Sanibel School Seahorse Chorale to perform at Carnegie Hall

Sanibel was brought to its knees by the destruction of Hurricane Ian, turning the swaying green palms brown and tearing apart its iconic lighthouse landmark.

Every show of recovery and inspiration on Sanibel is a massive feat, from construction work on the lighthouse nearing completion in the next few weeks to The Sanibel School reopening last February, and now this very school, known for ranking in the top 10 of elementary and middle schools in Florida, has a new honor.

Its seahorse chorale has made it to the pinnacle of the music world.

It’s a famous question with a one-word answer. How do you get to Carnegie Hall? Practice, and that’s how the Sanibel school’s Seahorse Chorale starts the day, with practice.

“I find my all, and if we if we have to do anything, it’s just wake up in the morning, get to school, to choir and do your best,” said Piper Pierce, a 6th grader.

Founded in 2016 by music director Joey Giangreco, this middle school choir has performed at Disney, but in April, these kids will be able to say they made it to Carnegie Hall.

Giangreco said his Seahorse Chorale earned its way to the most famous stage in the world.

“We submitted an audition application to be a part of one of the music festivals that are taking place at Carnegie, and after we submitted those, we were met with such praise from the organization that was sponsoring that they loved our audition; they loved our story. They loved our students and welcomed us with open arms,” he said.

Going to Carnegie Hall will be the performance of a lifetime for a group of students who have dealt with so much in the past year.

“Especially following Hurricane Ian, all the excitement was overwhelming for a lot of us because we all had a hard time with our school being destroyed for a while and having to move over to San Carlos,” said Aubrey Wilson, a 7th grader, “so we just all love having these opportunities to be able to go places and perform for other people.”

And get this: an anonymous donor said if the Seahorse Chorale could raise $25,000 to make it to Carnegie Hall, that person would match it through the charitable foundation of the islands.

And that’s exactly what happened.

All that’s left is fundraising to send everyone’s family and chaperones on this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

If you’d like to help, click here.

The choir is set to perform at Carnegie Hall on April 1 at 8 p.m.