The J.C. Booth Middle chorus singing the National Anthem for the Atlanta Braves is a winning combination. On June 8, the Warriors warmed up the crowd as the Braves faced the Mets with a stirring rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner” before the home team rallied to a thrilling victory.
More than 250 people from the community came to the game to support the Warriors, along with the more than 39,000 fans in the stands. The performance also wowed the team. After they finished, the young singers were greeted by Braves stars Ronald Acuna, Jr. and Ozzie Albies.
The anthem is one of the first songs the chorus learns and rehearses when the school year starts because they sing it at many events and games. The combination performing at the game started meeting as soon as school was out, with four practices plus a dress rehearsal on the McIntosh High baseball diamond.
Participating chorus members were Liza Anderson, Grant Bard, Bridget Burnett, Annie Campbell, Noah Cannon, Zach Christensen, Will Cook, Elise Cooper, Parker Demmel, Gabby Drummond, Daniel Gaddis, Anderson Hay, Charli Hoffman, Aniston Jones, Sarah Loridas, Daniel McBee, Graison McKelvey, Madison Meeks, Hadley Mustain, Addisyn Perry, Ava Phillips, Madi Piotrowski, Ari Reese, Lillian Reiss, Marlee Richardson, Eva Salazar, Kallie Sutherland, and Danielle Weber.
The chorus is under the direction of Kara Post.
“Some choirs sing it in unison which is always pretty, but we sing it in parts to give it more texture and accommodate different voice ranges. It’s not an easy song to sing, especially with the diction of the words and the few opportunities to breathe,” said Post. “I’m very proud of my young singers for their poise and artistry!”
Congratulations to Kara Post and the chorus! Well-done!