Vincy family celebrates the achievement of a 2022 Grammy Award

NEW YORKERS, Marstus Llewellyn-Hewitt, originally from Sion Hill, and his wife, Dr.Suzanne Greenidge-Hewitt, daughter of the renowned Vincentian Calypso and Soca producer, Granville Straker are proud of their 17-year-old daughter, Makaelah, who as part of the National Children’s Chorus & Pacific Chorale, took home the Grammy for Best Choral Performance in Sunday’s awards.

The Grammy award was for performing Mahler’s Symphony No. 8, ‘Symphony of a Thousand’ in a 2019 production that included the Los Angeles (LA) Philharmonic Orchestra, the LA Children’s Chorus and the LA Master Chorale.

Makaelah was asked to sing and record in LA in 2019 as part of the New York Division-National Children’s Chorus and at Walt Disney Hall with American Youth Symphony, part of LA Phil’s centennial celebration.

Makaelah started performing with the choir at the tender age of nine and has toured many prestigious venues, traditional concert halls and opera houses around the world (England, China, Hong Kong, Germany, Japan and South Korea) as well as The Church of Saint Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican in Rome, Italy.

Makaelah was also selected to perform with the National Children’s Chorus on CNN’s Live New Year’s Eve Broadcast with Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen. She sang “I’ll Stand By You” as a special tribute to a group of “unsung” heroes who were flown in and featured on the New York Eve Performance.

The teenager credits weekly rehearsals in New York City, winter rehearsals in LA, and international travel over the last eight years at the dedicated direction of Choral Director, Luke McEndarfer for the

choir’s success.

Makaelah is preparing to graduate from New Rochelle High School where she will receive a dual degree in Voice/ Performing Arts. She plans to attend the historically Black college and university, Morgan State University in the fall and continue to pursue business and music singing in their choir, one of the nation’s most prestigious university choral ensembles.