This summer, Jackson Bell will have the opportunity to perform onstage at Carnegie Hall, something many artists work for their entire careers — and he’s only 14.
Bell, an eighth-grade student at Penn View Christian School, has been chosen as one of 160 vocalists to participate in the Middle School Honors Performance Series. He’ll travel to New York City in June for a week of rehearsals and sightseeing before a performance at Carnegie Hall.
Singers must be nominated to qualify for the Honors Performance Series; it’s done anonymously, and Bell has no idea who submitted his name. Next, he sent in an application and a tape of himself singing “Try to Remember” from “The Fantasticks.” The show tune was a far cry from his typical repertoire of classical music. “It doesn’t matter to me (what I’m singing),” Bell said. “All music is fun to sing.”
He found out just a few weeks ago that he was chosen from thousands of applicants to join the program.
When he arrives in New York, Bell will train with well-known composers and meet fellow vocalists from around the country. A few students will be picked as soloists, but Bell isn’t looking to be one of them. “I am way too nervous for solos,” he said.
Although he’s now a seasoned musician, Bell started singing only about two years ago. It was a music teacher who encouraged him to join the school’s choir, he said, and he has since joined Bella Vocce, a select traveling choir. He was also cast in Penn View’s recent production of “Fiddler on the Roof.”
“We truly believe that we were blessed with this experience,” said Deana Bell, Jackson’s mother. Since he started singing, she said, he’s really come out of his shell and gained a lot of confidence. “He’s really grown in his leadership abilities,” she added.
Bell’s parents and younger sister hope they will be able to join him in New York City and watch his performance, but they’re not sure if they’ll be able to afford it. It’s pretty expensive just for him to participate, but “it’s something we wanted him to experience,” Deana said.
Bell plans to continue singing next year when he attends Christopher Dock Mennonite High School.
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