Since its opening in 1891, Carnegie Hall has been known for its beautiful venue and rich history of amazing performers and memorable events. Soon to join that history is a local music school and some performers from Haddonfield.
Forty students of The Haddonfield School of Music will perform live at Carnegie Hall on July 11 at 1:30 p.m. Featuring a program of classical music, the concert will showcase six string ensembles as well as piano and vocal soloists.
“Performing at Carnegie Hall is an aspiration of professionals and amateurs alike, and is a highlight of any artist’s career,” said Robert Bradshaw, director of The Haddonfield School of Music. “We are excited to provide the opportunity for our students.”
The Haddonfield School of Music started in 2001 with Bradshaw giving lessons in the back of a violin shop. Since then, he has built it to 15 teachers, more than 200 students ages 7 to 70, and a multitude of musical learning experiences offered.
To differentiate itself from others, the Haddonfield School of Music likes to take any opportunity it can get to perform. As luck and talent would have it, Carnegie Hall reached out to the school and invited it to perform at its venue.
“Carnegie Hall has an interesting story. It was designed to be a world-class venue, not just any concert hall. They wanted to make it the best, and they succeeded. Not only is it beautiful, but it is pleasing to the ear; the acoustics are incredible. On top of that, it’s been home to the greatest musicians and speakers. It is really neat for me and the performers to be sharing the stage with the shadows of all of these amazing artists,” Bradshaw said.
As only so many students could come, teachers nominated students who were working hard and putting forth a solid effort. According to Bradshaw, it wasn’t about inviting the best, but about inviting those who really loved it and cared about improving.
“Talent only takes you so far. If you don’t work on it, the talent plateaus,” Bradshaw said.
At the concert, there will be string instruments such as violins, violas and cellos along with pianos, singers and a guitar. The performance includes one pop song and one folk song, but consists mostly of classical music.
Bradshaw feels performing can be very addicting, and he hopes performing at Carnegie Hall will drive the students to pursue more performing and growing opportunities.
“Performing at Carnegie Hall is an amazing opportunity that will hopefully lead to bigger and better things. It is important for me, as a mentor, to give students opportunities like this to perform. Hopefully this experience will motivate them to do more things like this and perform more often. It is hard to perform at Carnegie Hall and then quit,” Bradshaw said.
For those who attend, he hopes they enjoy themselves, but also realize the importance of their presence, supporting those who are performing.
“There is this amazing emotional connection that you get from the arts, and it’s a feeling you can’t get anywhere else. The arts don’t always get the support they deserve. Doing what they love, if it means something to them, it means a lot to support them,” Bradshaw said.
On June 27, a preview of the performance was held at Haddonfield’s Grace Performance Hall called “A Prelude to Carnegie.” Close to 200 people attended, and the students performed wonderfully, according to Bradshaw and audience members.
During the performance, Bradshaw received a picture of a poster outside of Carnegie Hall advertising The Haddonfield School of Music’s performance from Grace Heaphy, the musical director of “Grace Music School” in Long Island, N.Y. He shared this with the performers and audience, receiving a great round of applause.
“The timing was perfect. The students played really well. There was this neat vibe that hadn’t been there before. I think this event really made it sink in for them, made it more real,” Bradshaw said.
Carnegie Hall is located at 57th Street and 7th Avenue in New York City. The performance will be at Weill Recital Hall at 1:30 p.m. Tickets are $12.
To get more information and tickets to the Carnegie Hall performance on Saturday, July 11, visit www.carnegiehall.org. For more information on The Haddonfield School of Music, visit www.haddonfieldschoolofmusic.com.
