On Sunday, February 16, I had the distinct privilege to sing at the Stern Auditorium / Perleman Stage in the prestigious Carnegie Hall in New York City alongside 170 vocalists from across the country. This hall is a symbol of musical excellence and an aspirational destination for many musicians. Thanks to the St. Mary’s of Alexandria Catholic Foundation, I am humbled to call myself a two-time featured soloist of Carnegie Hall. When asked how this all came about, I give two answers. The first comes from a famous joke, “How do you get to Carnegie Hall? Practice, practice, practice.
” My “practice” started at a very early age as I’ve always loved singing, but it officially started when I began singing for this very church when I was 15 years old. The second answer is that I was contacted, along with other vocalists from the 2023 Voices in the Hall, by the artistic director, Stephen Petrunak, inviting us to participate in performing pieces by Curtis Stephan, Janèt Sullivan Whitaker, and Jesse Manibusan.
These three artists have written so many wonderful, prayerful songs that we as a faith community already sing. Songs that include Tend the Ground, Miracle of Grace (Stephan), In Every Age (Whitaker), All Are Welcome (All Belong), & Open My Eyes (Manibusan). When the breakdown for each song was sent out, I noticed a lot of solo opportunities.
In 2023, ValLimar Jansen advocated for me to sing a solo. This time around, going by myself and not knowing the headlining artists personally, I reached out to Petrunak to inquire about auditioning for a solo. It wasn’t until after the concert, as I was thanking Petrunak for the opportunity, that he told me what an impression I left in 2023. This year, Manibusan and I led his song “Hold On To Love” with the choir adding parts underneath. Truly an experience to last a lifetime.
Not long after I hopped on another plane, but this time to the West Coast for the Los Angeles Religious Education Congress. RECongress is a 4-day event “gathering the global church, welcoming all to meet Jesus through connection, learning, and worship.” This year’s theme was “Called to Compassion.” I was able to participate in many workshops that celebrated our Catholic faith with compassion in all that we do. One of my favorite workshops, given by Sarah Hart, was called “The Us God Loves: Self-Compassion in a Broken World.” She spoke on
the Art of Self-Compassion: forgiving our then, being present in our now, and reaching always forward. Hart gave many examples of how Jesus showed himself compassion by embracing his human needs and limitations – “he walked for health, ate well, took time to relax, and…JESUS NAPPED!” I don’t know about you, but I find it much easier to show compassion to others than to myself; making this workshop very eye-opening. Hart left us with a prayer extending compassion to others and ourselves: “May you be Holy. May you be Peaceful. May you be
Loved.” Reaching inward, outward, and upward.
