Elite Performing Opportunities

Prestige. Honor. Excellence.

Festival at Carnegie Hall Festival of Gold

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The best stages.

The greatest venues.

Reserved for the most deserving.

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Presenting our distinctive offerings: Festival at Carnegie Hall Festival of Gold Our elite performing opportunities are designed to celebrate excellence. They provide a chance for the most skilled and dedicated student ensembles to perform on America’s premier stages, under the batons of worldrenowned conductors and adjudicators …Prestige, Honor, Excellence.

We believe these festivals bring together an amazing combination of tradition, talent, and aspiration to form some of the most memorable experiences your group will enjoy on their journey to musical mastery.

Participation is selective and includes an audition process. If chosen to attend, your ensemble ranks among the very best in the country, and your students will perform on the same stages graced by the most talented musicians of the 20th and 21st centuries.

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Premier experiences, made to deliver the memories of a lifetime

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“Just wanted to say thank you for all you did to make our trip, rehearsal process, and performance at Carnegie Hall a WONDERFUL experience and memory for our students, parents, and school! Not one complaint from anyone, only RAVES!” Rose Mary | Director

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Esteemed clinicians and adjudicators enhance your leadership

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Our list of conductors and adjudicators reads like a Who’s Who in the music industry, and they are also skilled music educators. During the course of these programs, they congratulate, compliment, and mentor so that students can relax and have fun as they hone their skills. The result?

Students actually enjoy making music without worrying about the stress of perfection.

Frank Battisti

Anton Armstrong

Jerry Blackstone

Jeffery Redding

Phillip Waite

Edith Copley

Eph Ehly

Greg Gilpin

Craig Jessop

Michael Bankhead

Lynne Gackle

Robert Gillespie

Charles Laux

Charles Peltz

Louis Bergonzi

Anthony Maiello

Christopher Aspaas

Craig Kirchhoff

André Thomas

Jessica Nápoles

Sigrid Johnson

Donald Brinegar

Jermie Arnold

H. Robert Reynolds

Peter Boonshaft

Gary Hill

Jeffery Ames

Andrew Dabczynski

Rollo Dilworth

Tesfa Wondemagegnehu

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Taking your ensemble and your music program to new heights LEARNING FROM THE MASTERS

INSIDER ACCESS AND KNOW-HOW

Our elite festivals provide an unparalleled learning experience, led by the most seasoned performers and educators in the field today. Maestros like Edith Copley, Anton Armstrong, and Jeffery Ames will lead your group through a variety of activities, from rehearsals to clinics to the final crowning performance.

One of the hallmarks of WorldStrides is our ability to get your students into the best, most exclusive venues and destinations, and expose them to top-caliber, national talent. These two festivals represent the pinnacle of that insider access.

The Festival at Carnegie Hall puts your students on the Ronald O. Perelman stage in the Isaac Stern Auditorium, where some of the world’s greatest artists and entertainers have made history, from Leonard Bernstein to the Beatles.

In Festival of Gold, you’ll perform on premier stages in four of our country’s most exciting cities—San Francisco, Chicago, Nashville, or Los Angeles.

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A CUSTOM-FIT ITINERARY, TAILORED TO YOUR NEEDS Like all of our WorldStrides events, our elite festivals can be customized to suit your specific goals and needs. Our expert team of travel specialists are intimately familiar with your destination cities and can point you to the most popular, must-see attractions, get you into the most appealing restaurants, and much more.

Plus, we’ll manage every logistical detail of your event, so that it runs punctually and without a hitch. And with all the arrangements in place, you and your students will be free to take in every detail of the festival without a single concern.

Elite festivals build your program and come with great rewards When you take part in performance travel with your students, you set in motion a number of wonderful benefits for everyone involved. Think about it—not only do you give your students memories that will literally last them a lifetime, but you’re also doing great things for yourself and your music program. You’re earning a higher profile in the community. This kind of exposure ultimately gets new students to want to join your group, helps you retain the ones you have, and increases your community support.

You’re also enhancing your reputation as a director who is forward-thinking and passionate about exposing students to new ideas and mentors.

Browse through this list to see more rewards that come with WorldStrides travel: >

Free travel for you, with a minimum number of full-paying participants

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Free professional development and low-cost graduate credit for you

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Free academic credit for your students when they complete our online requirements

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A competitive edge for students on their college applications (parents will love this!)

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Our free fundraising support: >

Free 25-page idea guide

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Gift of Performance program (student-managed donations tool)

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Free set-up with Access Development—the national leader in group fundraising

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WorldStrides presents Festival at Carnegie Hall

© Disney

Eligibility: In keeping with the standards of our elite festivals, choral ensembles may be accepted to this festival either by receiving a Gold 90+ rating at a Heritage Festival or by audition. Instrumental ensembles are required to audition.

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2021 Dates and Conductors: National Youth Choir Mar 4-7 Performance - Saturday, March 6 Conductors: Andre Thomas & Tesfa Wondemagegnehu Mar 12-15 Performance - Sunday, March 14 Conductor: Lynne Gackle Apr 9-12 Performance - Sunday, April 11 Conductors: Jessica Napoles & Rollo Dilworth

For decades, our select choirs, bands, and orchestras have performed on the Ronald O. Perelman stage in the Isaac Stern Auditorium at Carnegie Hall. This great hall has a rich heritage within New York’s storied past, and it has hosted some of the most famous musical performers in American history.

When you attend the Festival at Carnegie Hall, you will be taking advantage of an invitation-only, rare opportunity reserved for the small number of ensembles with the proven performance credentials to qualify for this experience.

Students will enjoy the whirlwind of preparation and excitement leading up to their Carnegie Hall performance debut: intensive rehearsal time; opportunities to watch other groups perform; and valuable access to our renowned adjudicators and conductors.

Of course, performance is only half the magic of this special festival. Students will also enjoy the once-in-a-lifetime chance to form a personal connection with New York City—one of the most fabulous cultural capitals of the world. We include fun activities and visits to iconic places as part of this festival experience, like the Statue of Liberty and a Broadway show!

Festival inclusions

Multi-generational Choral Festival

The experience —

Mar 12-15 Performance - Sunday, March 14 Conductor: Greg Gilpin

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Quality time and interaction with world-class adjudicators and conductors >

One free base-travel package for every 20 full-paying participants

National Band & Orchestra Festival Adjudicators: Frank Battisti, Craig Kicrhhoff, Charles Peltz, H. Robert Reynolds Mar 30-Apr 2 Performance - Thursday, April 1

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Hotel baggage handling upon arrival and departure (one bag per person) The keepsakes — >

Commemorative plaque, program, and audio archival CD of your performance for your school >

Professional photo of group performance for each participant

Apr 1-4 Performance - Saturday, April 3

Mar 4-7 Performance - Saturday, March 6

Your choice of one Broadway Show

Choice of one of the following sightseeing options: Top of the Rock, Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building, 9/11 Museum, One World Trade Center, Carnegie Hall

Mar 31-Apr 3 Performance - Friday, April 2

Instrumental Spring Festival

Midtown Manhattan hotel accommodations >

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Performance at Carnegie Hall

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Certificate of Achievement for each student The support —

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The most comprehensive insurance policy in the student travel field >

Press release announcing acceptance to perform at Carnegie Hall The educational value— >

Free academic credit available for participating students >

Free professional development available for directors

Directors travel free for bringing 20 full-paying participants!

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WorldStrides presents Festival of Gold Celebrating, recognizing, and encouraging musical excellence, Festival of Gold is really four fabulous experiences in one: a festival performance; in-depth, hour-long clinics with our clinicians; an encore concert at an elite venue; and Festival Ensemble distinctions.

In addition to music, these top-caliber festivals give students a chance to personally experience the history and culture of one of four great cities—Nashville, Chicago, San Francisco, or Los Angeles. We’re happy to arrange for sightseeing excursions and fun dinners as timing allows!

The Festival of Gold is an open-class, non-competitive event. It is capacity-controlled to assure quality and integrity. Through our renowned clinician partners, we conduct, mentor, and adjudicate all festival participants. Participating ensembles receive feedback and adjudicator ratings.

2021 Festival of Gold Events: Segerstrom Center for the Arts Los Angeles, CA Orchestra Hall Chicago, IL Schermerhorn Symphony Center Nashville, TN Davies Symphony Hall San Francisco, CA

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Eligibility: Those invited to perform at Festival of Gold fall into one of these three categories: ensembles having received a Gold rating at a Heritage Festival (composite score of 90+%); ensembles with a documented Superior rating at their own most recent state contest; and ensembles that have auditioned and been invited to perform.

Encore Concert and Festival Ensembles The entire event wraps up with the Encore Concert—a final performance on the same great stage. Top-scoring festival ensembles will perform for the crowds. Next, accomplished student musicians get to perform as part of our Festival Ensembles. Festival Ensemble students are chosen prior to the festival, at the director’s discretion. And, for the best part, your group will love the “wow” experience of raising their voices together with all the other festival participants in the concert all-sing.

Festival inclusions: The music —

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Formal performance and adjudication

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Intensive individual ensemble clinic

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Encore Concert at a prestigious venue

The travel experience —

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One free base travel package for every 25 full-paying participants

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Student-friendly hotel accommodations

The keepsakes —

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Digital recording of performance and Encore Concert

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Commemorative program

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Digitally recorded adjudicator comments

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Group photograph for each director

The support —

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The most comprehensive insurance policy in the student travel field

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Press release announcing acceptance to perform in the Festival of Gold

Directors travel free for bringing 25 full-paying participants!

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Achievement. Pride. Joy. The personal rewards of these festivals speak for themselves.

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“The Festival of Gold is among the most valid of festivals in the world.

I say this having participated in many national and international festivals and competitions in the past 15 years.”

Mike | Director

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Get started by calling your Performing Travel Specialist at 800.223.4367 Learn more at worldstrides.com/elite Follow us

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