Camelot Excel Academy Student Plays at PA Governor’s Swearing-In Ceremony
William Taylor from Camelot Chester Excel Academy plays the drums at the 47th inauguration ceremony for Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf. (Photo from 6ABC)
William Taylor, a talented drummer and a high school junior at Camelot Excel Academy in Chester, PA, performed at the Swearing-In Ceremony for Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf on January 20, 2015 at the State Capitol in Harrisburg.
William is a member of the Chester Children’s Chorus, which was invited to entertain the thousands of people who gathered to watch Wolf be sworn in as Pennsylvania’s 47th governor.
The Chester Children’s Chorus boasts four ensembles featuring 135 children between the ages of 8 and 18 enrolled in Chester public schools. The organization helps students to achieve musical excellence, expand their cultural and intellectual horizons, and increase their confidence.
Playing the drums comes naturally to William, as he’s been playing at local churches and other organizations since he was five years old.
At the ceremony, the group performed an a cappella version of the O’Jays hit “Love Train,” written by Philadelphia’s Gamble and Huff and “Jeremiah was a Bullfrog.” The group also closed the ceremony with “America the Beautiful.”
According to William, the group weathered some technical difficulties during the ceremony.
“I was supposed to have the piano accompany me as I played but for some reason it wasn’t working so the choir sung a capella while I played the drums,” William said.
Everything turned out well, though, and William was pleased with his performance and was honored to perform at the event.
After graduating from Camelot, William hopes to attend Musicians Institute in Los Angeles, California.
For more on William’s performance:
Click here for NBC10 coverage of the group’s rehearsal before the big day.
Click here for 6ABC’s photos from the inauguration.
Click here to see the Chester Children’s Chorus performance on YouTube.
