Led by Coty Raven Morris, PSU’s Rose and Thorn Choirs took New York City by storm this June, culminating in a highlight they’ll remember forever: a performance on the legendary Carnegie Hall stage.
After landing at the airport, more than 70 members of the Rose and Thorn Choirs (collectively known as the Briar Chorus) met their tour guide and made their way to their hotel in Midtown Manhattan, located just around the corner from Carnegie Hall and dozens of Broadway theaters. From there, they began a trip filled with sightseeing, great food and an array of enviable musical experiences.
A musical journey
The week was structured around a series of vocal workshops and other singing experiences that would only be possible in New York, including a rehearsal and performance 100+ stories up at the One World Observatory in lower Manhattan.
“The views from the One World Observatory were phenomenal and I loved being able to perform up there. It was especially heartwarming to hear from one of the employees that in all of the years he has worked there, hearing us sing was one of his absolute favorite experiences.” - Isabella Pack, senior, Arts and Letters
Coty Raven Morris (left and student at One World Observatory
Briar Chorus singer looks out window at One World Observatory
Another musical highlight was a transformative One Day Choir experience with the Gaia Music Collective. Gaia is known for gathering ordinary people together in a room and learning a single song — New York’s answer to Morris’s community sing concept. For their One Day Choir experience, the singers participated in a collective rendition of “Drive” by the great Bobby McFerrin, arranged by Tracy Robertson — a piece described by Gaia as “full of infectious rhythms, slick layers that fit together in such a satisfying puzzle and a big ol’ groove that just won’t quit.”
"Drive" sheet music - preparing for One Day Choir with Gaia
Group selfie with Hadestown performer Alex Puette
“Singing with the One Day Choir at the Gaia Collective was an incredibly welcoming and inclusive experience that allowed me to feel safe in expressing myself fully with other folks in song.” - Isabella Pack, senior, Arts and Letters
“It was really cool to see how another group approaches a ‘community sing.’ It was great to discover there are community based singing groups all over the world. This very much affirmed that I am finding my people and my niche career focus.” - Apollo Fernweh, recent graduate, Bachelor of Music
Give my regards to old Broadway
The students took in not one but two Broadway shows (Hadestown and The Book of Mormon). They also had the rare opportunity to join a workshop with Hadestown performer Alex Puette, who taught them the choreography and music to “Chant,” the musical’s iconic work song, and other numbers.
“I love love loved the Broadway workshop. It was so cool — and terrifying — to learn from the people you look up to and admire! It was very awe inspiring to learn from the pros. They also complimented our quick learning of the musical numbers!” - Alexandra Gunderson, senior, Music Performance and Graphic Design
“The Hadestown performance we saw was incredible! I knew it was going to be amazing, but it completely blew me away. And to get to work with a cast member the very next day for a dance workshop was so wonderful!” -Megan Abens, senior, English
“The Broadway workshop was really inspiring, especially hearing the stories of the two actors that worked with us. They reminded me that life is not linear and it may take time to get where you want to be, but putting in the work and staying true to who you are is key.” -Aubri Giles, junior, Environmental Studies
How do you get to Carnegie Hall? Practice, practice, practice
As the week flew by, it was soon time for the main event: the choir’s much-anticipated performance on the storied Carnegie Hall stage, where Morris served as the Choirs of America composer-in-residence and guest conductor this spring. In the days and hours leading up to the concert, the students joined with 12 other choirs to practice together in a series of massed choir rehearsals with Morris and Jason Max Ferdinand, a renowned choral conductor, composer and educator who leads the choral program at University of Maryland, College Park. The concert itself kicked off with a performance by the Gay Men's Chorus of Washington, DC.
The audience reception was overwhelming. The students' performance at Carnegie Hall received multiple standing ovations, including one before the song was even concluded.
“While I had the most fun at the Broadway workshop, the most important group that I interacted with was the mass rehearsal. Working with Jason Max Ferdinand offered experience and technique that felt incredibly new and important, and it reminded me that there’s still so much for me to learn as a musician.” - Israel Olmos Lopez, sophomore, Social Work
Francis Upton V points to Carnegie Hall poster listing PSU Briar Choir
“Just being in Carnegie was a great reminder of those who came before the Briar Chorus on that magnificent stage. Thinking about their legacy, and the long lasting impact of music on the world was very powerful for me. I hope some little bit of our sound rings in there forever because it felt very empowering to consider the legacy we were leaving behind through our performance.” - Carol Sciba, recent graduate, Social Science
“While I had the most fun at the Broadway workshop, the most important group that I interacted with was the mass rehearsal. Working with Jason Max Ferdinand offered experience and technique that felt incredibly new and important, and it reminded me that there’s still so much for me to learn as a musician.” - Israel Olmos Lopez, sophomore, Social Work
“It was both surreal and intimidating to look out at Carnegie Hall from the same stage where Billie Holiday sang ‘All of Me’ and Gershwin premiered ‘Rhapsody in Blue.’ I felt like an imposter, walking the corridors in my hand-sewn suit, surrounded by the sheet music from musical greats that adorn all of the walls. That feeling melted away by the end of our second piece, ‘Blogodop,’ a song of dancing in communal celebration and seizing the moment with one another. We danced and sang more and more vigorously and as we concluded in a powerful unison vocal blast with our fists raised in solidarity, the audience rose from their seats in a standing ovation! It was awesome!” - Kadi Rae Smith, senior, Biology and Psychology
Rehearsal with Jason Max Ferdinand
“I feel like the moment I will remember forever was the moment between when we finished the last chord of ‘Elijah Rock’ and when the crowd started their applause. The moment of silence and anticipation, and then feeling like I got the wind knocked out of me from the sheer power of the applause. I was shaking from it, it felt like thunder. The idea that me and my friends were the ones on stage receiving it. That's what I will remember forever.” -Elizabethanne Marie Brockhaus-Zietz, sophomore, Social Work
Student in front of Carnegie Hall poster with pic of Coty Raven Morris
Briar Chorus singers in lobby of Carnegie Hall
Coty Raven Morris at microphone with Briar behind her on Carnegie stage
The queen of Carnegie Hall
One of Morris’s many strengths is her courageous willingness to model self-confidence and self-love. In doing so, she inspires the same in her students. Through her teaching and music-making, Morris manages to embody empathy, connection and authenticity. Not surprisingly, her nickname is Queen, a moniker her students embrace without hesitation. Nowhere have these gifts been so apparent as during this Carnegie Hall experience.
Coty Raven Morris with Robyn Story
Coty Raven Morris with Megan Abens
“I think the most memorable part of the Briar Choir's Carnegie Hall experience was watching Professor Coty Raven Morris' entrance to the stage. It was so surreal to be onstage as our beloved teacher was introduced as "The Queen of Carnegie Hall"! What's more, she even said "good evening", just like she does in class, and the whole audience said it back to her. I really felt like the whole hall was united by her presence. It was amazing!” - Laurien Zahn, senior, Music: Voice
Memories to last a life time
When they weren’t in rehearsal or workshops, the students were out on the town, taking in everything New York has to offer. Throughout the week, they filled their days with cultural experiences: a visit to Times Square, a ferry ride to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, a shopping excursion in Chinatown and Little Italy, a tour of the 9/11 Memorial & Museum and Calatrava’s Oculus, a trip to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and, of course, a walk through Central Park.
View of Brooklyn Bridge
Group in Times Square
“I was very surprised to realize that I like how fast paced New York is. I would love to live there someday.” - Aubri Giles
“Getting to see the world is always important, and getting to see and hear performers from other parts of the country is incredible! You can’t know what’s out there until you go, and you can only learn from people if you learn with them.”
- Ella Peterson, junior, Art Practice
Jay at the foot of the Statue of LIberty
“This was such a beautiful experience and I am so grateful to be a part of it. I want to thank Coty for believing in me and helping get me on this trip. I want to thank PSU for providing scholarships to students like me who needed it, and I want to thank those in the choir who have supported me throughout this entire journey. I am so excited to see what’s in store for the future.” - Madelyn Gomez, sophomore, Public Health Studies
Coty Raven Morris shared her thoughts about this meaningful trip:
“Creating experiences for students to understand this world is a fundamental part of my teaching philosophy. Education is the key to access. And when students have access to their history and resources, they will be curious about the world around them and have the tools for conversation and connection. I am beyond grateful for the support from our community, donors, concert attendees, and their families for making this trip a reality.
"I have had the privilege of performing and conducting in least half of the states in this country and I can say without question this was the best choir experience and concert that I've had in my life. I have no doubt that the overwhelming audience response was not just because of the choir's phenomenal performance, but to the fellowship that they saw on the stage amongst these singers. The students' individual and ensemble growth leading to this performance was the REAL point. As I said to them before they took the stage, 'The hall doesn’t make the people, the people make the hall.' They were already worthy. And now, the halls of Carnegie and choirs around our country know it, too.” - Coty Raven Morris, Hinckley Assistant Professor of Choir, Music Education and Social Justice