From foster care and chemo to Radio City Music Hall, young performers set to shine

Getting to perform on the Great Stage at Radio City Music Hall is the culmination of a dream, of hard work, of harnessing talent and overcoming hardship.

And if it gets you out of math class for rehearsals, all the better.

That's according to Guy Garro, 11, of Tabernacle, one of this year's young performers in the 2024 Garden of Dreams Talent Show, taking place at 7 p.m. Thursday, May 2. The annual event offered by the Garden of Dreams Foundation gives 150 tri-state area young people who have experienced illness, homelessness and other challenges the chance to shine at one of the world's most storied venues.

He'll perform Elton John's "I'm Still Standing."

It's a fitting anthem for the Olson Middle School student. Guy lost his father to renal cancer when he was 8 months old, then received a diagnosis of osteosarcoma in his right arm when he was in kindergarten.

More: Cancer and 40 pills a day can't keep this Shore teen from Radio City Music Hall's stage

He's now cancer-free after undergoing chemotherapy and a number of surgeries, but still struggles with the use of his right arm.

He started performing about four years ago, taking part in productions including "Seussical," "Matilda" and "Shrek."

"As soon as I found out I was going to be in the show, I went to my room to practice and just practiced for a lot," he said. "I’m really excited to perform at Radio City – it’s a big stage! I know my friends are going to be there and we get a lot of inspiration from the people who are better than us to get better ourselves, so we're really excited to get to see all these people perform."

Garden of Dreams Talent Show

Celebrity and athlete mentors will take the stage alongside the performers. During the rehearsal process, performers received advice from mentors including Radio City Rockettes and actor Christopher Jackson ("Hamilton," "In the Heights").

The show will feature young people from many Garden of Dreams Foundation’s partner organizations, including Make-A-Wish, Children’s Aid, Children’s Village, SCAN-Harbor and Madison Square Boys & Girls Club. They'll perform dance numbers, instrumental performances, monologues, vocal performances and more.

“The annual talent show is an incredible event that gives our supremely talented young people the opportunity toexpress themselves on the same stage as some of the world’s biggest stars,” said creative director and Garden of Dreams Foundation board member Darryl “DMC” McDaniels, of Run-DMC, in a news release.

The event is free, but tickets must be reserved at gardenofdreamsfdtn.org/talentshow2024.

Here are three more performers taking part.

Josiah Dominique, 17

Josiah Dominque finds stability in music. The 17-year-old from Dobbs Ferry, New York, connected with the Garden of Dreams Foundation when he was in a residential program at The Children’s Village. He frequently moved and changed schools throughout his childhood, and recently moved into a foster home.

The Yonkers Middle High School student says he always wanted to learn to play an instrument, and while he was at The Children's Village, he was introduced to the saxophone.

"Performing is honestly an awesome experience," he said. "I get to focus on that and not all the other things I have going on in my life. It’s just a moment to really just have some fun for me."

He says music truly is an escape.

"Over the past few rehearsals, I realized that when I’m playing I’m not worried about everybody else," he said, "... because I’m thinking about controlling the muscles in my face, my throat and my fingerings for the sax so it’s really a lot to focus on onstage. ... When I was rehearsing it was just so amazing. I had been having the worst day today at school and while I was performing it just all washed away like a brand new day."

He'll perform “Before I Let Go” by Maze and Frank Beverly on the saxophone, alongside a drummer.

Carina Yacovone Neves, 7

Carina Yacovone Neves is "tiny but mighty" and loves to sing and dance. She'll dance to "You'll Be in My Heart" from "Tarzan."

The 7-year-old from Yonkers, New York, is making the talent show a family affair this year — her sister, Ava, performed in 2019 and is part of the alumni choir.

Carina has been a patient at Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital since 2016, when she had a bone marrow transplant to treat hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis, a rare and life-threatening condition affecting her blood cells. She developed graft vs. host disease, which makes her highly susceptible to infections, but turns to dance to build her resilience and her confidence.

"I’m so excited to perform onstage at Radio City," Carina said.

Megan Armstrong, 18

Music and performing have been a big part of Megan Armstrong's life since she was very young. They took on an added importance when the 18-year-old from Sparta was diagnosed with the rare childhood eye cancer retinoblastoma in 2019. She underwent chemotherapy and surgery.

"When I was going through all my treatment I relied heavily on music," she said. "I was always listening to music to and from treatment or even while I was there. That was always something that got me through everything."

She'll sing "Over the Rainbow" from "The Wizard of Oz."

"I was Dorothy for my high school musical and I thought it would be a cute song to play for this," she said. "It felt fitting because of the message that the song conveys — it's about looking forward and feeling hopeful and I feel like that was very good for Garden of Dreams. It’s a very uplifting song."

For more information on the Garden of Dreams Foundation, visit gardenofdreamsfoundation.org.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: 2024 Garden of Dreams Talent Show features NJ, NY young performers