Minnesota Students to Perform at Carnegie Hall After Winning International Vocal Competition
Two talented students from Minnesota, Laila Elazab and Max Zhang, will be taking the stage at the prestigious Carnegie Hall in New York City next month. This exciting opportunity comes after they won international awards at the American Protege International Vocal Competition earlier this year. Elazab, a 16-year-old high school student from White Bear Lake, took first place in her category, while Zhang, a 13-year-old eighth-grader from Wayzata, secured second place. Both students are vocal students at the MacPhail Center for Music and will be performing at Carnegie Hall on December 20, with Elazab also performing on December 17.
Elazab and Zhang’s journey to Carnegie Hall began when they submitted video performances of classical songs in Italian to the American Protege International Vocal Competition. Their hard work and dedication paid off, and they were selected as winners in their respective categories. Elazab expressed her excitement and honor at being chosen to perform at Carnegie Hall, stating, “I feel super honored and it’s really so exciting… And it’s crazy to see another student from MacPhail got it, too.”
Background and Inspiration
Zhang, who has been singing since a young age, found his passion for music through his local teacher, who taught him Chinese poems. However, his mother sought out more opportunities for him to perform on stage, leading him to the MacPhail Center for Music. Zhang credits his mother with helping him find his musical voice, saying, “My first introduction to MacPhail was my mom wanting to seek more opportunities for me to perform on stage… I used to just sing Chinese poems with my local teacher, but my mom felt like it was too little for me, so she looked for better opportunities for me and found MacPhail.”
Both Elazab and Zhang are students of Mikyoung Park at the MacPhail Center for Music, who has been their instructor for most of their lives. Park, who began singing at a young age, has a doctorate in musical arts and a voice pedagogy certification from the University of Minnesota. She has been an instructor at MacPhail since 2014, leading courses in voice, piano, opera, musical theater, and K-pop. Elazab praises Park, saying, “I don’t think I would have ever been the singer I am without her, for sure. I learn so much every single time I go, and all of her advice, like, I never disagree.”
Future Aspirations
Elazab and Zhang are both excited about their upcoming performances at Carnegie Hall and look forward to continuing their musical journeys. Elazab hopes to study musical performance in college and maybe one day perform on Broadway, while Zhang aspires to return to Carnegie Hall in the future. Elazab expressed her love for New York and the opportunities it offers for music, saying, “I really do love New York and love the opportunities for music there.” Zhang, who has done a lot of music, considers it his “second home” and is eager to learn from other performers at Carnegie Hall.
For more information about Laila Elazab and Max Zhang’s performances at Carnegie Hall, visit Here
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