A group of local New Yorkers are one step closer to possibly winning Season 16 of the acclaimed reality television series, America’s Got Talent (AGT).
On August 18, New York’s own Northwell Health Nurse Choir learned they would be advancing to the semi-finals after capturing the nation’s vote to continue on in the competition. The choir’s 18 frontline nurses from across the Empire State sang an emotional rendition of “You Will Be Found” from the Broadway hit “Dear Evan Hansen,” which won seven Tonys in 2017, the night prior in the quarterfinals.
“When we first heard the arrangement, it really made sense as to why we, as health care providers, were singing such a beautiful song,” said Gaelle Clesca, a pediatric nurse from Long Island who works at the Cohen Children’s Medical Center. “And that’s the message that we want to relay to the world.”
Winnie Mele, director of perioperative services at Plainview Hospital in Nassau County who has been a nurse for 41 years, piggybacked off of Clesca’s sentiments, adding that she and the rest of the choir didn’t realize the global impact AGT has.
“The people that we touch – healthcare workers, people from other healthcare systems, people that we know, people that we don’t know, people from all over the world – it was like, ‘Holy mackerel, we really are ambassadors,’” she said.
“We are ambassadors for healthcare,” Mele continued, “to let people know that we’re strong, we’re here, and we’re going to take care of you.”
When the choir shared their story about working on the frontlines during the coronavirus pandemic and sang a mash-up of Bill Withers’ “Lean on Me” and Ben King’s “Stand by Me” for their AGT audition this past spring, they received the first Golden Buzzer of the season. The buzzer, pressed by celebrity judge Howie Mandel at the Pasadena Convention Center, secured their spot in the quarterfinals and made them contenders for winning the million-dollar prize, as well as the chance to star in the AGT Las Vegas LIVE stage show at Luxor.
When it came time for the results of the quarterfinals, eight choir members – including Clesca – walked onto the stage and anxiously waited to hear if they would be moving on from AGT host Terry Crews. When they heard that long-awaited “yes” on August 18, a flood of emotions washed over their faces.
“I started crying and later we had to redo my makeup,” Clesca said with a laugh. “For me, it was magical. I mean, it was as if we won the lottery – we were just so happy.”
Mele was sitting in the audience with nine other choir members when the results were announced live. “Just waiting for those words that you’re moving on was, like Gaelle said, magical,” she said. “It was just another affirmation that what we’re doing is good.”
Before they boarded on a plane back to California for semi-finals rehearsals on August 28, Clesca and Mele reiterated how proud they are of their group and how grateful they are to have the opportunity to perform for millions all over the world – especially after a very difficult year and a half.
“I’ve never felt this level of gratitude and am just overwhelmed because this is bigger than me,” Clesca said. “I’m just really really honored and grateful for America’s Got Talent welcoming us, as well as Northwell Health being very supportive of us and our talents.”
“We’re nurses and now we have an opportunity to get together and make music,” Mele added. “And sometimes I think we’re really blown away by our own talent because I get the chills.”
Viewers can watch the Northwell Health Nurse Choir sing live at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on September 7 for the second round of semi-finals.
