MCHS CHOIR PERFORMS AT CARNEGIE HALL

By Dr. Kaia Richards ’99

By Toni West

As I was standing on the stage of Carnegie Hall, the importance of the experience was swirling through my mind. As a performer, singing on this stage, where world-class musicians have performed, I am excited. However, I found myself thinking about the parallels between this trip as a teacher and a trip I took as a student. When I was a student at Moreau, we had the opportunity to go to Japan. We toured as guests and performed at special events. Needless to say, this was an extremely memorable visit. I learned a lot about Japanese culture, and bonded with my choir friends. Through my years at Moreau, Arlene Hood, the choir teacher, encouraged me to sing at state festivals, apply for scholarships, and opened my eyes to the world of singing on stage. I will forever be grateful to Arlene, Moreau, and music for guiding my life to where it is now.

Now, I am the choir teacher at Moreau, taking my students on trips that will hopefully leave indelible marks on their memories. These students gave up hours of free time to learn a difficult piece of music for a year; and even when we arrived in the Big Apple, we still had 3-4 hours of rehearsals each day. One day, looking back on these memories, I hope the singers fondly recall our trip for more than just the Broadway show we saw, the dinner cruise around the Statue of Liberty, the free time exploring Manhattan, or even singing at Carnegie Hall with a world-class orchestra. I hope they remember the friendships they made in our class; the sense of achievement in mastering a 40-minute long choral work; the experience of working under the baton of a university department chair professor; and lastly that they remember how happy they were when they sang together. Although I realize most students will not pursue music degrees like I did, it doesn’t mean that their singing journey should end. The tools they learn in choir will hopefully give them the confidence to join choirs in their communities and continue to sing throughout their lives!

In the fall of 2022, Donovan Madden-Watson found a way to use his passion for music for a purpose that meant so much to him. It was during the formation of his band that performed at the school’s play that he had a starter idea to have a concert for mental awareness. “I drew inspiration from concerts like LiveAid, and wanted to have that same impact here at Moreau.”

The concert served people suffering from mental illnesses by raising money for the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) for them to be able to use the funds to support their mission. A secondary objective was to raise awareness in the school community. Mental health is something that a lot of teenagers struggle with, anxiety, depression, social pressures, and even things at home can all contribute to negative mental effects for teens.

Donovan shared, “I, myself, have struggled to deal with my own mental health throughout my life. I wanted to use my voice as an artist to share my story, and help others share their stories in an engaging way.” His event raised over $2,000 dollars and sold over 150 tickets. “I’m really proud of everything we were able to do.”

Feedback from the event’s attendees truly touched Donovan and confirmed the success of the event. Through the mix of musical performances, dance performances, an art show, and small talks where students shared their experiences with mental health struggles, the audience connected with the performers and grew in their understanding of mental illness and its impact. “Many people told me that they found it inspiring, and some younger students have even expressed a desire to continue the project moving into their senior year. I would love to see Music Over Melancholy become a legacy project to benefit the Mariner community.”

Donovan added that there was no way he would have pulled this off without the support of his Moreau family. “I would first like to highlight all of the participants of the concert, because without them the whole thing would not have been possible. I would like to highlight my band, Phuong Thy Nguyen, Edison Chow, Kayden Wallkvist, and PJ Landeza, as well as my adult mentors, Cara Madden and Charlie Kaupp, who were crucial to the success of the event.”

Donovan will be attending UC Davis for Environmental/ Civil Engineering this fall. His plans are to work in either the energy sector or in an area that focuses with sustainability in transportation and city planning.