SEQUIM — Five Carnegie Hall hopefuls are getting a boost from their classmates and their community.
A quintet of Sequim High School singers — seniors Thomas Arnesen, Silas Baird, Colleen Carpenter, Victoria Hall and junior Tomi Wilson — earned spots at the Honors Performance Festival at New York’s Carnegie Hall in February.
To help them on their way, SHS choir teacher John Lorentzen and company are hosting a fundraiser concert set for 1 p.m. Sunday in the school auditorium, 601 N. Sequim Ave.
No admission will be charged; event organizers will have donation jars set up for contributions.
Each student will sing at least one solo and will join forces to sing some group numbers. They will be joined by the SHS Vocal Ensemble as well.
In addition, Lorentzen’s children, Mark and Anne Lorentzen, will perform some of their favorite musical theater pieces from productions they have done locally as well as out of state. Mark will reprise such songs as “Bring Him Home” from “Les Miserables,” and Anne will sing songs from her recent production of “9 to 5 — The Musical” in Illinois, as well as other favorites and holiday numbers.
Other local singers might be joining in as well, Lorentzen said, for a kind of “old-fashioned variety show.”
The Honors Performance Festival is set Feb. 2-6. Funds raised will help pay for students’ travel expenses.
To qualify for the festival, students had to earn state and regional honors, get a formal recognition from their choir director and record an Italian aria or art song.
Lorentzen initially nominated 10 students and five accepted the challenge; all five were then accepted to the February performance.
Students need to raise about $2,500 each to attend the series.
To help raise funds for the group, a fundraising website has been set up at www.gofundme.com/send-shs-students-to-NYC.
