If you linger long enough around 57th Street and Seventh Avenue in New York City, some tourist is bound to walk up to you and ask, “How do you get to Carnegie Hall?” Without missing a beat your reply should be “Practice”.

A number of Marshall Community Chorus members will discover how true the joke is as they travel to New York City in April to take part in a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity of performing on the stage of Carnegie Hall.

The invitation grew out of the week-long Marshall residency of noted choral composer Mark Hayes in the spring of 2025. His visit culminated in a memorable concert by the chorus directed by Hayes and MCC Artistic Director Ron Sayer as part of the choir’s Composer Residency Project.

Following the performance, Hayes told the choir that he had been commissioned to write a multi-movement work for chorus and orchestra to be premiered in spring 2026 at Carnegie Hall. He immediately added that he wanted reliable singers to perform in the premiere and invited the choir to join him.

Due to conflicts of work, school, and necessity, not all the choir will be able to participate but a full third of the chorus’ members will join Hayes April 23-27 for rehearsals and performance in the big apple.

The new work, Psalmos, is a setting of seven Old Testament psalms, and was commissioned in memory of Peter Tiboris, the founder and late-artistic director of renowned music production company MidAmerica Productions.

Written for full chorus, symphonic orchestra, and vocal soloists, the forty minute work displays Hayes’ creativity, sensitivity, and musical passion. The premiere will take place on April 26, under the direction of Hayes, with the New England Symphonic Ensemble.

In the meantime, the choir members are hard at work learning their parts in preparation for what is sure to be a mountain- top experience for these lucky local singers.