‘Truly Brave’ duo singing for cancer research at Morristown Onstage

This is the fifth in a series of profiles highlighting the finalists of Morristown Onstage, to be held Feb. 24 at the Mayo Performing Arts Center.  

Two Frelinghuysen Middle School students are bringing a popular musical collaboration to the Mayo Performing Arts Center stage for Morristown Onstage.

Carly Nicolai, 12, and Peyton Wild, 11 will sing a “Truly Brave” duet, a collaboration between Sara Bareilles's “Brave” and Cyndi Lauper's “True Colors.”

The duet was first performed by Bareilles and Lauper with the help of “Today Show” host Hoda Kotb, who united the pair to raise money for pediatric cancer research.

Both Nicolai and Wild began singing at age three and have taken pop vocal classes together the last two years at the Mayo Performing Arts Center. They both also sing in the middle school choir.

“When together we inevitably break out in song,” Nicolai said. “We've sung Disney songs dressed as princesses when we were little.  We've moved onto Frozen, Taylor Swift, Christmas carols and Broadway tunes.”

They’ve begun experimenting together with harmonies, with Wild singing soprano and Nicolai singing alto.

“We stumbled upon the song ‘Truly Brave’ on YouTube when searching for a duet that suited our vocal ranges and featured harmonies,” Wild said. “After hearing the beauty of the music of the song we thought the message of the song was beautiful. Be yourself, show your true colors, be brave, tell the truth, and raising awareness and money for pediatric cancer.”

Both Nicolai and Wild’s families have been attending Morristown’s Got Talent shows since they began, so the pair thought it would be exciting to audition this year.

Since there is no karaoke music for the mashed-up song, they enlisted the help of their pop vocal teacher, Darius Flower, who agreed to arrange the music for them. They then burned a CD so they can practice the harmonies at home leading up to the competition.

And because it was the reason the song “Truly Brave” was created, the pair plans to donate some of the money to pediatric cancer research if they win.

“We haven't really thought about winning,” Nicolai said. “It's been a dream of ours to audition and be selected as finalists.  We are happy to participate and are enjoying the experience.”

Following the show, the pair plan to practice for Frelinghuysen Middle School’s play, “Peter Pan,” and continue to take MPAC classes to develop their voices.

Staff Writer Michael Izzo: 973-428-6636; mizzo@GannettNJ.com

Morristown Onstage

What: A show featuring the best amateur talent from Morristown, Morris Township and Morris Plains, presented by and benefiting the Morris Educational Foundation.

When: Wednesday, Feb. 24

Where: Mayo Performing Arts Center, 100 South St. in Morristown.