TARPON SPRINGS, Fla. — The last major trip for the East Lake High School Choir was going to Carnegie Hall in 2019. Then the pandemic shut all future trips down until now. 

What You Need To Know

  • The East Lake High School (ELHS) choir is the only Florida school invited to perform at the iconic Carnegie Hall alongside renowned composer and conductor Jake Runestad on April 6
  • ELHS’s 85 singers will make up over a third of the 250-member National Concert Chorus

  • Once in New York, students will spend several days rehearsing with student choirs from across the country to perfect four compositions by Jake Runestad

  • To help the students attend this trip, you can give a donation

Invited back for a spring concert in 2024, the honor is not lost on the 85 students planning to go. 

“It means the world,” said Kylee Black, who is in the 12th grade. “I mean, I have only been in this choir for three years, but I have learned so much under Mr. Knabel, I have learned so much with my peers.”

Robert Knabel is the school’s choir director. He is known for his tough love and high expectations. 

“It really keeps us on our toes, it really keeps us engaged and focused, and even though he is strict, he kind of fosters this environment that makes us want to learn more and want to do better,” said Black. 

The drive she speaks of can be seen in the eyes of each kid in the choir. 

“We cannot go marginally prepared,” said Knabel, after directing the group through a tricky part of a song. 

“It’s hard music. It’s Carnegie Hall. So it’s hard music,” said Knabel. 

The group will perform four pieces in front of the man who wrote those very songs. 

“Jake Jake Runestad is the absolute wonderful human being, who is taking the world by storm, not only with his music, but with his kindness and gentleness,” said Knabel. 

To say the students are excited is an understatement. Many of them dream of careers in music.

“I’d love to write music and be a conductor, I think it would be the best thing in the world,” said Black. 

Another point not lost on the group — they are getting an experience that the past few choirs at East Lake High School did not. 

The COVID-19 pandemic prevented trips like this from taking place. 

“I made it clear to the kids, especially the seniors, you need to treat this with the honor that it is due, because there are senior classes before you that did not get this,” said Knabel. “They will be ready, they are not ready now, we are in the process of learning the music.”

A good concert Knabel believes is all in the preparation. 

Getting 85 students to New York City for a four-day trip is expensive. The estimated total is $200,000. 

Students are asking for any help they can get from the community. To support them, you can give a donation.