A teenage singer from Florence recently had the biggest performance opportunity of her career — so far.
Victoria Narvaez, 13, who released her debut single “I’m A Star” last November, sang the national anthem at Fenway Park on Friday, June 26, before the Boston Red Sox took on the New York Yankees. Though she’d sung the national anthem at plenty of other sports events before, including the Springfield Thunderbirds and Westfield Starfires games, this performance was uniquely memorable — it took place in front of more than 33,000 people.
“It was really great, and I was obviously nervous at the beginning because there [were] a lot of people and it was a new experience. But it was really, really fun, and I enjoyed the audience’s applause … and I still feel good two days later,” Narvaez said. “I’m really grateful that I got the opportunity to sing there.”
Narvaez got the opportunity through her vocal coach, Michelle Brooks-Thompson, a Grammy Award nominee and finalist on the third season of “The Voice” in 2012. Brooks-Thompson has also performed at Fenway Park, so she sent a video of Narvaez singing to her contact at the venue.
Brooks-Thompson also helped Narvaez prepare: on Tuesdays leading up to the performance, she and Narvaez rehearsed the song to make sure Narvaez performed it in the right key and within a 90-second time limit. On the days leading up to the performance, Narvaez would practice even more — “maybe an hour or so every single day,” she said.
Brooks-Thompson collaborated with Narvaez and her father, Victor, to add custom vocal riffs that made the performance uniquely her own.
After the performance, Narvaez and her family got to watch the game for free. As they were walking around, she was recognized. “Everyone was applauding,” she said.
For her next project, Narvaez is recording two singles: a track about she said is about “being yourself,” titled “Me Energy” and a motivational song called “Who You See.”
The evening ended on a high note all around, as the Red Sox defeated the Yankees with a final score of 6-1.
In an emailed statement, Victor Narvaez, Victoria’s father and manager, said that his daughter’s opportunity to sing at Fenway Park “wasn’t just another performance. It was a milestone.”
“At 13 years old, Victoria earned the opportunity to sing one of the most respected songs in sports on one of baseball’s biggest stages. The overwhelming support from Red Sox fans and the organization affirmed that hard work, preparation and faith can open doors that once seemed impossible,” he said.
To watch a video of the performance and keep up with Victoria Narvaez, follow her on Instagram at instagram.com/toriarlene_.
