Travelling to New York City is always an exciting adventure, however, performing at Carnegie Hall takes the journey to a whole new level. This trip of a lifetime is soon to become a reality for nine local teens and their choir director, Kendra Gonczy. The Spirit of Grace singers are set to join forces with the 100-member Saskatchewan Choir, proudly representing their province on the prestigious stage of Carnegie Hall. Yet, the question lingers: how does such an extraordinary opportunity present itself? Kendra Gonczy shares the exciting details. 

“In the summer I got an e-mail as part of the Greystone alumni, I sang in university with the choir for three years. So, I got this e-mail and it invited all of the alumni from Greystone to join this choir for Carnegie Hall. And I reached out right away, and I said I have this amazing group of nine fantastic teenagers that are extremely talented, would I be able to bring them? And they said, of course, that sounds amazing. So, we decided to join them.” 

A trip of this size carries a hefty price tag, and to help offset some of the expenses, the Spirit of Grace singers will perform a Broadway musical at the Tommy Douglas Performing Arts Centre. 

“We are presenting the Broadway musical, 'You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown.' It is such a witty, fun musical. We are having an absolute blast getting it ready for everyone. It is a very small cast of only six. The six main peanuts characters. And we have a small chorus of seven. So altogether there are only 13 kids involved, but it is honestly a show you won't want to miss. I smile the entire way through every rehearsal, it's just such a fun, fun musical.” 

Gonczy expressed her sincere gratitude for all the local support, "Musicals are not cheap to purchase anymore. So, we reached out to some community businesses and people. And we have had such an outpouring of support from businesses. I cannot say enough good things about our local community and how they have backed us up. So thank you to those businesses who are always willing to help out."

Charlie Brown poster

There will be four performances with the first show kicking off at 7 p.m. on Friday, February 23rd, and will run until Sunday, February 25th. Tickets are $20 for adults and $10 for students, and five and under are free. Tickets are available at Grace United Church or Brady’s House of Flowers. 

Carnegie Hall Poster