Busch Gardens sung Malverne Select Choir's praises

The Malverne High School Select Choir traveled to Busch Garden on June 1 in Williamsburg, Virginia to compete in the Music in the Parks Festival — and the students did not come home empty handed. In fact, they were awarded first place in every eligible category and earned rave reviews from the judges.

Ken Zagare, Choral Director, and Michael Lawless and Kaiden Ulysse, student conductors, led the choir as they sang “By Night” by Elaine Hagenberg and “Daniel in the Lion Den” By Caldwell and Ivory. They were accompanied on violin by music teacher Rachel Trevor-Faria.

Their performance blew the judges away, and earned them first place choir in the high school division and first place choir overall in all divisions. On top of that, Gabrielle Joseph took the Best Soloist award for her solo in “Daniel in the Lion Den.”

And that’s not all. The choir also was presented with the Espirit de Corps Award, which recognizes an organization that displays an exemplary attitude of positive support and outstanding personal behavior throughout the festival weekend.

During the awards ceremony, the judges openly expressed their awe and admiration for the choir members and their talents with comments including “I had never heard of Malverne, but I have now, and I am a fan and won’t forget!” and “This choral program is a jewel to your district.”

The Select Choir students are “so deserving of these honors and serve as musical ambassadors for our incredible music program,” Malverne school officials said. “We are also grateful to our outstanding music educators who are dedicated to bringing out the best in our students.”