Singing the Anthem at Fenway!

By Sammy Lauren

This all came to be because in early June, Berklee career center had a link on their Instagram to submit videos singing the national anthem for a chance to sing at Fenway. I submitted a video and didn’t hear back for a few weeks so I didn’t think much of it. 

However, a few days before I was preparing to fly from LA to Boston, I received a video with an invitation to sing the national anthem at the Red Sox vs Orioles game on July twentieth. I quickly changed my flights and all my plans because I did not want to pass up this once in a life time opportunity. To make things feel even more special, I was set to sing it on my mom’s birthday and she flew out all the way from California just to watch me perform. 

The twentieth came and it was a perfect day, the weather was amazing and the energy of the stadium was like nothing I have ever experience before. The park was packed since it was set to be the Red Sox’s fourteenth game on their historic win streak. One of the best parts was when I sang “oh say does that star spangled” the Orioles have a tradition of yelling “oh” which only heightened the energy of the experience. The Red Sox ended up winning and it was a great game all around and I don’t think it could have gone any better. 

Early the next morning I hoped on a plane to LAX to work on music as well as visit my hometown family and friends. This whole experience felt like a full circle moment because during my first few weeks at Berklee, I went viral on tik tok for a video of me singing the national anthem at my high school’s volleyball game and many people online were tagging @mlb because they wanted me to sing at an mlb game. Now that two years have gone by, it seems like that dream has come true. I have felt so much love and support from friends and family both in Boston and back home in California and it feels special to know I’m the first person in my family to do anything like this. 

I am excited for what the future holds and I hope to one day be sing for the Dodgers back in LA because that is my home team, but I am still in shock that I got to sing the national anthem for one of the most iconic teams in one of the most historic baseball stadiums in America.

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This story has been posted simultaneously here and on the Section 36 Music blog.

Singing the National Anthem at Fenway Park for the Savannah Bananas Game!

By Whitney Doucet

OK… where do I even start?! Singing the national anthem at Fenway Park for the sold-out Savannah Bananas game on July 6th was seriously one of the coolest things I’ve ever done.

If you’ve never seen the Bananas play—let me just say, you are missing OUT. They are the most fun, over-the-top baseball team out there, and people go crazy trying to get tickets. So when I opened my inbox and saw a message asking if I was available to sing the anthem for their game, I immediately said YES. Thankfully, I had the day off. 

It wasn’t until I started telling people that I realized how big of a deal this actually was. Everyone was freaking out, telling me how awesome the Bananas are and how they’ve been trying to get tickets forever. That’s when it really hit me—I got super lucky.

I threw on my white pants and a bright yellow Savannah Bananas jersey (obviously had to dress the part), and headed to Fenway with my husband, who came along to film the day—and he crushed it, by the way. When we got there, we were greeted by the sweetest girl named Chloe who took us down to the Red Sox dugout—I’m talking, the dugout where legends have sat. Just being in that space felt surreal.

We ended up right near the owners of the Bananas who were so kind and welcoming. And then it was time—I walked out onto the field and sang the national anthem in front of a completely packed stadium. Right after I finished, I literally walked by Doug Flutie. Like… no big deal, right?! 

After that, we found our seats, grabbed a massive slice of pizza, and just soaked it all in. The game was absolutely wild in the best way—nonstop entertainment from start to finish. I’m officially a huge Savannah Bananas fan now and I really hope I get to go to another game in the future, whether I’m singing or just cheering in the stands.

Seriously, what a day. One I’ll never forget. 

Watch the Anthem here!! https://youtu.be/B3qeJem7FOc

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This story has been posted simultaneously here and on the Section 36 Music blog.

Singing the Anthems at Fenway Park by Rebecca Soul

Most people who follow my music journey on social media would never guess, but I deal with intense imposter syndrome and performance anxiety. It’s ironic because performing is my lifeline, and my main source of happiness, but it’s also what terrifies me the most. The passion that fuels me can sometimes feel like a double-edged sword, driving me to give everything I have and leaving me overwhelmed in the process. I’ve been working on myself for years and seeking help through therapy to learn how to manage these feelings. 

This summer, I faced one of the biggest challenges of my life: singing at Fenway Park in front of 37,000 people. It was a dream come true, but it also ignited a firestorm of anxiety inside me. I knew I had to confront this fear head-on. When I found out in May that I would be performing at Fenway, I was filled with a mix of excitement and sheer panic. The enormity of the event weighed on me, but I was determined not to let fear win. For two months leading up to the performance, I dedicated myself to mental preparation as much as vocal training. Every day, I would sit down with my journal and vividly imagine the performance. I wrote down every detail—how I would feel, the sound of my voice resonating through the stadium, the audience’s reaction. I created a mental blueprint of success, a “fake memory” that I could cling to in the actual moment. 

Learning the national anthems was also a new challenge for me. I wanted to respect the tradition while also making it my own. I received all sorts of advice; some people told me not to do runs and sing it exactly as written, while other people told me to add my flavor and go crazy with it. I ended up listening to my gut and just stayed true to myself. I knew some people wouldn’t like my version, and that’s okay; I wasn’t there to please everyone, I was there to be authentically me. The day of the performance arrived, and surprisingly, I felt more excited than anxious, because I had done the work. However, when I arrived at soundcheck, I was really thrown off balance. There were no monitors or in-ears available, and the echo in the stadium meant I could only hear my voice trailing behind me! I panicked. For a moment, it felt like all my preparation was slipping away. When I got home, my roommate tried to reassure me, but I was terrified. I worried that I would mess up in front of thousands, that all my hard work would be for nothing. Yet, I knew I couldn’t let fear take over. I took a deep breath, gathered my strength, and decided to simply trust myself. Walking onto that field was surreal. It felt like stepping into a dream. I knew those who mattered most to me—my parents, my best friends, my cousin from Spain and his wife and my voice professor from Berklee were all there. I felt an overwhelming sense of support and love. And in that moment, I wasn’t thinking about the 37,000 people watching. It was just me, doing what I love, as if I were singing in a small, intimate venue. My heart raced as I started to sing, but my mind was calm. It was an incredible feeling—being nervous yet centered, vulnerable yet strong. And when I finished singing, a wave of relief and pride washed over me. I did it. I smiled, knowing that I had given my all, even without the usual comforts of monitors or in-ears. As I walked off the field, people stopped me to congratulate me. I felt a deep sense of happiness, not just because I had faced my fear, but because I had connected with the audience. 

That’s why I do what I do—to make people feel, to bring a moment of joy into their lives.

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This story has been posted simultaneously here and on the Section 36 Music blog. To learn more about Rebecca, be sure to check out her website and follow her on Instagram.