Kids Sing Their Way To Victory At Shubert

Playing to a full house at the Shubert, Ammon Downer and Tanaiza Glass set the beat and a joyous tone for their talented crew of singers and dancers from the Edgewood School in ​“A Friend Like Me,” from the musical Aladdin.

Their performance on Thursday won the Edgewood ensemble first place and $500 toward the school’s music program at the third annual Board of Alders talent show to raise around $3,000 for Talent Haven, the alders’ fund to support scholarship and programming at Music Haven, the Neighborhood Music School, and Co-Op Arts and Humanities High School.

Other groups, such as the Co-Op Chorus, performed, but the competition was entirely among choruses from four elementary schools.

While Edgewood garnered the overall prize, the talented kids from Lincoln-Bassett (pictured) were cited for their dancing, the Brennan-Rogers kids for singing, and the chorus from Columbus Family Academy for their presentation.

Each of those three schools received a check for $200, said Sal DeCola, the East Shore Alder and main organizer of the show.

All the competing choruses, as well as the performers from Co-Op, the Alliance Children’s theater, and the Neighborhood Music School selected songs or medleys from Broadway shows — many of which were seen and even debuted on the Shubert’s stage over the 100 years of performance that are being celebrated this season, said Robin Seipold, the theater’s centennial development coordinator.

Although the kids were front and center this year showing off their talents, the aldermanic performers will definitely be back, said Dixwell Alder Jeanette Morrison.

This year she was one of the judges, along with activist Lindy Gold, New Haven Symphony Orchestra Executive Director Elaine Carroll, and this reporter from the Independent.

Morrison performed in the first two editions of the show. ​“I’m very glad Sal had the idea to do the talent show for the kids,” she said. ​“I do miss dancing. I’ll be back.”