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14 Independent & Free Press,Thursday, February 4, 2010 Special invitation sends Georgetown Choral Society to NYC By JACK MORRISON Georgetown Choral Society The Georgetown Choral Society traveled to New York to sing in the Concert for Peace in Avery Fisher Hall at the Lincoln Centre on Martin Luther King Day. Little did the Georgetown choir know that their last spring concert, The Armed Man, would catch the attention of Distinguished Concerts International New York (DCINY) who were mounting a tribute to composer Karl Jenkins. His composition, The Armed Man, was to be sung on one of the more important days in the United States and in arguably the most important concert hall in New York and these producers were looking for choirs from across North America who had successfully performed the work within the last two years. Incredibly, they wanted the Georgetown Choral Society and we accepted the invitation. After eight hours of intense rehearsals throughout the weekend with the internationally distinguished conductor, Jonathan Griffith it was showtime. Personally as I filed on stage for the performance I couldn't help but remember our concerts is the residence of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra. This felt as good as any of the others. Over 500 soloists, choristers and instrumentalists performed either Jenkins' Armed Man or his Requiem that night and those of us involved from Georgetown were absolutely thrilled by this opportunity. We stood on the stage and sang in front of a wonderful audience who were there to celebrate Martin Luther King Day, Karl Jenkins and the Concert for Peace. It was awesome. In the end we all felt that we had sung well but it took Griffith after the concert to tell us that it was the best of the DCINY concerts that he had ever conducted. The next day we headed back to Georgetown, a nine-hour bus ride before us. Reality set in. We were about to re-enter the real world of jobs, kids, mortgage payments and shoveling the snow. But for three days it was magical. We had rehearsals in the Lincoln Center, beside Julliard School of Music and performed in Avery Fisher Hall. No matter what happens, those who sang in the concert from Georgetown will always remember every minute of those three days. at Roy Thomson Hall, North York Performing Arts Centre, the Living Arts Centre in Mississauga and the incredible churches in Holland, England and Ireland. We walked into Avery Fisher Hall that has a capacity of 2,500 and