From the Classroom to Carnegie Hall, North Atlanta High School’s Orchestra Takes Center Stage

The North Atlanta High School Philharmonic Orchestra performing at Carnegie Hall on March 30, 2025. North Atlanta High School ©

On one of the most revered stages in the world, 51 students from North Atlanta High School’s philharmonic orchestra performed a 30-minute set at Carnegie Hall.

Led by North Atlanta Fine Arts Department chair and director of orchestras, Stephen Lawrence-Carroll, the students played four carefully chosen works representing a diverse array of composers. The orchestra was selected from among hundreds of high school ensembles nationwide and was the product of a yearlong preparation process, with planning that began the prior school year.

“The class reviews a lot of pieces, and the students and I recommend a lot of things,” said Lawrence-Carroll, a 2003 North Atlanta graduate and 15-year teacher at the school. “The program was selected based on the students’ skill level and showed off different styles and different ability levels.”

The orchestra’s path to Carnegie began with an audition CD submitted after a performance at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., last spring.

“At the end of that, we wanted another opportunity. Something that would be a little bit bigger to encourage the students to feel challenged,” Lawrence-Carroll said. “We were told that we were accepted, and that’s where the real fun started.”

Funded by a collaborative effort involving students, the school, its foundation, and the school district, the trip marked more than just a milestone performance. Students spent the school year learning the pieces, giving them a deeper connection to the music, and were surprised with a billboard with their faces on it in Times Square.

“For many students, music might not be their choice of major,” he said. “So, having something like this, which is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that many professional musicians don’t have the chance to say they’ve done it, is a big deal.”

North Atlanta High School’s Philharmonic Orchestra performing Lafoyer at Carnegie Hall on March 30, 2025. North Atlanta High School ©

For graduating senior and violinist Ella Sipe, performing Lafoyer, a piece with integrated choreography that synchronized stomps with percussion, with her fellow classmates was a highlight.

“Everybody is really supportive and incredibly kind,” Sipe said. “Going through that wonderful and once-in-a-lifetime experience with the people I’ve gotten to be such close friends with, and who I consider like an extended family, was a really fulfilling conclusion to my senior year.”

Viola player and graduating senior Samuel Riddick-Seals favored Elegy for its emotive tempo and shared sentiments similar to Sipe’s.

“Walking onto the stage, thinking about how much hard work we put into it, and thinking about how this is the last big concert I get to have with all the peers and friends that I’ve made in orchestra, and four years of really hard work to get to this point, elevated all the feelings up to the surface,” Riddick-Seals said.

Class of 2025 graduating seniors in the North Atlanta H.S. Philharmonic Orchestra with director, Stephen Lawrence-Carroll. Allison M. Slocum, APS ©

Following graduation, Sipe plans to attend the United States Naval Academy, and Riddick-Seals plans to attend the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Both intend to keep playing and honing their craft like many other students in the orchestra program, which is one of Lawrence-Carroll’s ultimate goals.

“A lot of my students have a lot of interests outside of music,” Lawrence-Carroll said. “In most cases, a lot of them are planning to major in something different but still continue performing, which is my hope no matter what.”

The orchestra’s next performance is their annual spring concert on May 1, at 7 p.m., a program organized entirely by the seniors.