Dressed in subdued black dresses and standing in a semicircle around the microphone, the women's clear, strong voices wafted through the ballpark in perfect harmony.
this is the a cappella group, Sweet Caroline, which includes Longmeadow's Rebecca Ernst, during a pregame ceremony before game against Minnesota Twins (Photo by Marissa McClain/Boston Red Sox) national anthem pregame Minnesota Twins Vs Boston Red Sox LONGMEADOW - It was less than a month after the Boston Marathon bombing. The evening was dry, though the sky was overcast, and the temperature held at a pleasant 62 degrees.
And, despite what had been dire weather forecasts, it was a beautiful night at Fenway Park, particularly for the Boston-based a cappella group, Sweet Caroline - 10 young women, including Longmeadow High School graduate Rebecca Ernst, chosen to sing the national anthem.
Dressed in subdued black dresses and standing in a semicircle around the microphone, the women's clear, strong voices wafted through the ballpark in perfect harmony. The people in the stands stood quietly attentive, seemingly mesmerized by the sound, then burst into applause at the very end.
"We were really pleased with our performance," Ernst said afterwards. "The experience was surreal and incredible. When an event like the bombing happens to such a small, tight-knit city like Boston, your sense of comfort and normalcy can be shaken. So being able to show our patriotism and our pride for Boston by singing the national anthem for the Red Sox was just a perfect way to lift our spirits."
Music began early for Ernst, the daughter of John and Laurie Blair Ernst.
She started singing in elementary school and took up the violin when it was offered in the fourth-grade. Later, in middle school, she started playing the clarinet and joined the middle school chorus.
By the eighth-grade, she was already singing a cappella under the direction of Williams Middle School music teacher, Michael Smith. She went on to play in the high school band under Michael Mucci, and sing in two elite high school choruses directed by Peter Thomsen.
She credits all three men with being strong mentors.
"They all instilled a passion for music in me, a pride in the work (I) do and most importantly, (they) always expected excellence," she said.
She attended Mount Holyoke College and St. Lawrence University from which she graduated with degrees in psychology and music.
After graduation, she moved to Boston and reestablished friendships with women she had met singing on Cape Cod in a group called Cape Harmony. They all missed the experience of singing together formally, so they decided to start an a cappella group which they named Sweet Caroline. As Ernst puts it, it's "a Boston-themed name - fitting for an all-female group."
Ranging in age from 22 to 25, the women either work at day-time jobs or go to graduate school, but they manage to rehearse once a week and perform on the weekends at private parties, company and community events, and at the Paulist Center. "We've started adding some outside performances at Faneuil Hall, which we hope to continue through the summer," she said.
For information, visit sweetcarolinemusic.com