HAMMOND – A Southeastern Louisiana University Community Music School student has been invited to perform at Carnegie Hall in New York City. Anna Johnson, a student at Ponchatoula Junior High School, has been selected for the 2022 Middle School Honors Performance Series at Carnegie Hall June 18.
Johnson auditioned for the Honors Performance Series earlier this year and was recently accepted after a review by the Honors Selection Board. She will perform as a violinist in June with the Middle School Honors Junior Orchestra.
The junior finalists will come together in New York City for five days in June. They will have the opportunity to learn from world-renowned conductors, work with other junior finalists, and get a taste of “The Big Apple.” Johnson will perform with students from 39 states, the District of Columbia and Canada in a special performance at Carnegie Hall, a venue that marks the pinnacle of musical achievement.
Director of the Community Music School Jivka Duke said participation in one of the three honors junior ensembles is limited to the highest-rated middle school performers from across the world, and acceptance to the elite group is a direct result of the talent, dedication, and achievements demonstrated in Johnson’s application and audition recording.
“We at the Community Music School are thrilled for Anna and are beyond excited that one of our students will be able to experience performing in the iconic Carnegie Hall at such a young age,” Duke said. “Anna is a very dedicated and hard-working violin student, constantly looking to learn more difficult pieces and seeking to excel at the violin more everyday. Her love for the art of music performance, her drive and her talent are remarkable.”
Johnson has studied music for seven years under the instruction of Duke and plays second violin with the Southeastern Symphony Orchestra. She was the winner of the CMS Concerto Competition in 2018 and 2021 and, as a result, was featured as a soloist with the Southeastern Symphony Orchestra. She has previously performed with the Greater New Orleans Youth Orchestra, was a featured student performer at the International Baccalaureate Organization’s International Conference in 2019, and is in the Talented Music Program in Tangipahoa Parish Schools.
For more information about the Community Music School program, visit www.southeastern.edu/cms or call (985) 549-5502.
