Jacksonville, AL – As originally reported by Brett Buckner with JSU’s media department, nineteen singers representing Jacksonville State University’s A Cappella Choir and the Calhoun County Civic Chorale recently took the stage at Carnegie Hall in New York City as part of MidAmerica Productions’ 43rd anniversary concert season.
The singers performed with a combined choir and the New England Symphonic Ensemble under the direction of Dr. Eliezer Yanson Jr., Jacksonville State professor of music and director of choral activities.
The May 30 performance marked Yanson’s second appearance with MidAmerica Productions and his fourth time conducting at Carnegie Hall.
“The place is simply magical,” Yanson said. “From the dressing rooms to the stage, every moment carries a sense of history and inspiration.”
Yanson first conducted with MidAmerica Productions in 2018. The organization brings together choral and instrumental ensembles for performances at Carnegie Hall, giving participating musicians an opportunity to work with guest conductors and professional orchestras.
“The singers get to sing with a respected guest conductor, a superb orchestra, and perform in a historic venue considered one of the finest concert halls in the world,” Yanson said. “Such a special opportunity.”
Yanson’s portion of the concert featured three works by composer Dan Forrest: Arise, Shine!, Auld Lang Syne and “Sanctus” from Requiem for the Living. Forrest attended rehearsals and the performance.
“I conducted Arise, Shine! in 2018, so it was special to perform that again,” Yanson said.
He described Forrest’s arrangement of Auld Lang Syne as “simply breathtaking,” adding that it provided contrast to Arise, Shine!. Yanson called “Sanctus” one of his favorite movements from Requiem for the Living.
Preparing a combined ensemble for Carnegie Hall required singers to arrive with much of the music already learned. Yanson said he had two days to rehearse with the choir, an hour with the orchestra and a 25-minute dress rehearsal.
“The challenge is time management,” Yanson said. “A conductor always wishes for more time to work with the choir and orchestra. But the orchestra was really excellent, and I have worked with them before.”
Among the Jacksonville State singers was Alexa Lusk, a 23-year-old music education major from Bay Minette who graduated this spring. Lusk said the opportunity allowed her to perform at Carnegie Hall and visit New York for the first time.
“It was so surreal,” Lusk said. “It’s such an incredible opportunity to know how many famous choirs and artists have stood on the same stage, and to stand there and do what I love most in front of an audience that loves it too.”
Lusk said the connections she formed with other musicians were among the most memorable parts of the experience.
“I will always cherish the experience of meeting so many fellow musicians who appreciate the value of music and fellowship,” she said. “I made lifelong connections that I never would have made otherwise.”
The Calhoun County Civic Chorale includes students, alumni, educators and community members. Eight Civic Chorale members traveled to New York for the performance.
Bonnie Jones, who sang with Jacksonville State’s A Cappella Choir in the 1980s before later returning to the Civic Chorale, helped organize sectional rehearsals at her home for three weeks before the trip.
“We didn’t have any rehearsal on this music as far as a group,” Jones said. “So, it was quite a challenge to learn it all. I took it as a personal challenge to see, ‘Can I do this?’”
Jones described Yanson as a focused and supportive instructor.
“He wastes zero time during rehearsal,” Jones said. “He is one of the most kind instructors I think I have ever had. I call him Maestro. He is a genius.”
Nancy Byars, another Civic Chorale member, participated in Jacksonville State’s Marching Southerners and A Cappella Choir during the mid-1980s. She returned to the Civic Chorale in 2024.
“The Marching Southerners and A Cappella Choir made Jacksonville home,” Byars said. “It provided me friends and relationships I will always hold dear.”
For Byars, the opportunity to perform at Carnegie Hall outweighed her reluctance to travel to New York City.
“We wanted to represent Jax State and Dr. Yanson in the best way possible,” she said. “We did that to the best of our ability.”
She described taking the Carnegie Hall stage as a mixture of pride and humility.
“I was moved, struck to my core,” Byars said. “It was a complete mix of pride and humility. Overwhelming.”
For 19-year-old soprano and piano performance major Shealee Griffith of Talladega, performing at Carnegie Hall fulfilled a goal she had held since middle school.
“Magical,” Griffith said. “It was just this massive room full of people who truly appreciate all of the beauty music offers.”
Griffith said the limited rehearsal time initially caused some concern, but hearing the completed performance reinforced what an ensemble could accomplish through preparation and collaboration.
“It put into perspective just how much any choir can do if they put their mind to it,” she said. “It really encouraged me to continue pushing myself for greatness.”
Maleah Hallmark, a 24-year-old junior majoring in vocal music education from Kimberly, also participated. Hallmark said the trip represented a significant financial commitment as a student but offered an experience she considered valuable to her education and development as a musician.
“Opportunities like this have allowed me to learn so many things that I may never learn in a classroom,” Hallmark said.
She described performing at Carnegie Hall as both humbling and inspiring, particularly in the moments immediately before the performance began.
“For a second, it was completely silent, and it hit me where I was and all we had accomplished in those few days,” Hallmark said. “It was one of those moments where you stop and think, ‘Wow. I’m really here right now. This is real.’”
Yanson also shared the Carnegie Hall program with guest conductor Warren Cook, who led the Carnegie Hall premiere of Forrest’s oratorio Creation. Cook previously served as Yanson’s undergraduate and master’s conducting professor and later became his colleague at Bob Jones University, where Yanson taught for nine years before joining Jacksonville State.
“It was an honor to share the stage with him,” Yanson said.
For Yanson and the participating singers, the performance brought together current students, alumni, community musicians and professional performers in a venue known internationally for its musical history.
“Standing there and realizing that so many of the world’s greatest artists have performed in Carnegie Hall is an experience that’s difficult to put into words,” Yanson said. “The atmosphere of this historic venue—widely regarded as one of the finest concert halls in the world—is truly unforgettable.”
