NEW YORK – On Thursday, March 22, St. George Academy (SGA) students participated in the first ever Heritage Concert, where they showcased to the local community the diverse cultures that make up SGA.
Organized and arranged by SGA ESL teacher Iryna Chuyan, the program included performances that represented the Ukrainian, African American, Latino and Chinese cultures. Each culture offered something unique and exciting.
African American students read excerpts from Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous speech “I Have a Dream” and performed modern dance which they learned as part of SGA’s new afterschool program. Latino students read poetry and shared the contributions of the many famous Latino celebrities, Chinese students shared traditional Chinese music and Ukrainian students sang stirring cultural favorites by Volodymyr Ivasiuk and Taras Shevchenko.
The finale of the show included several beautiful arrangements performed by soloists and the schoolwide SGA Choir, conducted by Anya Bachynska and Principal Andrij Stasiw. The last song, a modern piece by Tina Karol, “Ukraine is You,” had the students and audience dancing.
Due to its great success and a strong turnout from the community, the Heritage Concert is slated to become an annual event at SGA.