Where Time Stood Still

When I was a senior in high school and in honor's choir, our group got invited to go to New York City for a day and a half to perform and see the city. We also got to see a musical, Once. Our hotel may have been in New Jersey, but we lived pretty much the entire trip in New York City, besides travel time of course. Everything about my experience was a trip to remember.

I awoke on a Saturday morning around 6:30 in order to catch the bus from Frank's Theaters in York. There were about 50 of us who were going on this trip, all of us very talented, experienced singers and aspiring musicians. Five of us were coming from West York to go on this trip, myself included. Previously, the five of us had gone to the farm show complex in Harrisburg every year with our select vocal Ensemble to sing Christmas carols and more. This time, we would be putting on a small concert in St John's Cathedral, the largest church in downtown New York City.

The bus ride lasted four and a half hours, and included the pit stop for coffee and a bathroom break halfway through. They had Burger King at this gas station for whatever reason, so I picked up some hash browns and a sandwich to tide me over until we ate dinner. This was my first time ever setting foot in New York, much less New York City. As soon as we came through the tunnel that led into New York City and Lower Manhattan, all of us started cheering with enamored excitement.

The city was huge. The people were everywhere, and all of them usually friendly. You could literally go up to anybody on the street and strike up a conversation. It was the biggest cultural hub I ever seen, even more so than Paris and Switzerland. It was incredible. And who would have known that it wide Just a few hours north of me?

Normally, the honors choir goes to New York City and sings in the Rockefeller Center, and sings for a big audience. We weren't as lucky, and I had not gone there before. Simply because of monetary constraints, I was only able to go this one year. 

When we got to the cathedral, our mouths were agape after seeing how big the church was. We performed at 10:30 in the morning to a room of mostly parents. Our first song was "O sifuni mungu", an African spiritual, and we really got a feel for the sheer dynamics of this cathedral. The ceiling was 120 feet high, and echoed like mad. We hit our last chord and our next song, "Lux Aurumque" by Eric Whitacre, and our director pulled out a stopwatch. 8 Seconds. Our last chord run out in the cathedral for 8 Seconds. Chills ran down my spine. A tear ran down the face of the person beside me.

The powerhouse of a cathedral that we sang in.

The guys ensemble sang hello "Mary Lou" , a barbershop ensemble song, and the girls ensemble saying "mouth music", an Irish spiritual. We sang a song of joys, and mixed meter cantata. We sang a few more songs before ending our set with "Why We Sing", followed by an encore of "Let the River Run", as re-imagined by Carly Simon. This powerful song was originally a Quaker spiritual, but now would become the most powerful song I have ever song in a choir. There were four percussionists, including myself, but only two of us went on the trip. We slammed our drums loud and proud. 

What an incredible concert, only to be followed by a tour of Times Square, a few picture opportunities, and then our first Broadway show. We saw the musical ones, and it immediately became my favorite musical. I broke down about the soundtrack, as everything about this single stage single set  Broadway show was incredible and Unforgettable. Although I performed in musicals in my own I was never the biggest fan of them, until this day.

We then ate at Hard Rock Cafe, making sure to purchase souvenirs. I had a collection of drumsticks from Hard Rock, and this would be a addition number 5. We then had two hours to ourselves to roam around, where we checked out the Nintendo store, and their biggest candy store. We then met up in Time Square around 6 at night.

At this point in the trip, we all looked at each other, happy to be alive. Our director put up a high sign to get us all together as a group, and said that he had a wonderful idea to stand in the center of Times Square and start an impromptu acapella version of Let the River Run. And this is the magical moment where time Stood Still.

Some friends and I in Times Square. Wait for it...

As you may be aware, Times Square is one of the busiest parts of New York, and  New York City is one of the busiest cities in America. There is hustling and bustling and lots of cars honking their horns everywhere. Lots of advertisements on the big screens in the Big Apple, mostly for musicals and products that are up and coming. When we started singing though, the crowds gathered at the outdoor Amphitheater at Times Square all came to a quiet halt. There were no words. No cars honking. Just the Euphoria of the moment, and at least 400 people listening to a group of high schoolers sing Carly Simon, recording us on their cell phones, taking pictures, and listening. 

And then all of a sudden, an image of us appeared on one of the Billboards, and the honors choir was on display for all who looked on the other wise illustrious advertisements. We finished our song on a high A from the sopranos and a middle D from the basses, swelling into an uproar, ferociously. A 5-second halt, and then the Applause started like mad. 

That just happened. Time Stood Still. No,;New York City, Stood Still, just to listen to us.

What an Incredible gift we had been given this day. We used our talents to give back in the only beautiful way that we knew how to. Triumphantly, we returned to our tour bus, ready to get dinner at a local pasta restaurant. Because we were part of a group, we got a discounted rate, and all of us got a four course meal out of the deal. Between this and the gracious hospitality, we had to thank them in the only way we knew how. My percussionist colleague Dakota and I started drumming on the table, and once again, the choir was letting the River Run. You should have seen the smiles on their faces.

And so it came to pass, that this would be my first glimpse into the wondrous world that is New York City. This was my first time going there, but most certainly not the last. Until next time I stumble upon the Big Apple, I would always continue to let the River Run. And I would let all of the dreamers wake the nation.