photo by: Courtesy of Lawrence Children's Choir

Members of the Lawrence Children's Choir are pictured on the Staten Island Ferry with LCC artistic director Gabe Lewis-O'Connor in June 2025.

A group of young Lawrence vocalists recently got the chance to perform on one of the world’s most renowned stages: Carnegie Hall.

Ava Talbott, a senior at Free State High School who has been singing with the Lawrence Children’s Choir for nine years, said it was a thrill to perform in such an iconic venue “where all the greats have performed.”

photo by: Courtesy of Lawrence Children’s Choir

Members of the Lawrence Children’s Choir are pictured with other young singers at Carnegie Hall in June 2025.

Talbott was one of 21 singers from LCC’s Tour Choir who traveled to the Big Apple earlier this summer as part of a national choral festival featuring 150 singers from around the country. The choir’s repertoire included a world premiere by Canadian composer Katerina Gimon.

“My favorite thing about Carnegie Hall was getting to sing with a group that I otherwise never would,” Talbott said. “There were kids from all over the country singing with us, and I learned a lot from them.”

Morgan Sponholtz, a Free State senior who joined the Children’s Choir just last year, said being able to sing at Carnegie Hall was “magical” and opened her eyes to just how large the live music industry is.

“We were able to meet with technicians, staff and volunteers who all had incredible stories about how they came to the industry and what music meant to them,” she said.

Ash Wagner, a Lawrence High School senior who’s been with the choir since fifth grade, said the sound in the hall was indescribably beautiful but the best part was making family proud.

“Getting to sing there was already an honor, but getting to sing there in front of my family was another level,” Wagner said.

In addition to the performance, the young singers also got a whirlwind tour of New York City. Some of them, like Sponholtz, had never been.

The group got to walk through Central Park, explore the Rockefeller Center, ride the Staten Island Ferry, visit the Statue of Liberty and the 9/11 Memorial, see a Broadway production of “The Great Gatsby” and, of course, sample New York-style pizza and cheesecake.

At the “Gatsby” show, the students also got an opportunity to meet some of the cast and crew, which Talbott said was “definitely a highlight of the trip.”

“I think as choir kids we all were starstruck getting to learn more about these amazing performers,” she said.

As summer winds down and a new school year begins, the Lawrence Children’s Choir, now in its 35th season, is opening up to new members, said Gabe Lewis-O’Connor, the choir’s artistic director.

The organization offers five choirs for singers from age 3 through adult, with scholarship support available for both tuition and travel through LCC’s dedicated scholarship funds.

The choir’s two auditioned ensembles — Choristers (grades 4-6) and Tour Choir (grades 7-12) — are currently welcoming new members.

Lewis-O’Connor said that auditions are “relaxed, fun, and all about discovering a love of music.” Prospective singers will simply meet with Lewis-O’Connor for a low-pressure “meet-and-sing” session.

Next summer, the Tour Choir is preparing for an international tour destination. Lewis-O’Connor said the exact destination would be revealed soon, but gave a hint: “Singers might want to start brushing up on their French!”

To learn more and schedule a “meet-and-sing,” go to www.lawrencechildrenschoir.org/sing-with-us-2 or email glewisoconnor@lawrencechildrenschoir.org.

photo by: Courtesy of Lawrence Children’s Choir

Members of the Lawrence Children’s Choir are pictured at Carnegie Hall in New York in June 2025.

photo by: Courtesy of Lawrence Children’s Choir

Members of the Lawrence Children’s Choir are pictured outside a New York theater where they saw “The Great Gatsby” in June 2025.

photo by: Courtesy of Lawrence Children’s Choir

Members of the Lawrence Children’s Choir visited the Statue of Liberty in June 2025.

photo by: Courtesy of Lawrence Children’s Choir

Members of the Lawrence Children’s Choir toured New York City in June 2025.

photo by: Courtesy of Lawrence Children’s Choir

Members of the Lawrence Children’s Choir visited the 9/11 memorial in New York in June 2025.