Iona University’s Iona Singers Perform at Radio City Music Hall Christmas Spectacular
NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. — Iona University’s Iona Singers performed at Radio City Music Hall during its renowned holiday stage show, the Christmas Spectacular. Starring the Radio City Rockettes, the Christmas Spectacular is a holiday staple for New Yorkers and visitors alike, drawing a crowd of about one million people per year.
“The Iona Singers are a group of immensely talented, hardworking students,” said Kelly McKenna Beyrer ’16MA, Iona’s inaugural director of performing arts. “I’m proud and grateful that we were invited to such a prominent stage, and I’m excited that they had the opportunity to share their gifts with so many.”
Performing classic Christmas songs including, “Carol of the Bells” and “Joy to the World,” 50 students of the Iona Singers took the stage during the December 10 show, directed by Dana Celestino.
“Singing at Radio City Music Hall was a dream come true,” Isabella Ruggiero ’26, a freshman soloist, said.
“Singing at Radio City Music Hall was a dream come true,” Isabella Ruggiero ’26, a freshman soloist, said. “I watched the Christmas Spectacular as a child and having the chance to perform for it was incredible. Thank you to all who made this possible.”
The Iona Singers organize and participate in several musical productions at Iona each year; their concerts include both solo and group performances. They also perform at major campus events such as Homecoming, Commencement, and more.
Current Iona students and future Gaels can look forward to the University’s growing investment in performing arts, with expanded creative offerings coming in 2023 on Iona’s new Bronxville campus. Any interested student may audition to join the Iona Singers as auditions are held throughout each semester.
The Iona Singers performed classic Christmas songs including “Carol of the Bells” and “Joy to the World.”
ABOUT IONA
Founded in 1940, Iona University is a master's-granting private, Catholic, coeducational institution of learning in the tradition of the Edmund Rice Christian Brothers. Iona's 45-acre New Rochelle campus and 28-acre Bronxville campus are just 20 miles north of Midtown Manhattan. With a total enrollment of nearly 4,000 students and an alumni base of more than 50,000 around the world, Iona is a diverse community of learners and scholars dedicated to academic excellence and the values of justice, peace and service. Iona is highly accredited, offering undergraduate degrees in liberal arts, science and business administration, as well as Master of Arts, Master of Science and Master of Business Administration degrees and numerous advanced certificate programs. Iona students enjoy small class sizes, engaged professors and a wide array of academic programs across the School of Arts & Science; LaPenta School of Business; NewYork-Presbyterian Iona School of Health Sciences; and Hynes Institute for Entrepreneurship & Innovation. Iona is widely recognized in prestigious rankings, including The Princeton Review’s 2024 national list of “The Best 389 Colleges” and The Wall Street Journal/College Pulse’s “2024 Best Colleges in America,” which ranked Iona at #66 in the nation overall and #8 in the nation among Catholic schools. Iona’s LaPenta School of Business is also accredited by AACSB International, a recognition awarded to just six percent of business schools worldwide. In addition, The Princeton Review recognized Iona’s on-campus MBA program as a “Best Business School for 2023.” Iona also offers a fully online MBA program for even greater flexibility. In July 2021, Iona announced the establishment of the NewYork-Presbyterian Iona School of Health Sciences, which is now principally located on Iona’s Bronxville campus in collaboration with NewYork-Presbyterian. Connecting to its Irish heritage, the University also recently announced it is expanding abroad with a new campus in County Mayo, Ireland. A school on the rise, Iona officially changed its status from College to University on July 1, 2022, reflecting the growth of its academic programs and the prestige of an Iona education.