Cold Spring Chorus Moves to Final Round on B101

"Hot Chocolate" could win some hot prizes - and bragging rights - for one Central Bucks elementary school.

Cold Spring Elementary's 6th grade chorus won the semi-final round Monday of an annual competition, sending them into the final round on Thursday.

Six more schools from southeastern Pennsylvania and southern New Jersey still are competing in the remaining semi-final rounds of the B101 Christmas Choir Competition. The winners from Tuesday's and Wednesday's rounds will go on to the finals on Thursday.

Stay tuned on Thursday morning to begin voting for Cold Spring on the station's contest website.

This week's division focuses on schools from kindergarten through 8th grade. Next week's competitions will feature secondary schools.

Cold Spring's entry is the song "Hot Chocolate," from the 2004 holiday movie, The Polar Express. Under the direction of music teacher Mike Gruver, the choir performed the song and recorded it at the Middle Bucks Institute of Technology.

Chris Tully, who runs the Multimedia Technology program at MBIT, set up the recording at the school. One of his students, Connor Lepre, recorded and mixed the song.

First place winners from each division will win a new Cunningham Studio upright piano, with a retail value of $7,990, for their school's music department, courtesy of Cunningham Piano Company. They also get the opportunity to perform at the Kimmel Center with Peter Nero and the Philly Pops

The second place winner will receive a cash award of $2,000 and third place, $1,000.

This isn't the first time a local school has made it to the finals of the B101 contest.

In 2011, Our Lady of Mt. Carmel's chorus made it to the finals with their rendition of "Go Tell it on the Mountain," and Central Bucks South High School made it to the finals the following week in the secondary school division.

Related stories:

• OLMC Choir in B101 Contest Finals Thursday
• CB South in Christmas Choir Competition