Local Teens Perform in Presidential Inauguration

By: Nikki Colonna

Palm Beach County natives took part in the Presidential Inauguration as they sang with their choir in front of millions in the ‘Make America Great Again Concert’ event. As members of The King’s Academy Honor Choir, the students experienced an opportunity to show off and honor our new president.

At the Lincoln Memorial, the 65 singers, accompanied by 15 dancers, took the stage the day during the 58th Presidential Inauguration Ceremony to perform the song, ‘Let There Be Peace On Earth. The song was regarded as being very appropriate for the event. This song provoked emotion and inspiration to the audience through the students’ voices and the song’s message.

This occasion of a lifetime was described as “unforgettable” by senior Brianne Dunn from King’s Academy choir. She expressed how the whole event was such a “humbling experience” that as a school they “put in so much hard work and dedication into [their rehearsals] in order to perfect the performance”. She will be “forever grateful for such an opportunity”.  

The choir worked together as a unit to make sure their performance was TV ready. The process of selection kept King’s Academy on their toes. They had very short notice before finding out that they were picked to perform as the ‘Voices of America’ but the last minute opportunity did not stop them from doing everything in their power to make their act flawless.

Backstage before the show, senior Stephanie Barrett had been calm and collected, but after seeing the huge audience and realizing the feature was televised, nerves set in. She was able to focus and remind herself of all the extra “practices after school they held to fix any last minute mistakes and perfect the song”, and she was able to focus and relax. The King’s Academy was successful in welcoming and entertaining our new President.

The choir’s success would not have been possible without the guidance and direction of King’s Academy’s Artistic Director, Mr. Snyder. His ability to teach and mentor his talented students to this level was beyond admirable. Putting extra time and dedication into his program has really been beneficial for his school and the students, as shown by their reputation and nomination for selection for such an event.

Mr. Snyder and the King’s Academy’s students’ hard paid off as the collaborated efforts transformed into the end result of a very well done, well represented performance. He believes that “performing on a national platform has given The King’s Academy the opportunity to showcase the quality of student that we have at the school” as well as “allowed the Conservatory of Arts to reach a higher level of success”. The exposure set their standards high but they hope to see more opportunities and set new goals for themselves and the program.