Hanna Shein isn’t your normal high school freshman.
It’s true that she does normal things one would expect of a young musical and vocal performer. She performs in the school’s marching and concert bands, wind ensemble and concert choir. She takes part in the fall play. Most recently, she performed the national anthem at a home show in the vocal quartet. And as of September, she was inducted into the Tri-M Music Honor Society and was voted vice president of her freshman class.
What is more unique about Shein is her recent accomplishment of being accepted to perform at the prestigious Carnegie Hall with high school students from all over the world.
“It makes me feel really happy and excited,” Shein said. “I wasn’t expecting to make it.”
In February, Shein will perform in the 2020 High School Honors Performance Series at Carnegie Hall, located in the middle of New York City, with some of the most talented student performers from around the globe.
She will spend five days in New York rehearsing with renowned conductors, seeing a Broadway show and performing in one of the most well-known concert venues in the world.
Shein says she’s most excited to meet new people that are from outside the United States, as well as sing new songs.
At the time of her nomination, which was given by her eighth-grade choir teacher, there was less than two weeks to submit her audition. Shein worked with her private vocal instructor on selecting her audition song. They ended up deciding on “Till There Was You” from the musical “The Music Man” and a Latin piece called “Sento nel core” by Alessandro Scarlatti. She submitted her application in June.
“I was pretty nervous before I recorded myself, but it turned out pretty good,” Shein said.
It wasn’t until October when Shein got the acceptance letter. She remembers constantly refreshing her emails on acceptance day, hoping that she would find one that starts with “congratulations.” Her three-hour choir practice at the end of the school day didn’t allow her time to check her phone. It wasn’t until her mother picked her up from practice with balloons when she knew she made it.
“Carnegie Hall is the best of the best, and it’ll help me get a lot more opportunities in the music world,” Shein said.
She is expected to receive her sheet music and conductor’s rehearsal notes by the end of December.
But until then, Shein can be seen doing the normal high school freshman stuff.
