It’s an opportunity few are fortunate enough to see, but 52 North Kitsap High School students recently had the opportunity to take in the view from the stage at Carnegie Hall.

Director of six North Kitsap High School choirs, Sylvia Cauter, was the mastermind behind the recent five-day trip to New York. Last July Cauter sent in an audition tape of the North Kitsap Symphonic Choir to Manhattan Concert Productions and in August she received an invitation to perform.

The students sang as part of the National Festival Chorus which performed at the hall on April 8. The chorus was comprised of some 204 students from six states. Together, the group worked under the direction of Andrew Last, a music professor at Luther College in Iowa. In preparation, the students spent months rehearsing the six songs to be performed, written by Mozart, Bob Chilcott, Rollo Dilworth and Kim Arnesen.

In addition to the months of rehearsals, the students spent an additional 11 hours on the trip rehearsing for the big day. Between rehearsal times, students also had the opportunity to visit numerous New York attractions including the 9/11 Memorial and Museum, Metropolitan Art Museum, Museum of Modern Art, Central Park, Brooklyn Bridge, Staten Island and Birdland Jazz Club.