by Bea Peterson
What do Maria Callas, Enrico Caruso, Pablo Casals, Vladimir Horowitz, Arthur Rubinstein, Fats Waller, Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Judy Garland, the Beatles, Frank Sinatra, Itzhak Perlman and Luciano Pavarotti all have in common with Hoosick Falls Central School music teacher Ambigay Yudkoff and her students? Well, they have all performed in Carnegie Hall!
This past December, for the third time in four years Yudkoff and her students sang as part of a chorus with groups from other schools in a program by composer and conductor Tim Janis. This year’s performance was Janis’ “American Christmas Carol.” For the event HFCS students sang with students from a West Virginia high school and three New Jersey high schools. The performance benefitted award winning actress Kate Winslow’s Golden Hat Foundation whose mission is “to change the way people on the autism spectrum are perceived, by shining a light on their abilities and emphasizing their great potential. With proper education and career training, these individuals can truly realize their dreams.”
The concert gave the students the unique honor of singing in the prestigious Carnegie Hall and aiding a wonderful charity at the same time.
HFCS students who rehearsed for countless hours in preparation for this performance were sopranos Caitlyn Boyd, Kali Bushey, Emily Grant, Aubrey Mahar, Jillian Maser, Victoria McMahon, Bridget Redick, Ciaely Sanchez, Ashley Sherman, Danielle St. Hilaire, Renee St. Hilaire, Tiffany St. Hilaire and Colton Strohmaier, altos Anna Brewer, Samantha Davock, Sierra Funck, Lexi Gates, Gracie Gorman, Savannah Haber, Hayli Heim, Cassandra Hynd, Jake O’Connell, Madison Taber and Eliza Whitman, tenor Dylan Malo and basses Jeffrey Brewer, Theodore Brogue, Darrell Holovach and Jarred Libby.
Several chaperones accompanied the students on their bus trip to New York City. Another bus was filled with parents and friends who attended the event as well. HFCS Superintendent Ken Facin and Business Administrator Pam Hatfield also attended.