{"id":366007,"date":"2026-08-08T06:52:36","date_gmt":"2026-08-08T06:52:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/366007\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T06:52:36","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T06:52:36","slug":"jacksonville-state-singers-perform-at-carnegie-hall-under-dr-eliezer-yanson","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/366007\/","title":{"rendered":"Jacksonville State Singers Perform at Carnegie Hall Under Dr. Eliezer Yanson"},"content":{"rendered":"

Jacksonville, AL \u2013 As originally reported by Brett Buckner with JSU\u2019s media department, nineteen singers representing Jacksonville State University\u2019s 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\u2019 43rd anniversary concert season.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

The May 30 performance marked Yanson\u2019s second appearance with MidAmerica Productions and his fourth time conducting at Carnegie Hall.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe place is simply magical,\u201d Yanson said. \u201cFrom the dressing rooms to the stage, every moment carries a sense of history and inspiration.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe 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,\u201d Yanson said. \u201cSuch a special opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n

Yanson\u2019s portion of the concert featured three works by composer Dan Forrest: Arise, Shine!, Auld Lang Syne and \u201cSanctus\u201d from Requiem for the Living. Forrest attended rehearsals and the performance.<\/p>\n

\u201cI conducted Arise, Shine! in 2018, so it was special to perform that again,\u201d Yanson said.<\/p>\n

He described Forrest\u2019s arrangement of Auld Lang Syne as \u201csimply breathtaking,\u201d adding that it provided contrast to Arise, Shine!. Yanson called \u201cSanctus\u201d one of his favorite movements from Requiem for the Living.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe challenge is time management,\u201d Yanson said. \u201cA 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was so surreal,\u201d Lusk said. \u201cIt\u2019s 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lusk said the connections she formed with other musicians were among the most memorable parts of the experience.<\/p>\n

\u201cI will always cherish the experience of meeting so many fellow musicians who appreciate the value of music and fellowship,\u201d she said. \u201cI made lifelong connections that I never would have made otherwise.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Calhoun County Civic Chorale includes students, alumni, educators and community members. Eight Civic Chorale members traveled to New York for the performance.<\/p>\n

Bonnie Jones, who sang with Jacksonville State\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe didn\u2019t have any rehearsal on this music as far as a group,\u201d Jones said. \u201cSo, it was quite a challenge to learn it all. I took it as a personal challenge to see, \u2018Can I do this?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Jones described Yanson as a focused and supportive instructor.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe wastes zero time during rehearsal,\u201d Jones said. \u201cHe is one of the most kind instructors I think I have ever had. I call him Maestro. He is a genius.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nancy Byars, another Civic Chorale member, participated in Jacksonville State\u2019s Marching Southerners and A Cappella Choir during the mid-1980s. She returned to the Civic Chorale in 2024.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Marching Southerners and A Cappella Choir made Jacksonville home,\u201d Byars said. \u201cIt provided me friends and relationships I will always hold dear.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Byars, the opportunity to perform at Carnegie Hall outweighed her reluctance to travel to New York City.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe wanted to represent Jax State and Dr. Yanson in the best way possible,\u201d she said. \u201cWe did that to the best of our ability.\u201d<\/p>\n

She described taking the Carnegie Hall stage as a mixture of pride and humility.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was moved, struck to my core,\u201d Byars said. \u201cIt was a complete mix of pride and humility. Overwhelming.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cMagical,\u201d Griffith said. \u201cIt was just this massive room full of people who truly appreciate all of the beauty music offers.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt put into perspective just how much any choir can do if they put their mind to it,\u201d she said. \u201cIt really encouraged me to continue pushing myself for greatness.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cOpportunities like this have allowed me to learn so many things that I may never learn in a classroom,\u201d Hallmark said.<\/p>\n

She described performing at Carnegie Hall as both humbling and inspiring, particularly in the moments immediately before the performance began.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor a second, it was completely silent, and it hit me where I was and all we had accomplished in those few days,\u201d Hallmark said. \u201cIt was one of those moments where you stop and think, \u2018Wow. I\u2019m really here right now. This is real.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Yanson also shared the Carnegie Hall program with guest conductor Warren Cook, who led the Carnegie Hall premiere of Forrest\u2019s oratorio Creation. Cook previously served as Yanson\u2019s undergraduate and master\u2019s conducting professor and later became his colleague at Bob Jones University, where Yanson taught for nine years before joining Jacksonville State.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was an honor to share the stage with him,\u201d Yanson said.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cStanding there and realizing that so many of the world\u2019s greatest artists have performed in Carnegie Hall is an experience that\u2019s difficult to put into words,\u201d Yanson said. \u201cThe atmosphere of this historic venue\u2014widely regarded as one of the finest concert halls in the world\u2014is truly unforgettable.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Jax<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Jacksonville, AL \u2013 As originally reported by Brett Buckner with JSU\u2019s media department, nineteen singers representing Jacksonville State…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":366008,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[116,118,117],"class_list":["post-366007","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-jacksonville","tag-jacksonville","tag-jacksonville-headlines","tag-jacksonville-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/366007","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=366007"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/366007\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/366008"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=366007"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=366007"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=366007"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}