Four students from Riverdale High School – Carly Ferrell, 11; Josh Ferguson, 11; Sheldon Smith, 10, and Megan Lowe, 12 – have been selected for the 2018 High School Honors Performance Series at Carnegie Hall.

They will perform New York City in February and participation in one of the five Honors Ensembles is limited to the highest rated high school performers from across the world.

Earlier this year, after being nominated by their Choir Director, Brenda Williams, they auditioned for the Honors Performance Series and were accepted after a review by the Honors Selection Board.

Acceptance to the elite group is a direct result of the talent, dedication and achievements demonstrated in their applications and audition recordings.

They will join other performers from all 50 states plus the District of Columbia, Guam, six Canadian provinces, Australia, China, Hong Kong, Mexico, New Zealand, Qatar, South Korea and the United Kingdom for a special performance.

“Being selected to the Honors Performance Series is something each finalist should be extremely proud of accomplishing,” said Morgan Smith, program director. “We processed more than 18,000 nominations this year and have selected nearly 700 of the most talented student performers from around the world. Working with these conductors and performing at Carnegie Hall is a once-in-a-lifetime experience that these musicians never forget.”

Lowe is a member of the Advanced Ladies Ensemble, while the other three — Ferrell, Ferguson and Smith — sing with the Riverdale Singers.

They also represent the Rutherford County Honor Choir, Tennessee Mid-State and the Tennessee All-State Honor Choirs as well as the regional Solo/Ensemble Festival.

The five-day trip is in February. While there, the students will have an opportunity to learn from world-renowned conductors, work with other finalists and get a taste of the Big Apple.

Two performances — Honors Choral Performance and an Honors Instrumental Performance — will take place Sunday, Feb. 4 and both are open to the public. Tickets can be purchased through the Carnegie Hall box office.

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.

The Honors Performance Series is presented by WorldStrides, the nation’s leading educational travel organization.

Learn more by visiting www.honorsperformance.org and www.worldstrides.com.