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| RaKell Heaton at Carnegie Hall with a photo of Isaac Stern |
OSU Musician Plays at Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall is like the Olympics for musicians. RaKell Heaton of Cedar City played in the famous New York concert hall on Feb. 2 with a High School Honor String Orchestra. The Cedar High senior had to audition as part of the rigorous selection process. She was chosen from international applicants to perform with master conductors.
RaKell said, “New York was an amazing experience!! There were so many things that made it so amazing. First, performing at Carnegie Hall! From the moment we stepped onto the stage, I was in awe. The acoustics are outstanding and the hall is so beautiful! I'm so thankful I was able to have the experience of performing on the same stage that so many talented musicians have performed on.
Second, the people. Students from 42 different U.S. states, Guam, Samoa, and other countries participated in the orchestra, band, and choir. It was so cool that other people my age from all over the world have the same passion for music that I do! Even with so many different backgrounds, we were all able to connect through music and that's part of why I love music so much.”
She added, “Auditioning and applying were hard and frustrating at points, but it was so worth it! I learned to never give up and even in the case of not getting accepted, there is so much to learn from auditioning.”
RaKell participated in the Utah All-State Orchestra for three years, also after a highly selective audition process. This year’s guest conductor was Dr. Joel Neves, who previously taught orchestra at Cedar High and has guest conducted for the Orchestra of Southern Utah (OSU). In addition to these experiences, RaKell has performed with the Lyceum Orchestra in their advanced program at Springdale and with OSU. She has also been selected as the Cedar High Sterling Scholar in Music.
Her family is musical and many will fondly remember her grandmother Judy Larsen who played piano for many string students and played viola in OSU. Her mother LaRae plays flute and all of her immediate family plays the piano.
RaKell started violin with her aunt Sheri Larsen Scott and has studied privately with Amanda Clarke, Sara Penny, and Paul Abegg. She has participated in the Southern Utah String Festivals, Suzuki Strings, and public school orchestras. “We are fortunate to have strong string programs in Cedar City so the students can be prepared to take advantage of international opportunities,” said Sara Penny.
Check the Honors Performance Series by WorldStrides for more information.
Carnegie Hall Experiences
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| The concert was in early February. |
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| OSU Guest Conductor Joel Neves returned to Utah to direct 2020 All-State Orchestra. |
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| With cousin Kaitlin Ashworth and grandfather Ervin Larsen at Abravanel Hall. |
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| 2019 All-State Orchestra |
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