Many people dream to perform on the stage of Carnegie Hall in New York City, where hundreds of famous artists, like the Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Jay Z and many more, have performed before. This dream has now become a reality for junior Ryan Marsh.

“I think this will be an incredible experience,” Marsh said. “It will look super good on my resume which is always a plus.”

The Golden Voice Program is sending Marsh along with others to New York. It is also a part of the American Fine Arts Festival (AFAF).

“I recorded two songs with my voice teacher and mailed them off to the board at AFAF,” Marsh said. “They reviewed all the videos and chose me to compete.”

Marsh’s voice teacher is George Variames, who has been teaching voice and piano for 20 years in Allen. He has taught many students who have won the competition and gone to Carnegie Hall.

“Since 2009, I have had one to eight students win each year,” Variames said. “It varies, but I do pick the students that I think will place in the winner’s category.”

There are two categories of the competition, Classical or Broadway, which are also divided into different age subdivisions. Variames figures out which of his students fit into each category and has them submit two songs along with an application. Afterwards, the AFAF staff picks the winners and which song they will sing.

“If they place first, second or third, they sing in the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall,” Variames said. “The Honorable Mentions sing at a different concert at another location.”

The program is a competitive, international competition with vocally strong singers from all around the globe.

“It is so exciting to see these kids come from all over the world,” Ryan’s mother Elly Marsh said. “Winners are from Texas, California and New York, but also China, India and Russia.”

Ryan’s family is proud of him for achieving this opportunity and believes that he has learned a lot from his singing experiences.

“Our family is so excited about seeing Ryan perform in Carnegie Hall,” Elly said. “Ryan has learned how to compete at an international level, how to pay attention to the details asked for in a competition and to look for the qualities that particular judges might be interested in.”

Ryan has always had a passion for singing and musical theatre. In fact, he has been taking lessons since the second grade.

“A dream of singing in Carnegie Hall can come true,” Marsh said. “Five years of voice lessons, 10 years of church choir, nine years of musical theatre — it can pay off.”

The Golden Voice Program can provide students with many opportunities that they otherwise might not have been able to come across.

“Students are eligible for a scholarship to a Music Camp in Russia the following summer,” Variames said. “Plus, for any student going into music, it looks impressive on their resume for college. It is a very positive experience.”