Rising seventh graders Ella Colarte Delgado and Sophie Kandor participated in the Inaugural Florida Treble All-Stars Honor Choir July 22-24, 2024. This children’s choir, organized by the Florida Vocal Association (FVA), performed during the opening ceremony of the FVA’s week-long Summer Professional Development Conference. This year marks the first of the Youth All-Stars choirs performance. 

The choir is composed of 120 students from all over the state of Florida. Each school may nominate up to five students to participate. The application includes a student audition tape as well as a teacher recommendation. The conference began with registration and time for students to explore Orlando. The next day, students were able to rehearse their five performance songs. These songs included the Irish folk song “Bandyrowe” and the Latino labor song “Canto de Pílon.” 

The choral director, Ms. Mary Biddlecombe, began the lesson silently, and conducted the choir for 45 minutes, never talking. After that, she began splitting the class into groups based on their location (North, South, ect.) to begin practicing their designated octave in the songs. 

On the third and final day, the students performed all five songs. Following “Bandyrowe” and “Canto de Pílon,” the students performed three Old English classical songs, written by famous writers such as Emily Dickinson. These songs, “Be Who You Are,” “Sound of the Trumpet” and “Where the Light Begins,” were performed without stopping as the grand finale. 

Following the performance, students were able to meet with their choir teachers and reflect on the opportunities this choir has provided them with. “These students are so talented. They were able to stay focused and sing for 45 minutes straight, something I could have not done with a normal choir. These children love singing, and thank you so much parents for fostering their love,” Choral Director Ms. Biddlecombe said in her closing speech. 

_{Ms. Biddlecorne and her pianist accompaniment stand with the 120 students in the choir. (Photo/Ms. Angela Mormoon-Davis)} 

_{Ms. Mormoon-Davis, the middle-school choral director at Heritage, helped Ella and Sophie complete their application and accompanied them to the competition. “  I am beyond proud of these young musicians. Not only did these two ladies represent American Heritage, but they were the only two students representing Broward County in this State-wide Honor Choir,” Mormon-Davis said. (Photo/Marisol Colarte Delgado)}

^{From left to right, Ms. Mormoon-Davis, Ella Colarte Delgado, Ms. Biddlecorne and Sophie Kandor say goodbye at the closing ceremony holding their trophies awarded for their participation and selection in the choir. (Photos/Marisol Colarte Delgado and Ms. Mormoon-Davis)}