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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend April 8, 2005 Members of the South Medford High School choir rehearse �The Star-Spangled Banner� Thursday in preparation for their television debut at the Mariners game Saturday. Mail Tribune / Bob Pennell South choir to open Mariners game The South Medford High School singers will perform the national anthem before the Seattle Mariners take on the Texas Rangers on Satutrday By ANITA BURKE Mail Tribune The South Medford High School choir is tuning up for a big game — Saturday’s Seattle Mariners game against the Texas Rangers. The group will sing the national anthem before the game at 1 p.m. Saturday at Safeco Field in Seattle. It will air on Fox Sports Network Channel 45. Fifty teens and teacher Andrea Brock are determined to be pitch-perfect in front of the stadium crowd and television audience. "Let’s keep our voices where we’re comfortable," Brock told students rehearsing in the South Medford choir room. "You are a big, conquering wall of sound coming at me." The chance to open a professional baseball game is the highlight of the choir’s biennial tour. Advertisement "This is huge. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience," said senior Taneille Fairrington, 17, choir president who helped organize a choir tour to Washington as her senior project. She and Brock worked with a Portland-based student-travel company, Educational Travel Services Inc., to plan the tour to Seattle. Their travel agent, Julie Sabala, suggested the choir audition via a recording for a chance to sing "The Star-Spangled Banner" at a Mariners game. Brock found a choral arrangement of the song that the singers liked. They started rehearsing in the fall and debuted their performance at a Christmas concert. Several days later, Brock had a friend bring recording equipment to her classroom to create a compact disk the group could submit. "The level of intensity was so high," she said. "Having that here bumped up the professionalism." The choir did three takes and sent its best to Seattle. Then the members waited months for a reply. The good news couldn’t have arrived at a better time. In early March, the singers had performed a musical for elementary students at Ruch and Jacksonville, and were on their way home when their bus broke down on Bellinger Lane. That’s when Fairrington’s cell phone rang and Sabala told her the Mariners organization had picked the choir. Traffic backed up around the stranded bus, but inside students were "jumping up and down" with excitement while waiting for a second bus to come, Brock said. The tour — with more reliable transportation this time — leaves Medford today and returns Sunday. Other stops include choir workshops at the University of Washington, a visit to the Experience Music Project in Seattle and a concert in the Capitol rotunda in Olympia, Wash. Students raised money for the trip. "We’re all very excited," said senior Clarence Keller, 18. "We’re proud to represent Southern Oregon on national TV." The broadcast will give friends and family around the country the chance to see Medford students perform. "Even my sister in Utah can see me," said junior Jerae Nistler, 16. "It’s going to be the highlight of the tour." Reach reporter Anita Burkeat 776-4485, or e-mail [email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback www.bingo.com Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker dvd-r Distance Education Computer Security Ztech Media Hosting Sports Equipment Online Casino Reviews Student Loans tcg student loan consolidation Online Pharmacy online casino Myspace Home Equity Loans Windermere Van Vleet Rogue Valley Travel Reservationstogo Hotel Reservations Southern Oregon Loans Online Casino News Natto Kinase Nattokinase Casino Gambling Sites Budget Website Templates Investments & Loans Advertisement s