By Vilma Angulo - St. Bonaventure Church
Photographer: COURTESY PHOTO
Members of St. Bonaventure's Children's Chorale hold up their Grand Champion trophy.
DAVIE | For the fourth straight year, St. Bonaventure School's Children’s Chorale has been crowned Grand Champion at the Music USA Festival in Orlando. The chorale also received a Superior Rating and first place in the Elementary School Concert Choir Category.
Photographer: COURTESY PHOTO
Members of St. Bonaventure's Children's Chorale hold up some of their championship hardware.
In addition, 12 St. Bonaventure middle school students, calling themselves the "Voice of Twelve," competed for the first time in the Middle School Concert Choir category. They also received a Superior Rating and first place and won the Middle School Grand Champion Award for Choral Music - even though they had only taken music as an elective in the second and third academic quarters.
The chorale's director is Ysomar Granados, St. Bonaventure's music teacher.
"She and her students set the standard for middle and elementary school musicians at the latest Spring Music Festival, much to the delight of the judges," wroteE. L. Kleinschmidt, president of Music USA Groups, in a letter to St. Bonaventure's principal, Nydia Claudio.
"Once again you have proven how dedication, imagination, and
discipline combine to produce wonderful music from eager students," Kleinschmidt wrote in a separate letter to Granados. "While
we at Music USA have enjoyed all previous performances, we were especially
delighted by this year’s offerings in vocal music. The students seemed
truly involved in their performance and their spirit was reflected in the music
they produced."
Music USA Festivals is a non-profit organization "promoting music education through quality evaluation."
The judges at this year's festival were: Andrew Larson of Stetson University; Anthony Hose, formerly of the Royal College of Music in London; and Jared Rawlings of Stetson University.
The selections performed by the students were:
- Children’s Chorale: "The Water is Wide" arranged by Ruth Elaine Schram; and "Do You Know Your Shepherd’s Voice" by Suzanne Lord
- Middle School Voices of Twelve: "The Storm is Passing Over" by Charles Albert Tindley, arranged by Barbara W. Baker; and "Go Where I Send Thee!" arranged by Paul Caldwell and Sean Ivory.
Photographer: COURTESY PHOTO
Members of St. Bonaventure's Children's Chorale and their director, Ysomar Granados, pose for a photo in front of a facade at Universal Studios in Orlando.
