. However, he also looks forward to using his experience to give back.
“As far as education, I’ll be able to see world-renowned conductors and how they work with elite performers, and a lot of the subtleties they do to bring out good music that other conductors might not look at,” DeWalt said. “I’ll be able to learn a lot about my own conducting and be able to figure out how to best direct my own groups in that way.”
