By Daphne Jackson
Hamilton High School sent 61 choir students on a trip to New York City to perform in a benefit concert at Carnegie Hall last week.
Choir Director Peggy Bucheit said celebrity Kate Winslet hosts the concert to benefit autism research and people living with autism, and first asked the Hamilton choir to sing three years ago, after a biennial concert for the PBS program, “Celebrate America.” She said the host of the show, Tim Janis, also works with Winslet on the concert.
“She picked up our performance off his website, and they invited us to come sing,” said Bucheit. “So last year, we sang for him again, and he invited us to come back for this year’s performance. My kids were very excited, of course.”
This year, Bucheit said, the concert’s headliners would be Matthew Morrison, of “Glee,” and Alex Boyé, who won 2014’s YouTube Cover of the Year for an African version of “Let it Go.”
“We sang two pieces with him, an African Christmas carol called ‘Babe Ye Tu’ and an African version of ‘The Little Drummer Boy’, which is really cool and the kids love those two pieces,” she said.
In addition to the concert, Bucheit said the students got to spend some time sightseeing in New York, including a visit to one of two Broadway musicals, a choice between the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Natural History Museum, and a visit to the Empire State Building.
“All of us got to see the 9/11 memorial, and the Statue of Liberty, and Wall Street, and before we went to the Broadway show, we had some time on Times Square,” she said.
The group traveling to New York ranged from freshmen to seniors, all of whom are talented performers, Bucheit said.
She said each of the 61 students raised $1,086 for the trip, partially through fundraisers such as working the concessions at football games.
“They’ve worked really hard to raise money,” she said. “Some of the kids have earned their way entirely through fundraisers, and without the support of this incredible community that would not be possible. So, a big shout out to the business owners here in the Hamilton community, they’re pretty incredible. They’re supporting what we’re doing, and seeing the value in arts education for these kids, and we really appreciate that.”
She said the choir intends to give the businesses posters with a photo of the students in New York in way of thanks, and as something the businesses can display.
Bucheit said Hamilton High School has four choirs of various sizes, including the concert choir, which performs about every two months.