Yá’át’ééh (hello), my name is Mia Kanuho and I am a Diné Violin Player. At just 16, I was given the biggest opportunity, which was to play at the historical venue, Carnegie Hall, in New York City.
I was given the news about this achievement when I had found out I made it into the top division of the Metropolitan Youth Symphony Orchestra, Division One. We were given a special packet in an email that said this year’s group would be performing in New York City at Carnegie Hall during the summer on June 8th. When I found out that I would be performing in the prestigious hall known to showcase talented musicians like Frank Sinatra and Tchaikovsky, I was overly enthusiastic and shocked. From that day forward, I was counting down the days till the performance.
After many rehearsals and performances over the year, the day finally came; we were going to go to New York. We visited a bunch of places I thought I would only see on TV in movies, like Central Park, Times Square, and the Brooklyn Bridge. However, this experience was different from just going on a vacation, as we were there for a performance. I remember how we would capture the glances of everyone as we walked down the streets and filled up any space with all of our instruments.
I have performed on many different stages, but this one is unlike any other. When we played, every single instrument could be heard individually, and everybody’s music parts sounded so clear. Performing on a stage like that is something I could never forget. However, the show did have to come to an end. Although the moment was over, I was not too sad about it as my friends and I all agreed afterwards that we would be coming back again one day to perform on that same stage in the future.