PROSPERITY — Morgan Hair, Prosperity native and S.C. Governors School of the Arts and Humanities student, has been selected for the 2018 High School Honors Performance Series at Carnegie Hall (New York) and Opera House in Sydney, Australia.
In February, Hair will perform with the Honors Band in New York and perform at the Sydney Opera House in July. Participation in one of the five Honors Ensembles is limited to the highest-rated high school performers from across the world.
Earlier this year, Hair auditioned for the Honors Performance Series and, after review, she was accepted into both programs by the Honors Selection Board.
Hair will join other performers from all 50 states plus the District of Columbia, Guam, six Canadian provinces, Australia, China, Hong Kong, Mexico, New Zealand, Qatar, South Korea and the United Kingdom for two performances at Carnegie Hall and the Sydney Opera House, two venues that mark the pinnacle of musical achievement.
“Being selected to the Honors Performance Series is something each finalist should be extremely proud of accomplishing. We processed more than 18,000 nominations this year and have selected nearly 700 of the most talented student performers from around the world. Working with these conductors and performing at Carnegie Hall and/or Sydney Opera House is an once-in-a-lifetime experience that these musicians will never forget,” said Morgan Smith, program director.
“I am excited about being selected to play in New York and Sydney because traveling is something I have always wanted to do. Now, not only do I get to travel, but I get to play awesome music and learn so much about my passion, too. I can’t wait to do what I love in such beautiful places. This has been a dream of mine since I was in middle school. It is just so hard to comprehend that my dream is coming true,” Hair said.
Hair will come together with other finalists in New York City for five days in February and in Sydney for six days in July where she will have the opportunity to learn from world-renowned conductors, work with other finalists and get a taste of New York City and Sydney.
Two performances, an Honors Choral Performance and an Honors Instrumental Performance, will take place Sunday, Feb. 4, in New York and Saturday, July 21 in Sydney. Tickets can be purchased beginning 60 days prior to the performance through the Carnegie Hall box office or the Sydney Opera House box office beginning 60 days prior to the concert.
Hair has studied music for 11 years and has been playing the French horn for the last six years. She participated with the Mid-Carolina High School band program until 2017, when she was accepted into the S.C. Governors School of the Arts and Humanities.
Within the past four years, she has been selected to perform in the Region Band and S.C. Allstate Bands, placing as high as first chair in the Region and third in the State. She has also performed in the S.C. Youth Symphony Invitational Band Clinic, S.C. Allstate Orchestra, Winthrop University Invitational Clinic and has attended The Furman University Band and Orchestra Camp.
Hair will be presenting a recital on Dec. 10 at 3 p.m. at the Newberry Community Hall located on the corner of Main Street and Caldwell Street. The recital is free admission however, a love offering will be taken up for those who may want to donate to the cost of her trip.
Donations can be made to YouCaring, (a secured site) by visiting www.youcaring.com/morganhair-1010800.