PHOTO COURTESY/ NBC News
An image of the flag of the U.S. fades out of view to reveal a stage with a student pianist and conductor. As the national anthem begins to play, images of students singing in caps and gowns slowly begin to appear. Watching at home, seniors of the Brighter Side Singers cheer as they appear amidst the high school singers, adding green and gold to the melting pot of colored gowns.
BSS appeared in a performance of the national anthem on the Class of 2020 “Graduate Together” special organized by NBA player LeBron James on May 16. Sporting graduation gowns and caps, the seniors sang alongside other singers from high schools across the nation.
BSS director Matt Byers first notified seniors of the invitation a few weeks before the event. The casting director provided auditionees with music and instructions to send a video of their part from “The Star-Spangled Banner” before Monday morning through email to the organizers, leaving them one day to learn the piece.
“Personally for me, it takes several attempts to get a song right and it took especially long since I didn’t have a director or other students to help me,” senior Gary Hua said. “However, it was pretty much worth it to see me pop up there.”
The event aired on national stations and several media platforms including YouTube and Instagram. The hour-long program featured several celebrity figures such as actress Lana Condor and singer Pharrell Williams. It concluded with a speech from former President Barack Obama.
“It was a good message to send to all of us stuck in quarantine, but a lot of the people who were showcased on the broadcast were from California, more so than the other states. Even then, the event focused on the celebrities more than the graduating students,” senior Sam Campbell said. “I think what I really liked was when the celebrities acknowledged students with outstanding accomplishments. I would’ve wanted more stuff like that personally.”