SupportMusic Merit Award Recipient School Receives Coveted Invitation to Play Carnegie Hall
One of the pinnacles of music performance is being able to boast playing on some of the world’s most famous stages and there maybe no stage more iconic than Carnegie Hall in New York City, and soon, the Lake Elsinore Middle School Tiger Band from Lake Elsinore, California will now carry that distinct honor. The school, a 2018 Support Music Merit Award recipient of the NAMM Foundation’s Best Communities for Music education awards program, is the only middle school band welcome to play at the New York Invitational Music Festival.
Carnegie Hall has a prestigious history dating back to 1891. Located on the corner of 57th Street and Seventh Avenue it is a designated historic landmark comprised of three separate venues: Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage, Zankel Hall, and Weill Recital Hall. With notable musicians gracing the stages at Carnegie including the likes of Tchaikovsky, George Gershwin, Billie Holiday, Benny Goodman, Judy Garland, and The Beatles, it is easy to equate a concert date at Carnegie as solidifying a musician’s place in history.
The Elsinore Middle School band encompasses a Concert Band, Parade Band, Orchestra, and a Jazz Band and has consistently earned unanimous superior ratings and in 2018 received the SupportMusic Merit Award (SMMA), an award given to individual schools that acknowledges their commitment to music education. When asked about the honor, Band Director, Jeannine Dinger stated, "This is simply a dream come true and a career highlight for me! However, this performance is a true testament of how hard these kids have worked. They are truly deserving of this opportunity.”
Now that the young musicians have been invited to perform at the festival, which takes place April 7-11, 2020, the next obstacle to overcome is funding the student’s travel and expenses. To donate directly to the band and help them get to New York please visit their GoFundMe Campaign at https://www.gofundme.com/f/elsinore-middle-band-to-carnegie-hall-or-bust.
For more information about The NAMM Foundations Best Communities for Music Education please visit https://www.nammfoundation.org/what-we-do/best-communities-music-education.