Heading to Carnegie Hall for a March 20 performance, members of the SE and NW campus choirs are raising funds and perfecting their program.
   Marion Nesvadba, SE associate professor of music, was invited to direct the choirs, who will combine voices with choirs from St. Maria Goretti Catholic Church in Arlington and Mountain View College in Dallas.
   They will perform “Te Deum” and “Psalm 150” by Anton Bruckner, pieces never previously performed at Carnegie Hall.
   The groups will present preview performances Friday, Feb. 24, 8:15 p.m. at Mountain View and Sunday, Feb. 26, 6 p.m. at St. Maria Goretti.
   Although the concerts are free, donations to help defray the $1,500 cost per member would be accepted.
Next on their agenda is Mardi Gras.
   The Mardi Gras celebration in New Orleans has been significantly scaled back this year since the destruction following Hurricane Katrina, but TCC students, faculty and staff are invited to celebrate Fat Tuesday in what promises to be a robust celebration.
   The celebration is Tuesday, Feb. 28, 6 p.m.-9 p.m. in ESED North Ballroom.
   Tickets cost $10 and include an all-you-can-eat authentic Cajun meal with the Melodic Alliance Music Club of SE Campus sponsoring the event.
   All proceeds will benefit the TCC choir’s Carnegie Hall Performance and music scholarships.
   The New Orleans celebration has been affectionately dubbed “the greatest free show on Earth.”
   Although the SE Campus celebration will be on a much smaller scale, it definitely has the potential to live up to the hype of the larger celebration.
   “There will be a lot of fun and food for very little money,” Marion Nesvadba, associate professor of music, said.
   Guests will enjoy a wide selection of entertainment.
   B.J. Cleveland, artistic director for Arlington Theatre, will provide his comedic styling as emcee of the event.
   The SE Jazz Band will perform live, and SE music students will serve as singing waiters.
   Clowns and a magician will mingle with the crowd while guests enjoy karaoke and dancing.
   The night will include a silent auction and a drawing for two airline tickets and a hotel room in Hawaii.   Second prize is two tickets to anywhere Southwest Airlines flies.
   Raffle tickets are on sale now for $10 each or $90 for 10 tickets. Tickets for the drawing will be available for purchase that night.
   To buy tickets or make donations, call Nesvadba at 817-515-3718 or Katy Garber, NW Campus music instructor, at 817-515-7122.