Torrance, CA (February 4, 2015): Later this month, Bishop sophomore Kristen Powell ’17 will have the opportunity to fulfill a lifelong dream of singing at Carnegie Hall in New York. She will do so as part of the High School Honors Performance Series, a program that “challenges elite students to perform at their very best.” As a part of the HSHPS, “students rehearse and perform under master conductors and have the opportunity to perform before… representatives from collegiate and professional music programs.” The selection process for this prestigious honor required Powell to submit an application and an audition recording of two classical pieces, one in English and one in Italian. The real preparation for Carnegie Hall, however, began long before it was time for her November 2014 submission to the Performance Series Board for consideration.
Powell has been singing and dancing most of her life. She started dancing at three years of age and credits this experience with helping her become comfortable on stage. She continues to train in dance at The Dance Center in Torrance, where she studies various genres including ballet, jazz, and contemporary. Soon after becoming involved in dancing, Powell began her singing career. “I got into singing through my dance teacher, Diane Ratley,” she says.
At five years old, Powell began singing in musical theater, and she has been singing classically since she was thirteen. Her talents go beyond using her voice, however. For the last eight years, Powell has been composing her own music and she hopes to continue studying music and theater in college. “I would love to major in theater in college,” she says. “My ultimate goal is to perform on Broadway after college.” Even though college is still a few years away for Powell, she already has her sights set on schools like Carnegie Mellon, Boston University, NYU, and Columbia.
Before embarking on college and a career in theater, Powell has her first dream to fulfill in a few weeks. As she prepares for Carnegie Hall – she has to learn six pieces to perform – Powell is both anxious and excited about her trip to New York. “I don’t normally get nervous,” she explains, “but I have dreamed about performing at Carnegie Hall for as long as I can remember.”