When the director of Hughes Middle School’s vocal collective got an email inviting his students to perform in a concert at Carnegie Hall, he was so excited he worried someone was playing a trick on him.
“I remember thinking, ‘Is this real?’” said Harlee Balajadia, who runs the choral program at the Bixby Knolls campus.
It was real. This week, he and his choir students will be making the cross-country trek to New York City and the iconic music venue.
Hughes landed the gig through word of mouth, Balajadia said.
When he saw that the New England Symphonic Ensemble would be performing a series of concerts with a select group of students from throughout the country, Balajadia had a friend put in a good word with the conductor.
As a result, a group of 18 students from Hughes, ranging in age from 11 to 14, will join students from three other schools from Texas and New York to sing Fauré’s “Requiem” in D minor on June 7.
The students will stay in New York City for five days and spend nine to ten hours in rehearsal before performing at a concert venue that has hosted the likes of The Beatles, Frank Sinatra, Billie Holiday and many more.
“I think it’s really going to be timeless for them,” Balajadia said. “It’s going to show them what can’t be taught within four walls.”
Balajadia, who grew up in Long Beach and has taught at Hughes since 2020, said he’s most excited to show his students “a sneak peek of what being a professional musician is like.”
His students have sung at Disneyland and gotten paid to sing Christmas carols among other smaller professional opportunities, but they haven’t performed anything on this scale before, Balajadia said.
“The invitation extended to the ensemble is a testament to the outstanding musicianship and dedication of their singers,” James E. Redcay III, chief executive officer of MidAmerica Productions, said in a statement. “We are proud to welcome them to perform as part of our 42nd season at Carnegie Hall.”
Part of “Requiem” is performed in Latin, which Balajadia said was a challenge but also an opportunity to teach his students that classical music doesn’t just have to be enjoyed by someone who exclusively studies that genre.
“This is really them establishing a love of lifelong learning,” Balajadia said. “It’s a full circle moment of why I do what I do.”
The only downside, he said, is their flight to New York leaves out of Los Angeles International Airport instead of Long Beach.