Disney World will have to wait for the charitably minded singers in Great Neck North High School’s Jazz Choir.
The group was preparing to raise funds for a trip to perform at the theme park when Hurricane Sandy struck, causing devastation on the South Shore of Long Island.
Now, instead of performing in the Florida sunshine, the group will sing on Saturday evening in a benefit concert for Long Beach High School arts program to replace equipment lost in the storm.
“We started raising money this past fall in Great Neck for the trip, and then Sandy hit,” said North High School resident composer and benefit coordinator Roger Ames. “Everybody got turned around by that, and with a little coaxing from our department chair Neil Saggerson we asked the kids of they wouldn’t think it was right to raise money for some kids who were really hit by the storm. And they all said yes – they gave up their trip and kept raising money.”
“We’re all pretty heartwarmed by the kids in jazz choir who decided to forgo their trip to do this,” Ames added.
Long Beach High School choral director Michael Capobianco expressed gratitude for North High’s efforts to help his school rebuild.
“When we found out about it obviously we were thrilled by it. It was really such an incredibly generous offer,” Capobianco said. “We are just very thankful to all the students who sacrificed their trip to help out our community and we’re very grateful to the Great Neck community at large for this. It’s obviously been a difficult year for our Long Beach community so it’s great to know that the Great Neck community is thinking about us.”
Though the Disney trip would have been exciting the benefit is for a greater cause, said jazz choir member Conor O’Byrne, a junior.
“We were really excited about going, but really when this idea was proposed to us I immediately thought it was a much better idea,” said O’Byrne. “I truly believe that this is a hundred times more meaningful than a Disney trip would be.”
Ames hopes to raise thousands of dollars in donations from the concert, which will feature North High singers, choir members from the Long Beach school that will receive the donations from the event and dozens of North High alumni. The group will perform songs from Les Miserables.
“It’s going to be kind of like a party actually. We’re inviting the audience to join us and we’re calling it a sing-in,” Ames said.
The idea for the show’s theme came from a choir alumna, who suggested that the group perform selections from the award-winning musical. The event grew from there, and Ames said that 60 alumni are planning on singing in the show.
“A whole bunch of kids who have sung these particular roles in “Les Miserables” are coming back and sharing the roles,” Ames said.
One of those alumnus is Jaron Argiz, who sang with the group before graduating from North High School in 1997. For Argiz, who took that trip to Disney when he was in school, the chance to reunite with old friends – and help people while doing it – was not to be missed.
“It means a lot. That group back in ‘97 was very special. We had the opportunity to sing Les Mis all over the place,” said Argiz.
“Getting together with everybody is awesome and that’s a huge part of it for many of us, but the fact that we can get back together and give back to the community is great,” Argis added. “It’s just a home run.”
“We’ve always had a lot of enthusiasm around the program. You can imagine, I’m pretty delighted that these kids are coming back,” said Ames, who has worked with North High choral singers for two decades.
The benefit will take place at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday in the North High School auditorium, with doors opening at 7:00 p.m. The suggested donation is $10 dollars for adults and $5 for students. English teacher Jeffrey Gilden and choral director Dr. Janine Robinson also helped coordinate the event, and North High parent Jeff Blye will accompany the singers on keyboards
