RPS Choir Students Sing National Anthem at Somerset Patriots Game

Take me out to the ball game! Almost 40 members from Colin Britt's three Upper School choir classes (Concert Choir, Women's Vocal Chamber Ensemble, and the Madrigal Singers) had the amazing opportunity to sing the national anthem at TD Bank Ballpark before the Somerset Patriots game this fall, and they knocked it out of the park!

In preparation for the performance, Dr. Britt had to get his singers up to speed quickly, since the event was only a few short weeks after the start of school. It was also a unique setting for the choir students since they normally perform indoors. "It's kind of the same process in that we learn the notes, we practice it, we work on getting memorized, and we practice it in a few different settings," said Britt. "Sometimes if I'm preparing for a concert, I might take people down the hall and have them sing in a different room. But in this case, because I knew we were singing outside, I wanted to make sure that the groups got a chance to actually sing outdoors with no help from a building."

Despite the tight timeline and unfamiliar territory, the singers performed beautifully and got a rousing cheer from the crowd. "We didn't have time to do a warm up on the field or do a mic check," said Britt. "They just put mics in front of us and said, 'Okay, go.' But the kids did great. Everyone held their own and kept their cool and looked like they were having fun. So we're really proud of them."

The performance coincided with an RPS Middle School Night for families to get together and enjoy some baseball. Middle School Principal Bob Marotto even got to throw out the first pitch - he's still got the heat!