Photo courtesy of Betsy Stone
Freshman Betsy Stone stands on top of the Empire State Building with two other members of the choir, Erin Kuntz and Elizabeth Hamshire.
While most Hillsdale students were warm in their homes enjoying turkey dinners on Thanksgiving Day, freshman Betsy Stone ate a chicken sandwich garnished with a pickle spear from a styrofoam box aboard a plane to New York City.
Stone, who graduated from the Buffalo, N.Y. children’s chamber choir last year, was asked to return and accompany the choir last week as they traveled to New York City to perform John Rutter’s “Mass of the Children” in prestigious Carnegie Hall.
The Buffalo choir joined another children’s choir from New Jersey and three adult choirs, as well as the New England Symphonic Ensemble in performing the American Premiere of Rutter’s “Mass of the Children,” a 45-minute-long chorale composition.
Rutter, a British composer, who conducted the concert himself, held it at 8:30 p.m. Sunday, and trained choirs in the days before the concert.
Stone said the chance to work with Rutter and perform at Carnegie Hall was worth giving up Thanksgiving dinner.
“He’s so talented,” Stone said. “It was really cool to work with him.”
Performing for large audiences or in prestigious places is nothing new for Stone, who was a member of the Buffalo children’s chamber choir from age 9 until she graduated from high school last year.
The chamber choir tours every other year, and alternates between domestic and international tours.
Stone’s first trip abroad was to Germany at age 10. Since then she has visited England, France and Ireland and many places in the U.S.
“To see everything we’ve seen and to have done everything we’ve done is a blessing,” Stone said.
Stone said one of her favorite chorus memories was performing a vocal solo in England’s historic Canterbury Chapel three years ago, but added that performing at packed Carnegie Hall—with it’s white and gold décor and three tiers of red seats—ranked high on her list of favorites as well.
Stone’s interest in singing began at a young age; when she entered preschool she was known for mimicking the opera singing she heard at home on the radio. An elementary teacher encouraged her to audition for the Buffalo children’s choir, and she was quickly advanced from membership in the concert choir to the talented chamber choir.
“I was the youngest member of the [chamber] choir,” she said. “I was 9 and every one else was at least 12. It was kind of intimidating.”
Stone said the chamber choir’s composition has changed over the years, including more young children.
Stone’s interests, too, have changed, away from chorale singing and toward solo singing. Chorale singing, she explained, requires a straight tone without vibrato that can blend with other voices, while solo singing requires a louder voice that does not blend.
“I kind of have to decide which kind of singing I want to do, and train that way,” she said.
Stone has been taking voice lessons since age 11 and plans to continue through college. Recently she appeared as a member of the chorus in the musical Return to the Forbidden Planet.