New Hyde Park Seniors Earn Long Island Scholar Artist Awards

NEW HYDE PARK, NY — Two New Hyde Park seniors earned recognition in the Long Island Arts Alliance’s Long Island Scholar Artist Awards program.

Herricks High School student Allison Greenwood was one of three Merit Award recipients in the theater category, while Kyle Pinzon was among four Scholar-Artists in the music category.

Allison started singing golden age musical theater solos for the New York State School Music Association in the fourth grade. A year later, she performed her first show. She has been involved in Herricks theater productions ever since, and secured the leading role in the high school’s production of Sister Act. Allison is currently in her second year as assistant vocal director for the school musical and also serves as co-president of the International Thespian Society.

Outside of school, she attended the Juilliard Complete Singer-Actor Intensive in the summer of 2019 and was one of three soloists. She has taken many master classes with Broadway performers.

"Theater is such an essential part of my life that it’s become a part of me," Allison said. "Whether it’s performing in shows or teaching voice or acting lessons, I will never let go of it."

Kyle has been a cellist for more than 10 years and has performed in Herricks High School’s Freshman Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra and Cello Quartet. He has also participated in many ensembles through the Manhattan School of Music, including Repertory Orchestra, Symphony Orchestra, Philharmonic Orchestra and Schumann Piano Quintet, and has served as a String Orchestra mentor.

His musical talents have earned numerous recognitions – in 2018, Kyle was named first place winner in the Long Island Choral Society Young Artists Concerto Competition and he received a Marion Feldman Endowed Precollege Cello Scholarship for this school year. He was selected to All-State Symphony Orchestra last fall and has been accepted to All-County and Long Island String Festival Association ensembles numerous times since 2014.

“I plan on pursuing a dual degree in Music Performance and Chemistry in college, with the dream of teaching cello at the precollegiate/collegiate level,” Kyle said.

Congratulations to Allison and Kyle for this outstanding honor!