Playing Carnegie Hall in New York could be a dream come true for some choir students at Bismarck State College.

"It's something to cross off the Bucket List for someone who likes to sing and perform,"said Mark Purdy, a BSC student who will go on the trip to New York City.

The choral department received an invitation from a concert production company to perform March 19, 2010. So far, five students have committed to go, and they will have a raffle and a community talent show to raise money for the trip. More students are expected to sign up after hearing about the trip the first day of classes on Wednesday, BSC choral director John Weiss said.

Purdy and some of his classmates, Danielle Wolf and Beck Grunden, see the concert as an incredible opportunity.

"I'm just excited because it's Carnegie Hall," Wolf said.

"That's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

The students from BSC will perform with choir students from Washington, Wyoming, Florida, South Carolina and Tennessee. They will perform Mozart's "Solemn Vespers" with a professional orchestra and professional soloists.

To participate in the concert, the students need to pay $1,600 each to cover airfare, transportation and hotel. Weiss and the students are hoping to offset the cost with two fundraisers and, hopefully, a successful application to the BSC Foundation.

One of the fundraisers is "Bismarck's Got Talent," which will be a talent show, not a competition. Auditions for the talent show are Saturday. People from the community and campus can come to Leach Music Center rehearsal room from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. to audition.

The talent show is 3 p.m. Sept. 27 in the Sidney J. Lee Auditorium. Admission is by donation. The suggested donation is $10 per adult and $5 per student. Children 10 and younger would be free.

The raffle drawing is limited to 300 tickets at $20 each. Two prizes will be awarded. Raffle tickets are available from Eckroth Music, at the door the day of the talent show and from students attending the trip.

The grand prize is two round-trip tickets to New York City, two tickets to the Wellington Hotel and two tickets to the Mach 19 concert. The second prize is a $50 gift certificate to East 40 Chophouse and two tickets to Grand Theatres. All but the airfare was donated.

"It will be an amazing musical experience; meeting new people, the cultural experience," Grunden said.

(Reach reporter Sara Kincaid at 250-8251 or sara.kincaid@;bismarcktribune.com.)