WINONA, Texas — An East Texas high school band student will get an opportunity of a lifetime this November as she performs at Carnegie Hall in New York.
Audree Smith, a senior at Winona High School, has been selected as one of the performers on the clarinet.
Last year, she made the Association of Texas Small School Bands All-State Band, becoming just one of three students from Winona to earn a spot. Just a few months after reaching that accomplishment, Smith received a letter inviting her to audition for a chance to perform at Carnegie Hall as part of the Honors Performance Series.
"Just to be able to go play at one of the most prestigious places, that would be so awesome," she said.
After completing the application process, she made the list to perform at the most prestigious performance hall in the country.
Her band director Justin Ketner said the ticket to this dream isn't farfetched for Smith.
"Her intrinsic motivation -- that's a big difference. People who want to practice and put the effort into practice and get better and practice, practice," Ketner said. "Practice is what gets you to Carnegie," Ketner said.
It all started when she picked up the clarinet in sixth grade.
"I feel like I've improved so much and I feel like I've improved throughout the years," Smith said.
Smith will be playing among other high school students around the world. The love of music is what helped her take this passion to the next level.
"It means a lot to me. I love making music in general and being able to create music is so awesome and I love being able to create music," she said.
Smith started a GoFundMe to help her with the expenses for the trip. Her goal is to raise $5,000.
"I had to read the email many times to make sure it was right. This would be such an awesome experience for a small town East Texas kid to experience," Smith said in the fundraiser description. "I would greatly appreciate any support that you could offer to help me achieve my goal so I can attend this great experience."
She said some of the activities a part of the trip include: practice and perform at Carnegie Hall, work with master conductors and composers, rehearse and interact with other students from around the country, get to see Times Square and attend a Broadway show.