Longfellow created a poetic microcosm and defined two of man’s greatest accomplishments superbly when he said, “Music is the prophet’s art/ Among the gifts that God hath sent, One of the most magnificent.”* His words were truly relevant. Both music and religion were created for one universal purpose: to enrich man and regain an element lost to society. I believe this lost element to be love of mankind, and passion for life.
 About a year ago, and I still remember clearly, I had a wonderful opportunity to visit the renowned Carnegie Hall with my school choir. In this magnificent locale, we rehearsed for three days and performed an inspiring concert. Among the pasticcio, were Haydn’s Tenebrae Facta Sunt, Copland’s Zion’s Wells, and The Awakening by. The concert, together with the rehearsals, was a moving experience both musically and emotionally.
For more than a century, Carnegie Hall has set the standard for excellence in performance. Its walls have echoed with applause for the world's outstanding classical artists, as they have for the greatest popular musicians of our time and for the many prominent dancers, politicians, authors, and crusaders who have appeared on its stage. From Gustav Mahler to Liza Minnelli, from John Philip Sousa to Leopold Stokowski, from Fats Waller to Woodrow Wilson, and from Ignace Jan Paderewski to Luciano Pavarotti, Carnegie Hall has been host to them all.
Consequently, as I heard my own voice echo off these walls which could tell a thousand stories, I experienced a catharsis like none other. The experience helped me to re-evaluate myself as both a musician and Christian.
             Music is God’s grace and divinity. Music Sets my heart on fire, and ignites the struggling flames of my passion. The first time I heard a raging orchestra, when I was still quite young, I felt such an indescribable warmness growing inside me. Ever since that moment, all my time, energy, and passion is devoted to music. I’ve also discovered the power of composing, which lets the artist pilfer life’s greatest moments and arrange them as he sees fit. Each time I compose, I feel as if I am the creator of a new word. Each time I conduct, I feel as though I am composing the piece phrase for phrase and movement by movement. This feeling is incredible and as overwhelming and exhilarating as a summer thunderstorm or sky diving.
 Even as I write, my words morph to notes, my spirit yearns to fly. The songs of the past, the present, the future can only truly express themselves in the sound of an orchestra, or the shrill of a choir.
“This music crept by me upon the waters, allaying* both their fury and my passion with it’s sweet air.”*

*1. Longfellow
*2. Shakespeare, The Tempest. Act I, scene 2
*3.To make less; relieve.