Watson Chapel High School choral singer Allahni Branch traveled to New York to perform with members of the Honors Performance Series International Honor Choir at Carnegie Hall on Feb. 10.
Branch flew from Little Rock to Atlanta and then to JFK International Airport in New York with her mother Joye Branch, grandmother Jessie Clemmons, WCHS choral director Janet Johnson and her husband, the Rev. Dr. Daniel W. Johnson, on Feb. 7.
The Honors finalists including Branch rehearsed at the Sheraton New York Times Square Hotel. On Feb. 8, the families were guided to the subway for a trip to Lower Manhattan to visit the 911 Memorial, Ground Zero, the 911 Reflection Pool, The Oculus, Central Park, St. Joseph’s Church, Wall Street, the New York Stock Exchange, Radio City Music Hall, the National Museum of History and Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Statue of Liberty.
On Feb. 9, Branch’s companions sat in on the rehearsal for 30 minutes then took a guided tour of Carnegie Hall and attended a performance of “Hades Town” on Broadway before going to Rockefeller Center and capturing an overhead view of New York City at night.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
Branch was among 184 singers from 44 states and four countries to perform.
“They sang like angels, conducted by the awesome and amazing Dr. Jeffery Ames,” Janet Johnson said in a news release. “After the concert, we boarded a big yacht for the Celebration Concert Cruise down the Hudson River with spectacular views of New York City and the Statue of Liberty.”
Johnson shared her appreciation to the Honors Performance Series for the experience.
“The HPS staff and team made us feel like family,” she said. “We thank Delta Airlines for safe and timely flights. We thank those who supported Allahni, and most importantly we thank God for providing perfect weather, safety and the opportunity to participate in the Honors Performance Series in New York City.”
The International Honor Choir under the direction of Dr. Jeffery Ames. (Special to The Commercial)