The Meyerson is known for being one of the most prestigious stages in Dallas. People come from all over the metroplex to get a sample of the captivating music bouncing off the walls of the auditorium. Most of the time, the stage is home to the renowned Dallas Symphony Orchestra (DSO) and the Dallas Symphony Chorus (DSC). However, on Oct. 8, the Plano West choir got to share this experience.

“The Meyerson is a really large venue and the acoustics are amazing,” senior Natalie Thomas said. “We met up with two other high schools: Booker T. Washington and Carter.”

Each high school choir sang together, alongside the DSC, in an event titled “A Celebration of Singing.” This concert was in honor of the DSC’s 40th anniversary.

“Working with the DSC allowed us to see how a professional choir actually rehearses,” senior Lucas Clayton said. “It was very enlightening to me because that’s what I’m considering doing in the future.”

Every day after school, the choir students were loaded onto buses that would make the drive to Dallas. They rehearsed until late hours of the day, getting home around 10:30pm each night. However, according to senior Raul Patel, the amount of time students dedicated to practicing paid off.

“We were basically either at school or at the Meyerson for an entire week,” Patel said. “But it was worth the amount of time we put into it.”

Students also had the opportunity to work with world renowned composer Jake Runestad, who had a special piece composed for the choir titled “Proud Music of the Storm.”

“The Plano West choir, along with the entire DSC, got to do the world premiere of the piece,” Patel said. “We were the first people to perform the song. It was a really cool experience.”

According to Clayton, the premiere of the song was the highlight of the experience.

“Working with Runestad was awesome,” Clayton said. “You don’t get to do that a lot, especially when it’s someone as well known as him. It’s very surreal. Going to Plano West and being in the choir is an incredible experience.”

Students also had the chance to work with clinician and conductor of the DSC, Joshua Habermann. Patel considered the workshops with Habermann to be beneficial.

“Dealing with Director Habermann offered a lot of information about how to interpret music and the way you go about performing it,” Patel said. “It’s always interesting to get insight about music from someone other than your choir teachers or friends.”

For some of the students, this was not their first time setting foot in the Meyerson center.

“When I was a kid, I went to the Christmas DSO performance,” Clayton said. “I remember seeing the lights above the performers and thinking, ‘wow, I wonder what it would be like to look up and see them.’ Being on that stage; it just felt surreal. In rehearsals I remember looking up at the lights and being amazed.”

Thomas also had an experience performing at the Meyerson when she was younger.

“In the 5th grade I was able to perform there,” Thomas said. “It’s almost like I started there and now I’m ending there.”

The Meyerson event brought choirs from around the metroplex together to perform.

“It was very cool to be in a performance with so many different people in all different stages of their lives,” Clayton said. “From those in their early years, all the way to people who have already retired, it shows what music is really all about: bringing people together.”