Chapman student invited to sing national anthem at upcoming Lakers game

By Laurie Swain

Just a little over three weeks ago, Chapman student Chelsea Chaves ‘12, a vocal performance major, received a most unexpected phone call.  She was asked if she’d be willing to sing the national anthem — for an upcoming
Los Angeles Lakers
game at Staples Center!  Of course she accepted, and is thrilled about this “huge opportunity to get my voice out there.”

Chelsea has been singing since 8
^th
grade, when she tagged along with a friend for a choir audition.  Her friend didn’t get in, but Chelsea did, much to her own surprise.  Once she discovered this hidden talent she auditioned for solos, choirs, musicals — anything to satiate this new love of hers.

 In May of last year she was invited to sing at Santa Barbara City College’s graduation ceremony before transferring to Chapman University. Fate would have it that a woman in the audience happened to work part-time for the Lakers and was impressed by Chelsea’s voice.  So Chelsea was asked to record the National Anthem.  She gave the recording to the Lakers rep, not thinking anything would really come from it. 

Until that phone call came.

Apparently there had been a cancellation, and the woman she had met at the graduation remembered Chelsea and suggested that she sing it instead. 

Singing has become “my life,” says Chelsea. “You can leave reality for awhile and become someone else…connect to someone else.” 

Her future aspiration is to continue “sharing the music.”  She hopes to do this by providing her talent to the singing voices for animated characters, especially Disney films. 

So keep an eye (and an ear!) out for her if you are attending or watching the Tuesday, Feb. 22, Lakers game vs. the Atlanta Hawks at Staples Center.