mobanmarketGREENPORT, NY — The stars aligned recently for a group of music students from Greenport who got the once-in-a-lifetime chance to shine onstage in New York City with familiar faces from “The Voice.”
Erika Cabral, a music teacher in the Greenport School District, was glowing with pride as she reflected on the road that led her students to the spotlight.
It all began with “More Good.”
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“More Good” is an effort commenced by North Fork resident Mary Latham, who left the North Fork on Oct. 29, 2016 after the loss of her beloved mother. In her mother’s car, she set off on a journey to honor the woman whose loss forever altered her life. She packed her mom’s 2008 blue Subaru Outback and headed to 50 states, where she has met with people and heard their stories about giving back, about good and positivity during a time when the political landscape was marked by turmoil and negativity.
Latham had met popular vocalist Morgan Myles — who rose to stardom on “The Voice” during Season 22, where she was a finalist — through a college friend, who worked with her.
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“I went with my friend to Morgan’s Grand Ole Opry debut in Nashville in January,” Latham said. Then, Myles’ agent reached out to Latham and asked she’d collaborate with Myles, whose debut album, Therapy, was shaped by the grief of losing her cousin and grandfather to Glioblastoma, an aggressive brain tumor.
Because of Latham’s work, Myles’ agent asked if she and the singer could work together. “We got Morgan to me for a ‘More Good’ interview,” Latham said.
Then, Latham was inspired to talk to Cabral about working with the a cappella group at the high school to surprise Myles by having the students sing her own song, “Sanctuary.” Myles wrote the song for her cousin — “a prayer” their family could share as they mourned his loss, Latham said.
“I remember when I first thought about it, I kind of manifested this dream that they’d sing to her and maybe someday they would get to go on stage with her — and then it happened!” Latham said.
To prepare for the surprise, Cabral said she listened to the song and wrote out an a cappella arrangement for her group to learn.
“When she came to visit on April 4 Mary brought her to school to take a tour of the school that Mary grew up in,” Cabral said. “Little did she know that the group was arranged in our high school library on the third floor, waiting for the perfect time to start singing. As Morgan made her way to the high school library, the kids started singing. She was so surprised that it brought her to tears. The kids were able to spend some time talking with her about her amazing experience on The Voice and her musical journey so far.”
Cabral said: “It was the most memorable experience ever — until Morgan reached out and asked the group to perform with her onstage at The Cutting Room in New York City on June 14!”
Students who participated, she said, included Alexandra Cabral, Isabella Sarabia, Shane Manwaring, Riley Whitecavage, Jayda Hubbard, Cameron Stanton, Devin Stanton, Liliana Harbin Raelynn Hayes, Reyna Luna Gatica, Lea Rodger, Faith Welch, and Brianna Rivas.
To watch a video of the students surprising Myles, click here.
“I’m so proud of my kids,” she said. “My a cappella group is definitely my pride and joy.”
Cabral created the group when she was first hired in 2006 to teach at the Greenport School District. “A local B&B asked if I could gather some singers for a holiday tour event being held that December,” she said. “We loved our time together so much that we continued singing after school throughout the school year.”
Cabral said that she has been blessed with amazingly talented kids over the years. Her group has done some very exciting things since 2006, such as performing at weddings, in a recording studio, at an a cappella festival, in a competition in New Jersey where they won first place, and at local song fests and community events. “But this definitely takes the cake!” she said.
Her group, she said, had money saved up from fundraisers in their music boosters account. “So we used it to get a van and hit the road for New York City,” Cabral said. “We had two run-throughs backstage with Morgan and her guitarist — and then it was time to watch the show.”
Myles had two contestants from “The Voice” — Brayden Lape and NOIVAS — who performed with her onstage that night, “both amazingly brilliant,” Cabral said.
And then Cabral was able to see her own students on the stage, a moment that meant everything to each and every young person who saw their dreams take flight. She thanked Myles for the opportunity.
“Morgan is so endearing, helpful, and kind-hearted. She roots for everyone and loves collaborating. She is the exact opposite of some artists who are ‘all about me,'” she said. “Watching her onstage was captivating. Her range is like that of a superhuman, and her soul is in every phrase that she sings. We were so lucky to have been in the same room as her — let alone onstage singing with her.”
Watching the students, Cabral said: “I was in tears as I looked on at my kids from little old Greenport making sweet harmonies onstage with Morgan. My daughter, Alexandra, is a 7th grader and new to the group this year, which made it even more special for me. I am a former artist myself, having written and performed my music throughout NYS and the northeast in my 20s. This came full circle for me — and I couldn’t be prouder of my kids at Greenport School.”
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Next up, Cabral said she is working on an arrangement of one of NOIVAS’ songs.
“Look out for our future collaboration,” she said.
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