Wednesday February 6th felt like any normal day, waking up, eating breakfast and going to class; all the norm for any day of classes. But that Wednesday wasn’t like any other day, it was the day we got to go perform at Radio City.
When we got back for the second semester of the year our director, Tom Cuffari, said we had the opportunity of a lifetime; to sing backup for Sarah Brightman, the original Christine in The Phantom of the Opera, at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. For weeks we rehearsed over 25 songs that we would sing along side Sarah Brightman and finally the day had come.
We boarded the bus to leave Sacred Heart at 11:30 in the morning, and we were officially on our way to the city. At 2PM we had finally arrived, and were able to go through the stage doors to check in and receive our all access passes for the night. After receiving our passes we made our way to our rehearsal in the same space that Prince, Whitney Houston, and other incredible artists have rehearsed in before us. After the initial rehearsal, we were brought to the Rockettes dressing room, where we would be getting ready for the concert.
After going through the dressing room we went to the mic check on stage, when we each received an earpiece and audio pack. This allowed us to hear our cues and and music better as well as the pitches we were to sing. After the first song we had the opportunity to meet Sarah Brightman before rehearsing a song with her. Her love for the music and compassion towards us was unbelievable. After our mic check we were given down time, and got to explore Radio City a bit as well as eat dinner and prepare for the night. The moment we stepped onto the stage was surreal. The curtains were draped across the stage, just enough that the audience was hidden away. As it went up we were able to see how large the crowd was, a moment I do not think I will ever forget. The variety of songs was vastly large, differentiating between Classical Opera, Rock, and Broadway classics. Through two acts and an encore we sang throughout the night, taking in the moment of a lifetime.
The opportunity to sing at Radio City Music Hall was unlike anything I had ever experienced before. I was extremely grateful for this opportunity and know I would have never achieved it at any other school.