Carson High junior plays Carnegie Hall

Carson High School junior Drea Cabral and other young musicians only had three days to rehearse last weekend before taking the stage at Carnegie Hall in New York City.

High school students representing 41 states and three countries gathered to make music in the Midtown Manhattan concert venue, according to Heather Cabral, Drea’s mother. They received their music a few weeks beforehand to rehearse on their own.

“It’s so wild that they sounded so amazing with that little rehearsal time,” Heather Cabral told the Appeal.

Drea Cabral, a clarinetist, was selected from among 18,000 students to play in the orchestra. She has been first chair clarinet in Carson High’s wind ensemble, section leader for the school’s Blue Thunder marching band, principal clarinetist for the Reno Philharmonic Youth Symphony Orchestra, a member of the Northern Zone Music Education Association Honor Band and the Nevada All State band.

Heather Cabral said the venue would not allow photos or video to be taken during the performance or of the performers before or after the performance while at Carnegie Hall, but she did take photos during rehearsal.

The trip was Drea Cabral’s first time flying, her mother said, and she had an opportunity to view the musical “Aladdin” on Broadway and visit Rockefeller Center.