Local school choir could be headed to the Grammys

Big dreams and even bigger voices A local school choir could be headed to the Grammys as a nominee s Heather Walker shares their performance that caught the world s attention in this Spotlight This group of talented students may soon share the spotlight with certain of music s biggest stars Choir member Like that s crazy Choir member It s something like a type of person like Beyonc wins We are talking about the Grammys music s highest honor Choir member We were more shocked than anything because like what a Grammy that just kind of sounds unreal I guess It may feel like a dream for these Miami-Dade high school students but they have a real shot at a Grammy nomination Gabriella Marquez choir junior Every time I hear that I m like Wait Grammy nomination That s like so cool wait ' You may not recognize their faces or know their names but there is a good chance you ve heard the performance that made them internet famous Cindy Ellis choir director Miami Arts Studio I m so proud of the kids It is absolutely unbelievable We put a lot of work and effort into that performance but I never once thought to myself We re performing to potentially get a Grammy ' Cindy Ellis is the choir director at Miami Arts Studio She leads an all-female group called MAS Vocal The singers went viral last year for their powerful performance of Bridge Over Troubled Water With millions of views they went from school choir to global sensation their voices touching hearts around the world Cindy Ellis Choir Director at Miami Arts Studio Literally every corner people from Australia to Canada to Brazil in languages that I m like See translation because I don t even know ' The performance even caught the attention of the song s composer Grammy-winner Jacob Collier who invited the girls to perform with him The soloist with the incredible voice is Gabriella Marquez Gabriella Marquez Choir Junior It was insane I think the greatest performance experience of my entire life Gabriella and the girls all come from immigrant families they say their shared journey gives the music the powerful emotion you feel when you hear them sing Choir member Chosen of us our parents came here Others we ourselves came here Including the choir director Cindy Ellis Choir Director at Miami Arts Studio I came in from Cuba because we are an all-female choir and because we are Hispanic because we are carrying our own journeys and our parents journeys and our grandparents journey and we are carrying Miami Their dreams are only getting bigger because a member of the Recording Academy has submitted them for Grammy consideration Gabriella Marquez choir junior You know win a Grammy that would be so cool Even cooler if they are nominated it will be the first high school choir ever in the running for best choral performance Cindy Ellis Choir Director at Miami Arts Studio The goal was never to win a Grammy that has been incredible because it s taken a bunch of little girls from Miami our little corner of the world Shining a spotlight on Miami The Grammy nominations will be disclosed on Friday morning If you know of a person place or group that you think we should highlight email us at spotlight wsvn com