From the Stands to the Field: My Full-Circle Moment at Fenway Park

 By Naya Neno

Growing up just outside of Boston, going to Red Sox games was always a special part of my childhood and my family's connection to the city. I loved everything about going to Fenway Park: the food, the smell of hot dogs, the very passionate (and occasionally angry) Boston fans, singing along to the ballpark tunes, and the energy of being surrounded by thousands of people who loved the same team. But as much as I loved all of those things, there was one part of the experience I secretly looked forward to most: watching the vocalist sing the National Anthem. Even as a kid, I found something so special about watching someone stand on that field and sing for an entire stadium. It was one of those moments that stuck with me, long before I realized that someday, I wanted to be that person.

Years later, after joining the Wakefield Memorial High School Choral Department in my hometown of Wakefield, Massachusetts, I learned that our choir had its own special connection to Fenway. For years, the department had a tradition of performing the National Anthem at a Red Sox game about once a year. Unfortunately, the tradition was put on hold during COVID, and it wasn't brought back until the beginning of my senior year of high school in fall 2025. I was devastated when I got sick and couldn't attend. I had hoped to experience this tradition with my choir before graduating, and I thought I had missed my chance.

Thankfully, I got an unexpected second opportunity! On August 23, 2026, before the Red Sox took on the San Francisco Giants, past seniors who had already graduated were invited back to sing with the choir before the new school year began. Getting to return to Fenway with my old choir was so much more than just another performance. It was a chance to reunite with old friends, reconnect with the incredible directors who helped shape my musicianship, especially my choir director, Ana Morel, who taught me so much of what I know today, and revisit a place that had been part of my childhood for as long as I could remember. Getting to share that experience with the people who helped shape me as a musician made it all the more meaningful.

Now, as a vocalist and songwriter pursuing my dreams at Berklee College of Music, I look back on that experience with an even greater appreciation for what it meant to me. Singing with my high school choir was incredibly special, but it also made me more determined than ever to pursue solo National Anthem opportunities. I grew up watching those vocalists, secretly imagining what it might feel like to be the person standing on the field. Now, I've made it a personal goal to sing the National Anthem solo for every Boston sports team, from the Red Sox to the Celtics, Bruins, and beyond! These teams and their traditions were such a big part of my childhood, and getting to return to these same places as a performer, this time standing on the field by myself, would be such a full-circle moment. It would mean so much to give back to the city and community I grew up in through the thing I love most: music. Getting to sing solo at Fenway Park someday would genuinely be a dream come true, and I can't wait to keep working toward it.

I'm so grateful I got a second chance to be part of this tradition with my choir. It reminded me that sometimes the dreams you carry quietly as a kid are the ones worth chasing the hardest, and that something you once watched from the stands might one day become something you get to do yourself.

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Naya is a first-year vocalist at Berklee College of Music blending acoustic pop, R&B, and indie influences. She brings an emotional, intimate sound to every performance, combining powerful vocals with activism and storytelling.

You can find Naya on Instagram.