Vocal Ensemble Sings National Anthem at Celtics Game

On Friday, April 10, Deerfield’s Vocal Ensemble Class took a two-hour drive to Boston, where they sang the National Anthem at TD Garden during the Boston Celtics game that night against the New Orleans Pelicans. With the game officially starting at 7:30 PM, the students departed immediately after Period Three in order to commute to the stadium, warm up, and shake out their nerves. The chaperones were Choral Director Michael Pfitzer, Piano Studio Director Yu-Mei Wei, Math Teacher Marc Dancer, Science Teacher Julia McClellan, and Dining Hall Purchasing Manager Roger Doiron. In addition, the ensemble was accompanied by Deerfield Alumna Vivian Wan ’25, who currently attends Tufts University.

Planning for the event involved extensive preparation, with Rob Hale ’84, a part-owner of the Boston Celtics and Deerfield Graduate, helping to facilitate the occasion. Once official, Dr. Pfitzer received the Celtics’ information on the date, and Director of Athletics & Co-Curricular Program Bob Howe and other administrators supported the students attending the Celtics game. Dr. Pfitzer remarked, “It was a whole campus system of support that allowed us to do this and take advantage of the opportunity.” As planning continued, Dr. Pfitzer and the other vocal teachers worked throughout the year to perfect the Star-Spangled Banner, a ninety-second song. Though he mentioned how “a normal 90-second song might get very boring to rehearse over and over again,” Dr. Pfitzer maintained that “the students were very excited, and we could repeat it a number of times without it getting boring.” He also noted that “We had some people who were very experienced, and some people who had never sung in choir before, so I always liked to try to have experienced people sing with people who have less experience so students can learn from each other.”

With the stadium’s capacity exceeding 19,000, the performance at TD Garden was a significant increase in scale for many singers, whose biggest audiences have been at Deerfield concerts. In addition, the lack of a mic or sound check while performing with a small military band heightened the students’ anxiety. During rehearsals, Dr. Pfitzer began each rendition by singing the opening of the anthem before the other students joined in, and the ensemble replicated this progression during their performance. “The students did a really nice job of paying attention and connecting with each other,” he said. “Some students told me they were feeling very nervous, but everyone was very focused and locked in.”

During the game, the students purchased dinner from the concession stands and stayed for the entire game, returning in the wee hours of the morning. Though such an opportunity entails significant commitment and responsibility, class members remarked that they loved the experience and, despite being prohibited from taking photos on the court, still enjoyed spending long periods of time with the basketball players. In particular, Adriana Enriquez ’28 acknowledged her nervousness at the time, while still noting that “the actual performance was actually quite good,” and that “it was a nice thrill.” The video of the performance (though NBC Sports Boston has not shown the Anthem since 2021) will be sent to Dr. Pfitzer in due course for all Deerfield eyes and ears to watch and listen.