Lafayette High's Isabel Todd Selected to Sing Soprano 1 at Carnegie Hall

Isabel Todd, a junior at Lafayette High School, was selected Jan. 19, 2026, to perform as Soprano 1 with the High School Honors Performance Series at Carnegie Hall. The Honors Concert Choir will present the student ensemble at Carnegie Hall on Feb. 8, and the performance is open to the public.

Selection to the Honors Ensembles is limited to the highest-rated young performers from across the world, making Todd’s appointment a recognition of sustained excellence. Todd brings a decade of formal musical study to the role and has been an active member of the Lafayette High School choir. In her junior year she received multiple honors, including the Kim Parker Gregory Award for Choir Dedication and awards for Outstanding Soprano, Outstanding Sight Reader, and Outstanding Junior Musician. She also has ten years of classical violin training.

Todd has accepted a scholarship to join the Ole Miss Choir, becoming part of the University of Mississippi’s choral program. That scholarship underscores a direct pathway from local school programs to collegiate music opportunities and highlights how high school arts instruction can influence higher education access.

Todd described the opportunity as personally and professionally significant. "I am excited for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, which will further develop my skills as both a musician and a leader," Todd said.

For Lafayette County residents, Todd’s selection is both a point of community pride and a reminder of the value of arts education. Local music teachers, school administrators, and families who support extracurricular programs see tangible returns when students reach national stages. The honor also provides a visible example for younger students considering sustained study in music and related arts.

Institutionally, the selection speaks to Lafayette High School’s capacity to prepare students for competitive, national-level ensembles. It may factor into local conversations about maintaining or expanding support for school music programs, extracurricular staffing, and funding priorities that help students reach similar opportunities.

Todd will join peers from across the United States and abroad for the Feb. 8 performance at Carnegie Hall. For local audiences, her appearance represents an immediate chance to celebrate a Lafayette student on an international stage and an ongoing incentive to invest in the school music pipeline that helped her get there.