Not everyone can say “I got to perform at Carnegie Hall,” but then again, not everyone is a current member of Voices of Eve ’N’ Angels (VOENA). Seventeen members of the Benicia-based youth choral group received the experience of a lifetime Sunday when they got to perform at the iconic New York City concert hall alongside other choir groups across the world as part of the Distinguished Concerts International New York City (DCINY) concert “The Music of Eric Whitacre.” By all accounts, they succeeded.

“What an emotional amazing incredible opportunity for these girls to sing at Carnegie Hall, one of the most prized theaters in the world,” VOENA Director Annabelle Marie said in a statement.

Marie founded VOENA in 1994 to teach ethnically diverse music to children ages 5 to 18 and give them an appreciation of other languages and cultures while allowing them to grow as performers. Their talents have taken them to venues all over the world, including the Olympics, the White House and even the Vatican. It is not even the first time the group has played Carnegie, as they also played in 2000. This time around, the girls of VOENA got to perform with Eric Whitacre, a Grammy-winning composer and conductor known for his choral arrangements and film compositions. He co-composed the choral segments of “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” and was the choirmaster of the score to “Batman V. Superman.” He also brings choirs together from around the world, which he did on Sunday with his Carnegie Hall concert.

Michelle Fulbrook, VOENA business manager, said the girls enjoyed working with Whitacre, who provided advice and taught them how to fix pitches.

“Eric was amazing with the kids,” she said.

The girls from VOENA who performed included Benicians Megan Coleman, Ameera Elgonemy, Dahlia Elgonemy, Isabelle Fernandez, Meredith Kemp, LaPaula Parker and Angelica Marie Remigio van Gogh as well as Emma Gilbert of Vallejo, Natalya Hoffman of Albany; Valentina Badano, Freyja Kremer and Macayla Sedeno of Santa Rosa; Elleanor Martin of Atherton, Claire de Channes de Jouvancourt of Kensington, Reilly Austin of Cotati; and Morgan and Parker Mergelkamp of Piedmont. The singers ranged in age from 12 to 18.

In addition to the concert, the performers also got to visit NYC. It was a humongous cultural experience for the girls, many of whom had never been to the Big Apple. When they were not rehearsing, they were touring the Empire State Building and Times Square, taking a cruise on the Hudson River where they got to see the Statue of Liberty and viewing live butterfly and ocean exhibitions at the Museum of Natural History. They also got to see two Broadway shows— “My Fair Lady” and “Anastasia”— and eat at landmark restaurants like Carmine’s Italian Restaurant and Sarabeth’s.

“We did New York the right way,” Fulbrook said.

Rather than lodging at a hotel, VOENA members stayed at a mansion near Fifth Avenue owned by a family whose son performed in the choir.

“The woman who gave us the mansion is on HomeAway,” Fulbrook said. “She usually rents about five of these apartments. I think it’s valued at $40 million. I convinced her to let all 17 kids and four chaperones stay there. We had the whole mansion, including the lobby, to practice in.”

The mansion worked out well because it was so close to Central Park. Fulbrook said the performers were amazed by New York and got a real cultural experience, right down to taking the subway.

“They couldn’t believe how crowded and crazy New York was compared to where they live in California,” she said.

While they were taking a break from seeing the sights, the girls of VOENA were hard at work practicing for their Sunday concert. These included five-hour rehearsals on Friday and Saturday plus a dress rehearsal on Sunday. Since VOENA does not usually perform classical music, Fulbrook said they really had to step out of their comfort zones. Once they were able to learn the music, Marie was able to approach Whitacre to suggest they perform without binders or sheet music.

“Annabelle went to Eric and said, ‘Do we have to have binders because my kids know (the piece)?” Fulbrook said. “He said, ‘If your kids know it, then no way. You don’t need it.’ He was pleasantly surprised by that.”

About 2,800 people came to see the sold-out concert where the choirs performed music by Whitacre as well as other choral music arrangers like Moses Hogan and John Mackey. The latter composer’s song “The Rumor of a Secret King” was a particularly hard one for students to learn, but Fulbrook said they had fun with it and even shook paper in their hands to simulate the sound of birds taking flight.

Fulbrook said the girls were satisfied with their performance— and the promoters of the concert were in awe. In fact, DCINY expressed interest in having VOENA return to Carnegie Hall for their own concert in 2020.

“They were so impressed with the kids,” she said.