Since its opening in 1891, Carnegie Hall in New York City has set the standard for musical excellence. Some of the world's finest artists — from George Gershwin to Billie Holiday — have played at Carnegie Hall throughout the years.

This month, Jessica Hayes of Thunder Bay joined the ranks of the greats and sang there too.

"It was incredible," said Hayes, a music student at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, Ont.

"Right from when I walked in, the halls were lined with posters of the greats that had performed there before, including one of my personal opera idols, Maria Callas. And it was incredibly humbling to be there and see that and realize I am where all of the greats have been "

Hayes was there to perform as part of the Crescendo International Music Competition, held Feb. 12 to 17. Hayes submitted an audition recording in December. At the end of the month, she learned she had made the final round and would be singing at Carnegie Hall. 

"I literally was on the couch having coffee with my dad, and I just jumped off the couch," she said. "He had no idea what was going on, and I just started screaming and he thought something bad happened, and then I told him we both just started crying."

Hayes said she spent the last two years mastering Si, mi chiamano Mimi, an aria from Giacomo Puccin's opera La Bohème which earned her first place in the opera category at the Crescendo International Music Competition. She said she chose the song for Crescendo in 2019, but then the pandemic hit, but it gave her more time to perfect it.

"At first it was just a lovely piece to me, but since I started it at the beginning of second year and now I'm finishing my fourth year, each year my voice grew and I learned more," she said.

Hayes arrived in New York City two days before the competition, which gave her plenty of time to see the sights and prepare for it.

Hayes spent the last two years mastering Si, mi chiamano Mimi, which earned her first place in the opera category at the Crescendo International Music Competition held at Carnegie Hall on Feb. 14.  Photo: Supplied by Jessica Hayes/Facebook

She said she prepared for her moment by practising with piano accompanist Anna Vasilyeva. Hayes also spent time in a dressing room once used by one of her favourite composers, Gustav Mahler, a world-renowned conductor who made his Carnegie Hall debut in 1908 conducting the New York Symphony Orchestra.

"I was a little star struck," she said. "These were artists I listened to while learning my pieces. I wasn't really nervous – I wasn't thinking about the end result. I was just excited to be there and I was super calm while taking it all in."

When Vasilyeva played the first few notes on the piano, Hayes began to sing while portraying the character of Mimi from La Bohème.

"I honestly didn't even feel nervous because at that point I wasn't thinking of it as a competition," she said. "It's OK if I lose. I've already won. I'm at Carnegie Hall."

After her performance, Hayes watched the rest of the competition in the audience with her mom. Then Hayes went backstage to learn she'd come in first. She ran out to share the good news. They both cried while standing on the sidewalk outside Carnegie Hall.

Coming first in New York means Hayes will spend three weeks touring Italy this summer, taking master classes with renowned musicians and performing at auditoriums and conservatories.

"We're going to Florence, Tuscany, Venice, Cremona and Padova," she said. "And so in each city, I'll attend different master classes with renowned Italian musicians, get to go to lectures and and work on theory and all that stuff."

Hayes expressed gratitude to everyone who helped along the way, including her parents, stepfather Jim, professor Evgeny Chugunov and her Thunder Bay accompanist, Sean Kim.

She also had high praise for her vocal coaches.

"Prof. Kim Erickson has been fantastic," Hayes said. "She really shaped my voice into an opera voice. The private classes I took in high school with Alana Valente pushed me and encouraged me to take the leap into music as a career."

To see the original story and related arts reporting, follow this link to the CBC Thunder Bay website. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/thunder-bay/jessica-hayes-classical-singer-carnegie-hall-1.6361429