ITEM PHOTO BY OWEN O’ROURKE
Lynn English High School student Meghan Turner will be singing at Carnegie Hall in February.
By BILL BROTHERTON
LYNN — How do you get to Carnegie Hall?
For Lynn English High School junior Meghan Turner, it’s taking singing classes once a week, being a member of the school’s Concert Choir, and a lifelong appreciation for and love of music.
And of course, practice, practice, practice.
“Arts and music have been a big part of my life since kindergarten,” said Turner. “I really started singing at age 7, when my grandmother was in Salem Hospital. I wanted to sing to her, to do my best, to make her happy.”
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We are chatting in the lobby of City Hall, where Turner has just finished playing (snare drum) with the Lynn Public School Band during the annual Veterans Day ceremony.
The 16-year-old has been selected for the 2017 High School Honors Performance Series at Carnegie Hall, the revered New York City concert venue that has hosted shows by Duke Ellington, Billie Holiday, Judy Garland, the Beatles, Led Zeppelin and countless other superstars.
Turner, a soprano, will be a member of the Concert Choir for the Feb. 5 event. She is anxiously awaiting information on what songs the chorus will be performing … so she can start to practice.
Morgan Smith, program director, said more than 18,000 nominations were processed this year and only a few shy of 750 of the most talented student performers from around the world were selected.
“The Honors Performance Series was created to showcase accomplished individual high school performers on an international level by allowing them to study under master conductors and perform in the celebrated venue, Carnegie Hall,” Smith said.
Finalists will come together in New York City for five days in February.
“It’s amazing to be able to get an opportunity like this,” said Turner, who has also attended the Massachusetts Music Educators Association’s senior districts for singing. Even more amazing, for her audition Turner sang “Danza Danza Fanciulla Gentile” in Italian. “I’ve studied Latin in school; it’s no big deal,” she said.
Turner, who also plays piano, said her love of the arts really took off when, starting as a fourth-grader, she performed in Saugus Theatre Company productions including “The Wizard of Oz” and “Oliver.”
She also praises the Lynn Public Schools teaching staff.
“They are always there for me and all their students. They encourage us all to get better and achieve.” Digital photography is another interest.
She said her parents, Patricia and Richard, and older sister, Ashley, have been incredibly supportive.
“Everything I’ve done has cost a lot of money, and they’ve always been sure it’s there,” she said. “They have cut off their vacations for my sister and me, so we can do our best.
“Education and the arts have always been first with them.”
Her dad is a Transportation Security Administration agent at Logan Airport. Her mom is disabled and cannot work.
Meghan Turner is seeking donations to help her attend this “dream” event. Any donation would graciously be accepted at: https://www.crowdrise.com/help-meghan-perform-at-carnegie-hall/fundraiser/meghanturner2
You can hear her sing at: https://soundcloud.com/meghan-turner-rockingmusic943
Bill Brotherton can be reached at [email protected]