Brookline Girl To Sing Anthem At Wheelchair Games

Brookline's Angelea Taylor will sing the national anthem at the opening of the 2011 National Veterans Wheelchair Games on Monday.

“It’s a really great honor for her to sing the anthem (at the games),” said Angelea’s father, Malcolm Taylor, because of the family’s tradition of military service. 

“I’m a veteran, my father … many of Angelea’s relatives have served,” he said.

Taylor, 17, has been singing since she was 3 years old. By age 10, she was performing in her first opera.

Although she also studied dance and played soccer, Taylor said that as the years progressed, “singing kind of took over.”

Beyond years of private voice lessons, she trained as a soprano with the Pittsburgh Opera and was a member of the Duquesne University sponsored Children’s Festival Chorus from 2004 to 2008.

Taylor attends the Pittsburgh School for the Creative and Performing Arts, where she was named most outstanding junior vocalist for 2011.

Angelea said the school is an inspiring environment.

“It’s really cool that there are all these creative people in one place,” she said. "There’s always something going on. There’s never a boring day.”

Taylor’s most recent achievement was being selected by the GRAMMY Foundation to perform at a series of  2011 Grammy Awards events. As a member of the foundation’s Jazz Ensemble, Taylor was even invited to attend the awards ceremony and walk the red carpet.

During the trip to Los Angeles, Taylor also got the chance to record several songs in the legendary Studio A at Capital Records, which boasts the same microphone used by Old Blue Eyes himself, Frank Sinatra. Later in the trip, she attended a celebrity-studded benefit for Barbara Streisand at the Staples Center.

Taylor volunteers as an ambassador for the GRAMMY Foundation by spreading awareness about the importance of music programs in schools. The foundation will release a CD of recordings by Taylor’s jazz ensemble on iTunes in August.

Malcolm Taylor said that working wih the GRAMMY Foundation has been both an honor and a privilege for his daughter.

“A chance for a 16-year-old to go to the Grammys?” he said. “It’s just a great opportunity.”

Angelea admitted that she enjoyed meeting celebrities, but also pointed out that the experience wasn’t all fun and games.

“We would practice all day,” she said. “And when I say practice, I mean practice.”

That practice has paid off.

On Monday, her voice will ring, a capella, from the Roberto Clemente Bridge to signal the beginning of the 31st Annual National Veterans Wheelchair Games. The performance will be capped off with an Air Force flyover.

An experienced national anthem performer, Taylor said she’s a little nervous about Monday’s event, but that she has confidence in her ability to overcome the jitters.

“It’s nerve-racking, but you get a vibe off of the audience,” she said. “I can feel their energy and after the first few notes, I’m in my element and I can be free, I guess.”

The games will be held downtown next week. Opening ceremonies, including Taylor’s national anthem performance, begin Monday at 11:30 a.m.