Welcoming in the Holidays
Hundreds of tenants and community residents gathered to usher in the holiday season to officially light Long Island’s favorite tree, a beautiful 66 foot tall Norwegian Spruce. The tree was lit on December 9th and stands aglow on the Plaza with 32,000 colored LED lights. The tree is illuminated nightly until January 9th. At RXR Plaza, the holiday season is “the most wonderful time of the year”. For many Long Islanders, the lighting of the tree at RXR Plaza marks the beginning of the season. This year, the annual event brought a special blend of Long Island talent, showcasing a range of performances from the young and up-coming to a nationally recognized choir.
Nassau County Girl Scouts
Highlighting the event were the Nassau County Girl Scouts, under the direction of Catherine Azzara. Ms. Azzara is a former member of the “Girl Scout” Chorus, a 2002 Gold Award recipient and Girl Scout Adult Volunteer. Catherine’s education and passion for music make her a great role model for all the girls in the Chorus. For the last 20 years, the Girl Scouts of Nassau County Chorus have entertained thousands of residents of Nassau County, bringing a smile to their faces and reminding them all “what is good about Girl Scouting.”
Syosset High School String Orchestra
The highly regarded Syosset String Orchestra, under the direction of the talented Michelle Denton, performed an array of wonderful musical compositions, including a beautiful rendition of “Mother Ginger from The Nutcracker”, the fun and joyous “We Need A Little Christmas” and an upbeat version of “Fiddle Faddle”. The forty up-and-coming musicians that comprised the string orchestra represented their school with excellence and entertained the crowd wholeheartedly.
West Hempstead High School Choir
The event also featured the West Hempstead High School Choir. The group, comprised of forty of the school’s finest singers, provided a glorious finale, led by Director Patricia McVetty. Over the past few years, the West Hempstead High School Choir has performed at the Music Showcase Festival in Allentown, PA and were rated "Superior". They have also performed in the Music Showcase Festival @ Six Flags. The vibrant group sang magnificent renditions of The First Noel/Pachelbel's Canon, Sleigh Ride, and the Hallelujah Chorus. And then, the moment all waited for … when Jolly Santa appeared and stood along side RXR CEO Scott Rechler and EVP Kenneth Bauer to begin the countdown and officially light the tree.
The Calvary Tabernacle Choir
Then, with the newly glowing tree as a backdrop, The Calvary Tabernacle Choir sang an inspired blend of holiday tunes under the direction of Robert T. Stewart. The Calvary Tabernacle was founded in 1991 in Hempstead and as Hempstead grew, so did Calvary Tabernacle now with more than 700 members. The Calvary Tabernacle is led by Pastor and Mrs. Barrington F. Goldson, the original founders. Many attendees savored the beauty of the evening as they enjoyed the complimentary skating session on the RXR Plaza ice rink. A night to remember!
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