On the afternoon of November 11 at the A.J. Fletcher Music Center in Winston-Salem, she will sing with 128 middle schoolers from across the state, hand-picked for the N.C. Honors Chorus sponsored by the North Carolina Music Education Association.

In all, 738 students auditioned for the the honor.

“I think it’s really a good opportunity for me,” said Marinakis, the daughter of Alex and Kelly Marinakis of Zebulon. “I think it will be good for the future like trying out for high school chorus and applying for college.”

Marinakis plans to major in music in college and has her sights set on being a professional singer.

“I like to sing because it expresses your feelings,” she said.

And her choral teacher, Randi Kennemur, said she expresses them well.

“She definitely has a gift for it,” she said. “She has a great stage presence and she’s very serious about it. She’s able to take what I’m giving her and apply it.”

She’s also a hard worker.

To prepare for the audition, Kennemur worked with Marinakis Tuesdays and Thursdays after school on vocalizing and on sight reading, something she had not done before. She also went to a special clinic at East Carolina University to help students get ready.

Since her audition September 24 in Goldsboro along with other hopefuls in the eastern region, she has been rehearsing every Tuesday and Thursday for the performance. She has to learn five pieces, several of which are in Latin.

“I’m really excited,” said Kennemur who taught at Creech Road Elementary and Micro-Pine Level elementary in Johnston County before coming to Zebulon Middle School. “This is the first time I’ve had a middle school student make it and the first time a Zebulon Middle School student has made it.”

Marinakis has been singing since she was four years old. She sings in her church choir that Amy King directs at Central Baptist Church in Wendell.

And now, she’s looking forward to the performance.

“I think it will really be pretty the way the voices blend together,” she said. “And I think the instrumental accompaniment along with the piano will be pretty.”

Kennemur, who will be at the concert along with Marinakis’ parents, said it’s a good learning experience too.

“It gives the students the opportunity to experience different kinds of pieces that they wouldn’t experience even in chorus class.”