Finalist FAQs

We are very pleased to have accepted over 600 outstanding high school performers from 47 United States, Guam, several provinces of Canada, Bermuda, China, Hong Kong, Mexico, Qatar, and South Korea to perform at Carnegie Hall in February.

If you applied on multiple voice parts or instruments, you have been accepted to perform only the part(s) that are listed on your acceptance email/letter, and you will be performing only with the ensemble listed. The ensemble and part assignments are the result of feedback from our Selection Board and the information you provided on your application. The Selection Board has put significant time and thought into the assignments for all selected Finalists in order to satisfy balance/instrumentation requirements, as well as to maintain an equally high level of musicality for all ensembles.

Acceptance letters will be mailed on approximately October 25, 2019 to Finalists from the US and Canada. You can expect your letter to arrive no later than early November.

You will receive an email update including your part assignments and links to download your sheet music in December.

As soon as the sheet music is ready for you to begin rehearsing, you will receive an email with links to PDFs of the sheet music online as well as confirmation as to which specific part to prepare. It is expected that each Finalist will arrive in New York having prepared each piece to the best of your ability. To help you feel confident and ready, we will provide regular notes and suggestions, but don’t wait to start preparing!

Unless requested otherwise, Finalists will be rooming four to a room with two double beds. You do have the opportunity to request triple, double, or single occupancy (additional costs apply) and these requests must be submitted online on the Finalist Confirmation Form. All requests will be handled on a first-come, space-available basis. Please note, if you elect a room upgrade and have not remitted the surcharge payment by December 2, 2019, you will be placed in a quad occupancy room. Room upgrades elected and/or paid for after December 2 will be arranged on a space-available basis.

You will receive your Chaperone assignment in early January. Your Chaperone will reach out in advance of the program to connect with you and answer any questions you may have.

There is no specific dress code for the rehearsal days, though sweatpants or pajama pants should not be worn at rehearsals. A general rule of thumb is that attire approved to wear at school is appropriate for rehearsals. Attire for the Finalist Celebration is casual; we recommend Finalists wear what they wore to rehearsals.

The Finalist dress code for the Carnegie Hall performance is specific and allows a formal, uniform look without requiring students to purchase robes. Clothing items should be neat, dressy, and modest, reflecting the honor and formal nature of the event.

Female performers must wear:

• A white, collared blouse with long sleeves and a modest neckline
• Shirts must be tucked in
• Black slacks, not jean-style (if wearing belts, they must be black)
• No dresses or gowns
• Closed-toed, flat or low-heeled, black dress shoes (no higher than a 2” heel are permitted)
• No low-cut shirts or exposed midriffs permitted
• No scarves or embellished headwear permitted

Male performers must wear:

• A long-sleeved, white dress shirt
• Shirts must be tucked in
• Undershirts must be white without any graphics or writing
• Black straight tie (no bowties permitted)
• Black dress slack (if wearing belts, they must be black)
• Black dress shoes and socks
• No hats or scarves permitted

Finalists (and Family Program participants, if selecting the Full Access program) should schedule their flights to arrive and depart from John F. Kennedy Airport (JFK) in order to take advantage of the Series airport transportation. Only registered participants (Finalists and registered Family Program participants) may ride the airport shuttles.

Arrivals: Flights should arrive between 3:00p and 7:00p on January 30, 2020.

Departures: Flights should depart for home after 12:30p on February 3, 2020. Shuttles will depart the hotel for JFK airport on February 3 from 9:00a-12:00p.

Participants arriving or departing outside of these windows (on these two specific days) or at a different location will be responsible for arranging their own transportation to or from the hotel at their own expense. Please contact the Series before booking travel plans outside of these designated windows so we can confirm your desired plans do not conflict with required activities. All participants will be required to share their travel arrangements with the Series.

You will receive an email update with a link to the Finalist Travel Form soliciting your travel plans. This information allows us to best plan for your arrival.

Unfortunately, our system cannot upload emailed travel information, so please refrain from sending your travel confirmations until you receive the form link.

Click the "Make a Payment" button above or you can access your account at any time by clicking "My Account" on the Payments & Fundraising page. Our team is also available to take payments over the phone at +1 (800) 503-0807.

The Series proudly offers two Family Program packages to allow family members, friends, and educators to share in the Honors Performance Series experience. These packages are designed to enable supporters to stay in New York and attend many exclusive program events only available to Finalists and Family Program participants.

For full itinerary detail and inclusions, click here.

Individual performance tickets may be purchased through the Carnegie Hall Box Office. Tickets (as available) will go on sale 60 days before the performance.

Please note that the Finalist package does not include tickets to the Honors Performance for friends and family members. Each Family Program participant receives one Priority Seating Ticket to the performance. We are unable to accommodate requests for individually purchased tickets to be seated in the priority seating section.

We’ve created a Facebook group for Finalists and their family members to connect and receive specific program updates. We know not all participants have Facebook accounts, so while this is a great resource, all of the information shared in the group will also be shared with Finalists through email updates. We invite you and your parents to join our group, “2020 High School Carnegie Hall Finalists”. Here’s how:

• Login to your existing Facebook account or create an account.
• Search for “2020 High School Carnegie Hall Finalists” in the search box.
• The group will show up in your search results. Click “Request to Join.”
• We will confirm your membership within two business days. For safety reasons, the Series will admit only Finalists, Responsible Parties listed on Finalists’ accounts, and Family Package participants. If your Facebook name is different than your real name, please email us so we can properly consider your request to join.