It was a cold and windy Saturday at Citizen’s Bank Park on April 20th. The members of Malvern Prep’s Men’s Chorus and the Notre Dame’s Women’s Chorale gathered outside the right field gate and prepared for possibly the greatest musical event of our lives. We had been invited to sing the National Anthem at the beginning of the game! This opportunity was shared with us by Mrs. Miller and Notre Dame, with whom we sing with in our major concerts.

Once all of us were outside the special entrance and the clock struck 6:00 pm, we were ushered into the underbelly of the stadium, a place that is never seen by the public. The excitement we felt only increased while we walked down the gray tunnel. We saw the generator that powers the stadium. We saw Phillies’ caps being sorted and placed on tables.

We were ushered through the tunnels by two hosts. At first, the guys were taken aback when they told us to go into the women’s lockers. However, we listened and we met some of the ball girls for the game. We only put our extra items in the lockers, and after the singing was over we went back in and retrieved our personal items.

While we were warming up, we took in sights of an area only seen by the staff of the park, the players, and entertainers past. We practiced in front of the elevators right next to the media room. We saw a little boy who was about to throw the first pitch, representing all children with autism. When people came out of the elevators, they looked at us with faces of joy and excitement.

Once the time had come, we took our places and were greeted by cheering members of the Malvern and Notre Dame communities who were there to see us. We took our places on the field, watched the ceremonial opening pitches, and tensed up once the cameras focused on us. Cheered on by the Philly Phanatic and directed by Mrs. Miller of Notre Dame, we delivered the song of America with everything we had. The roar of the crowd afterwards confirmed that we had performed well.

After the singing was finished, we actually had to exit the stadium and reenter like the common people. We watched the game and enjoyed each other’s company. Even though the Phillies took an ugly loss, the excitement of the night overrode the baseball disappointment. Mr. Liga is still passing on congratulations received via email, and we can only hope that we get this opportunity again in the future.

See the official Phillies video of the National Anthem Performance.