Today is December 27^th…there are only five days left in 2012.  Since I am interested in news relating to Clay Aiken, I thought it would be interesting to choose five standout moments from 2012 for Clay Aiken and his fans.

Looking back on the year and picking only five events is not easy. Some of you will agree with my picks and some will wonder why I left out one of their special moments.  Hold on to those ideas and please, share them with us in the New Year.

So…for the next few days I’ll be posting my top five events.  As always, your comments are appreciated.

~ The Top 5 Clay Aiken Stories of 2012 ~

# 5 – Two Nights at Carnegie Hall

Although Clay was not singing at Carnegie Hall, he made two very important appearances at the renowned concert hall.

Both evenings were presented by Distinguished Concerts International New York (DCINY).  According to their website:

DCINY…is driven by passion, innovative vision, a total belief in its artists, and unwavering commitment to bringing forth unforgettable audience experiences.  DCINY is a creative producing entity with unmatched integrity that is a talent incubator, a star-maker, and a presenter of broadly accessible, world-class musical entertainment.

February 18th - Judge

On February 18, 2012, Clay was a judge for the Nico Castel International Master Singer Competition.   DCINY joined the New York Opera Studio to find one female and one male winner that showed excellence in vocal technique and artistry in opera and oratorio.  Held at the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, the judges critiqued the top eight finalists that came from all over the world.

It was an honor for Clay to be invited to judge these wonderful singers.  It was a difficult job and Clay participated with top musicians.  I would bet that all involved learned a lot about each other that night.

Two nights later, Clay made another appearance at Carnegie Hall.

February 20th - Host and Narrator

On February 20, 2012, Clay was the host and narrator for the second half of a multigenerational choral event.  There were over 350 singers who ranged in age from elementary school age to adults.  There was also a full symphony orchestra as part of the choral program.

This event was also sponsored by the Distinguished Concerts International – New York.   The concert was titled Reflections of Life.  Billed as a special guest, Clay worked with the well-known, ASCAP award-winning choral composer and arranger, Greg Gilpin.  It was a great honor for Clay to work with such a distinguished musician.

To me, these two evenings at Carnegie Hall are important events for Clay Aiken in 2012.  Carnegie Hall is not open to all performers and for Clay to be asked to participate in two classical events shows a respect from his musical colleagues.  I do look forward to the day that Clay sings at Carnegie Hall.  I feel confident that this will happen SOON!