Hundreds of musicians entered for their shot to perform the National Anthem before Blues games for the upcoming season, and the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and the Blues have whittled that list down to nine acts.
SLSO and the Blues say they received more than 650 entries from hopeful musicians, and they invited 34 of those to perform in-person at Powell Hall. They say the talent level was so exceptional that nine acts were chosen to perform before games.
The following winners were chosen:
1. Alex Armstrong (vocalist)
2. James Bertels (vocalist/guitar)
3. Rebecca Drury (vocalist)
4. Scott Kennebeck (vocalist)
5. Montel Moore (vocalist)
6. Joseph Niemeyer (vocalist)
7. The River Kittens (trio vocalists/guitar/banjo)
8. Saxissimo (sax quartet)
9. Abigail Stahlschmidt (electric violin)
Make sure to watch the video above to check out the winners' auditions.
The judges were Blues House National Anthem Singer Charles Glenn, SLSO Cellist Daniel Lee, and SLSO Chorus Director Amy Kaiser. Glenn will continue to be the official anthem singer for the Blues.
