Hard work and talent is taking two MacPhail voice students all the way to one of the world’s most celebrated stages: Carnegie Hall. Next month, Laila Elazab, 16, and Max Zhang, 12, will both perform as winners of the American Protégé International Vocal Competition. Laila will also perform as a winner of the Golden Classical Music Awards International Competition.

When Jayden Gbedjangni’s school announced a “dress as someone who inspires you” day, the sixth grader didn’t have to think long. He showed up in jeans, a polo shirt, and a name tag reading “Mr. Kaiser” — his cello teacher through MacPhail’s After School Strings Program at Ascension Catholic School in North Minneapolis.

While MacPhail has long offered jazz and launched the Electronic Music and Recording Arts (EMRA) program five years ago, contemporary offerings were previously spread across different programs. Now, through our Contemporary Music Program, we’re uniting jazz, pop, rock, electronic, world music, and more under one umbrella.