Peekskill High’s City Singers Earn Gold Seal at NYSSMA Festival

The Peekskill High School City Singers have done it again! The a capella jazz ensemble, which serves as the high school’s select chorus, received the highest honor after performing at the New York State School Music Association’s (NYSSMA) adjudicated Major Organization Evaluation Festival on Wednesday, May 23, 2018.

The Singers’ NYSSMA entries for this year included two Level VI pieces, (NYSSMA’s highest level) and one piece that surpassed the Level VI expectations due to its difficult vocal harmonies.

The group is led by Peekskill High School Chorus Director Mr. Larry Del Casale, who could not be more delighted with his students’ performance at the festival.

“I am constantly amazed by the commitment and talent of this group, and they’re getting better every year,” said Del Casale. “The group’s dynamics and phrasing are so focused now. The members are peer critiquing and all egos are put aside for the benefit of the whole group - it’s so beautiful.”

The group adds this gold seal to several other accolades and achievements. They have performed at multiple local events, from fundraisers to inaugurations, and have even had the opportunity to open for the multi-Grammy winning vocal quartet, the Manhattan Transfer when the band recently came to Peekskill’s Paramount Theater.

On Tuesday, May 22, prior to their participation in the festival, the school district posted a Facebook video of the City Singers performing a rendition of, “Somewhere over the Rainbow” and wished the students luck at NYSSMA. By time the students left for NYSSMA the next morning, the video had received over 7,000 views and this number continues to climb, confirming that Peekskill High School’s City Singers are certainly something to sing about.