Jocelyn Bickings, a sophomore at Thomas W. Kelly High School, poses at the school in rural Benton on Wednesday, Aug. 14. The 15-year-old singer was selected for the high school’s Honors Performance Series, which took place July 26-29 at the Royal Festival Hall in London.

Gina Curtis/Standard Democrat

BENTON, Missouri – A sophomore at Thomas W. Kelly High School has been selected to perform in the High School Honors Performance Series at the Royal Festival Hall in London this summer.

The Honors Performance Series brings together some of the world’s most promising young musicians to perform under the direction of master conductors in some of the world’s most prestigious concert halls.

Jocelyn Bickings, daughter of Kari and Travis Bickings, had the opportunity to perform in London in July.

The 15-year-old has always loved singing and music with great passion.

“I was always babbling along to songs as a baby and my parents knew early on that I loved singing and music in general,” Bickings said.

Bickings said she started singing full songs at age three, performed in fifth grade and has been in choir since seventh grade. She has also participated in several Sikeston Little Theatre productions.

Photo provided by Jocelyn Bickings. Jocelyn Bickings, a sophomore at Kelly High School, takes a selfie while visiting London to participate in the high school’s Honors Performance Series at the Royal Festival Hall in London from July 26-29.

Bickings, a member of the Kelly High School choir, has studied music for six years, has performed with several honor choirs, and has received numerous awards over the past four years.

Bickings said she auditioned for the Honors Performance Series and was accepted after being reviewed by the Honors Selection Board.

The Honors Performance Series aims to highlight outstanding individual students on a global level by giving them the opportunity to study with master conductors and perform in world-renowned venues. The Honors Performance Series is presented by WorldStrides, the nation’s leading educational travel organization.

Bickings flew to London, where she spent July 26-29. She joined 75 artists from 42 states and three countries, including Guam, South Korea and Canada, for a special performance at London’s world-famous Royal Festival Hall, a venue that represents the pinnacle of musical achievement.

The finalists not only had the opportunity to learn from internationally renowned conductors, but also to collaborate with other artists and visit London.

Bickings explained how this opportunity arose.

“My choir teacher nominated me last year and I got a letter in the mail inviting me to audition, and I made it,” Bickings said.

Bickings continued to describe his experience and called it a dream come true.

“The gig was definitely great,” said Bickings. “We also saw a lot of the sights. We visited Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey and the London Eye. We also went on a dinner cruise on the Thames and performed at the Royal Festival Hall.”

Bickings said she had sung soprano roles with the choir in London.

“We performed six pieces in total,” said Bickings. “The conductor chose these pieces and we had two days to practice, each piece for seven hours.”

Bickings continued, “The experience was really nice. We actually did moves on two of the songs and danced around on stage on one of the songs.”

Bickings said she spent most of her time in London with her support group. According to Bickings, she also made many friends.

The teenager raised money to cover the cost of the trip through various fundraisers she organized. Bickings expressed her gratitude for the opportunity to perform in London and hopes to travel to Carnegie Hall in New York City or the Sydney Opera House in Sydney, Australia, to perform next year.