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Everyone deserves their 15 minutes of fame, and Colleen Brennan will get hers Nov. 30.
That's when Brennan, a longtime member of the local pop band "The Babalooey's," will travel to New York City and sing on the stage of the renowned Carnegie Hall.
The 36-year-old wife and mother of two won the opportunity after being selected in a contest sponsored by America On Line.
She was chosen after submitting an audition tape and an application.
She's one of 82 singers chosen from a pool of about 500 people who will perform "The Messiah" over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.
The choir will perform with the Brooklyn Philharmonic Orchestra at the direction of John Rutter, an internationally known conductor.
"I've walked by the front of it but never been inside, and I certainly never thought I'd perform there," Brennan said.
"Most singers dream about singing there, but being a midwestern housewife at this point in my life, I never really thought I'd get the opportunity," she said.
Actually, she missed out on a chance to perform at Carnegie when she was a student at San Francisco State University and a member of the university choir. The group was scheduled to sing at Carnegie, but the chance hit a sour note when she moved to Indiana shortly before.
"This is my second and last chance, so I'm really, really excited about it," she said.
Participants held a "cyber rehearsal" in which questions and tips were exchanged. All are already familiar with "The Messiah" and they'll do three rehearsals in New York before the performance.
Colleen and her husband Jim, have been in the Babalooey's since it organized seven years ago. The band features pop songs from recent decades and has one of the strongest followings in the area bar scene.
Colleen and Jim will travel to New York Wednesday and stay for the weekend. Their two children will stay with relatives so she can concentrate on the task at hand without worrying about the kids.
"I think it's the only time we've gotten away since the kids were here - just the two of us," she said.
Not a bad Thanksgiving.
