Hamilton-based choir to perform national anthems at Toronto Blue Jays game

Students from Annunciation of Our Lord Parish on Hamilton Mountain are getting called up to the big leagues to perform the national anthems in front of 50,000 fans at a Toronto Blue Jays game in April.

Sarah Alvarado really likes to sing.

“It’s a way to express my emotions. It’s like this uplifting kind of thing that makes me feel happier when I sing,” said Alvarado.

The choir at her school isn’t just any choir, they’re about to perform in front of a packed stadium during the Blue Jays home opening series in April.

“We’ve sung at Bulldogs and Kilty B’s games. But the Blue Jays, it’s such a big honour to us. So I’m really happy that this choir got this big opportunity to do so,” said Alvarado.

Andrea Reyes, 13, moved to Canada from Mexico two years ago – and singing the national anthem in front of 60,000 people is a big “welcome to Canada” moment.

“It’s like joyful. You get to sing and transmit your feelings to whoever is listening,” said Reyes.

The choir will sing both the Canadian anthem and The Star-Spangled Banner, but Nala Dimaandal takes comfort in knowing she’ll be singing with some of her best friends.

“The Blue Jays game, I’m pretty nervous but I’m gonna be with my friends. It’s a really fun, exciting experience that I really am excited to do,” said Dimaandal.

Dean Irvine, arts integration teacher, says one of the singer’s parents works for the Blue Jays organization but the choir still had to audition for the opportunity.

“Once we had the opportunity to audition for the role and send in a recording of our performance, the kids really rose to the challenge,” said Irvine.

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