It was just one year ago when Floral Park Memorial High School Principal Kathy Sottile, Assemblyman Tom Alfano and the Floral Park Friends of Music teamed together to raise funds to put the concert together. With a lot of hard work from the Music parents and armed with grant funding from Assemblyman Alfano, the concert at Lincoln Center became a reality. "Kathy Sottile and her music department team had a dream for these young people and they made it happen because we worked as a team. The Music Parents, community and students all teamed up and we made this dream a reality."

That reality set in at 2:30 p.m. when students from Floral Park Memorial High School entered the performer's entrance to the hall and stepped onto the stage at Lincoln Center. "You can't imagine what these kids felt. The arts and music have a special place in all our lives and this event was their Superbowl. In this event, everyone was an MVP," Alfano said.

Students did a practice run of their concert in the hall during the late afternoon and then ate dinner at Fiorello Laguardia High School. The dinner came courtesy of the Music Parents who have truly been the backbone of the Music program at Floral Park Memorial. Laguardia High School had significance to the evening as it was the school chronicled in the movie "Fame", which centered around the arts, dance and music.

Assemblyman Alfano and Principal Kathy Sottile met up with the performers and ate dinner with them before their performance.

The stage lit up at 7 p.m. that evening as Principal Kathy Sottile welcomed the packed crowd to Lincoln Center. And, with the passing of the musical baton, the concert began with the Chorus that electrified the audience. As each performance proceeded, the crowd joined in with clapping during the pieces and standing ovations throughout the concert.

"This celebration of the arts was like nothing I have ever seen in my life," said Assemblyman Alfano, adding, "Professional musicians had nothing over the students at Floral Park Memorial. The excitement surrounding the performance was extraordinary. Stan Earnhart, Kathy Sottile and the entire music department created a night that nobody will forget." Pictures of the performance can be seen on the internet through FACEBOOK. Simply friend request Tom Alfano and you will have access to the behind-the-scenes work and performance of the concert.

The evening had special significance for teacher Stan Earnhart who was honored by the school and local elected leaders. Assemblyman Alfano was presented with an award from the students for his work in the arts, music and education. The legendary teacher will be retiring at the end of this school year.

The concert featured performances by the chorus, band and orchestra. The crescendo of the performance was the finale number of Battle Hymn of the Republic performed by all the students on stage. Students from the art department also had an art show in the foyer of the Alice Tully Hall of Lincoln Center. Works were displayed from student-artists.

"It was a sensational night that these young people will never forget," said Assemblyman Alfano, noting, "When I was backstage with some of the students, you could see in their eyes how important this was to them and the pride they took in performing for their community and State. One word can describe their performance - Magnificent."

The audience was standing room only with over 1,000 residents of Floral Park, Bellerose Village and Bellerose Terrace. People lined up at 6 p.m. for the 7 p.m. performance and stretched outside the hall onto the sidewalks of Manhattan.

"The evening can be best summed up this way: When you looked into the audience you saw parents crying with joy. And then you looked at the stage and saw these bright young people putting on the performance of a lifetime. This was a night Floral Park will never forget," Assemblyman Alfano concluded.