Members of the concert choir performed the National Anthem at a UMD hockey game in Amsoil Arena Saturday, Jan. 29. UMD Athletics had called director Jennifer Robbins and asked the SHS choir to perform. They sang in front of hundreds of Bulldog fans before the game. According to Robbins, she believed that this was a big opportunity. The choir was then able to watch the hockey game afterwards.

A total of 24 students performed. According to Robbins, it was the largest group UMD has ever had to perform the national anthem.

The performance took a lot of planning because of COVID-19. Students performing had to prove that they were either fully vaccinated or tested negative.

Robbins mentioned that the choir was relieved to hear from the UMD athletics team afterwards. They received many compliments on their performance. UMD athletics mentioned in an email to Robbins that they would like to see the students come to perform the National Anthem again. 

The concert choir has not had many performances this year, but without much practice they still did very well. 

“My goal is to get these students to perform more so that they get used to performing,” Robbins said.

Last year the choir wasn’t able to perform very much because of COVID-19 conditions. This year, Robbins wants to put the past behind and be able to perform just as well as they would if they had the practice last year. Being able to handle stressful situations in the moment and perform strongly even if they make mistakes, is the biggest goal for them this year. The national anthem at a UMD hockey game is just the start for these talented students.