Paynesville Student To Sing With International Choir In Australia

PAYNESVILLE (WJON News) -- A Paynesville High School student has been chosen to be part of a prestigious event. Senior Lily Gardner has been chosen as a member of the Honors Performance Series Program.

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Gaye Gerard, Getty Images

She will get to travel to Australia this summer and perform with a choir of 200 students from around the world in the famous Sydney Opera House. Gardner says she received an email saying she had been nominated by one of her teachers. She says at first she thought the email was a scam:

"I was a little scared and nervous of it cause it, I wasn't expecting it and I didn't, hadn't heard of it so I had my mom look over it with me and she said oh you should audition so then I sent in a recording of me singing and a few music tests that I had to take."

Lily Gardner, PHOTO courtesy of Ed Gardner.

Gardner picked the Italian piece "Se tu m'ami se sospiri" by Giovanni Battista for her audition, even though she didn't know any Italian at the time. She found out she had been selected after more than three months of waiting. Gardner says she is anxious to be going and grateful for the opportunity:

"It's truly an honor to be able to sing in the Sydney Opera House, it's insane, truthfully."

She will travel to Australia in July and rehearse with the choir for three hours a day for about a week before the concert.

Gardner says she still doesn't know which teacher nominated her for the choir, but she is thankful for the opportunity and to all her choir directors and teachers for their support.

Lily Gardner, PHOTO courtesy of Ed Gardner.

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