By Emily Bruder Special to the Intermountain Catholic DRAPER — Most musicians dream of making it to the Carnegie Hall stage. Juan Diego Catholic High School senior Courtney May made that dream come true as a senior in high school. Last month, May attended the American High School Honors Performance Series at Carnegie Hall in New York, which features the top high school performers in the U.S. Musicians in this orchestra hail from across the nation and are chosen based on an audition recording, music résumé and nomination by a school conductor. From Feb. 9-11, the group rehearsed together; the program concluded with a concert at Carnegie Hall on Feb. 12. Many acclaimed artists have performed at the historic Carnegie Hall. "These selective and competitive programs provide experiences that can set performers on a track for great things," said Dr. Barry Tally, Director of Music for the program. "As a musician, this is an incredible opportunity for me to play with talented musicians and conductors in the best concert hall in America," May said. Before her departure for New York, May said the pressure was high because she knew many collegiate music representatives would attend the concert. She says she feels incredibly blessed to have this opportunity, and believes it is also a recognition of all of the people who have helped her develop musically along the way. While in New York, May performed a total of 15 hours over five days. In the program, she met many people from all over the U.S., and even some international students. Although they were busy rehearsing each day, they had the chance to go on tours in the evenings. One of the highlights was attending the Broadway musical "Anything Goes!" But it was the concert experience that will stay with her the most. "My favorite part was the music itself – it was the best," May said. "Playing in the orchestra at Carnegie Hall is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity." All the student musicians were on edge to perform their best, May said. "It was stressful because high-quality conductors can hear all mistakes made," she said, adding that she thought the performance went very well. "This incredible experience helped me improve as a whole. Classical music isn’t always as exciting to listen to, but it is incredible to play. The experience will probably make me stronger, as I am pushed outside my comfort zone here in Utah." May’s grandmother from Texas and her entire immediate family traveled to New York to support her, and attend the concert. May has played violin for 12 years, and currently plays in the JD orchestra under director Jed Blodgett. "As an orchestra student, Courtney is fantastic," said Blodgett, who has been teaching May for three years. "She is driven and extremely talented. Her calm, self-composed attitude is a great influence on the rest of the group and a wonderful asset to the program." May not only is in orchestra class each day, she often schedules extra rehearsals with the orchestra or the string quartet, Blodgett said. "I shoot for quality rather than quantity, rarely practicing more than an hour a day, or six or seven hours a week," said May, adding, "I might practice five or six hours the day before an important rehearsal or concert." Music isn’t May’s only interest. She also takes part in cross country, debate, track, and volunteer projects, and "sleeps every once in a while," she joked. She has received recognition for her successes, including the Dorothy Day award, National Merit Semi-Finalist, AP Scholar with distinction and Academic All-State for cross country. "I believe that one of Courtney’s strengths is her work ethic," said Blodgett. "She sets realistic goals and does everything in her power to achieve them." Emily Bruder is a junior at Juan Diego Catholic High School.
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