GW junior Ryan Thornton has sung the national anthem a dozen times in front of a crowd.
But he still gets a little nervous each time.
“You’re honoring the nation, and you have a certain standard to uphold while you’re singing it,” says Mr. Thornton, a student in the School of Business. “The national anthem is so meaningful and powerful. You don’t want to do a bad job.”
Each year, GW students are selected to sing the national anthem at GW men’s and women’s basketball games and other events around campus. Millicent Scarlett-Smith, the voice coordinator in GW’s Department of Music within the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences, has been holding auditions in the fall for the past five years.
About 10 students and a few alumni rotate singing “The Star Spangled Banner,” but this year only three new students tried out. Ms. Scarlett-Smith attributes the low numbers to not much advertising and relying heavily on word of mouth.
“I think singing the national anthem is one of the things that makes people extremely nervous because it’s symbolic and patriotic, and you don’t want to mess that up,” says Ms. Scarlett-Smith, who teaches voice lessons at GW. “It’s also one of the hardest songs every written. The words are so similar that if you stop paying attention, you don’t know if you’re saying gleaming or streaming.”
Mr. Thornton spent his childhood in Memphis, Tenn. playing the trumpet and piano. It wasn’t until he came to GW that he started singing in front of an audience. During tryouts his freshman year for GW Vibes, a student co-ed a cappella group, Mr. Thornton sang “A Ribbon in the Sky” by Stevie Wonder. Mr. Thornton is now the president of GW Vibes. The 20-member group practices twice a week, puts on a concert in the fall and spring and performs at various events around campus throughout the year.
“We sing everything from classic rock to old school R&B to contemporary to Indie-music and pop,” he says. “My favorite personally is either old school R&B or contemporary alternative.”
Melissa Passarelli, a senior in CCAS, spent her first two years at GW participating in University Singers, a classical choir through the music department that performs at Washington-area venues and travels overseas. Since then, she’s spent most of her time in student theater, specifically musicals such as A Chorus Line and You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown.
Last fall, Ms. Passarelli decided to audition to sing the national anthem.
“It’s always been something I’ve wanted to do, and I knew I wouldn’t get another chance at GW since it’s my last year,” says Ms. Passarelli, who’s majoring in psychology and public policy.
Because the national anthem is mostly sung without music, Ms. Passarelli says it’s easy to change the key so it’s more comfortable to sing.
“But I still get nervous. I normally pace back and forth before I go on stage,” she says.
Ms. Scarlett-Smith discovered Mr. Thornton during the finals of Colonial Idol when contestants had to sing the national anthem.
“Since then I’ve started to establish myself as a singer on campus,” says Mr. Thornton, who is majoring in business administration with a concentration in marketing and hopes to work in the entertainment industry after graduating.
Mr. Thornton has been asked to perform at various events including Freshmen Day of Service, a Thanksgiving lunch for veterans, the Haiti one-year-anniversary vigil and Colonial Inauguration.
But singing the national anthem is always one of his favorite performances.
“To be able to sing it is such an honor,” says Mr. Thornton.