It was a beautiful day of sun and warmth, unusual for a Monday in February. The Delilahs, the only All-Girls acapella group at Holy Cross, were scattered all over campus, either enjoying the weather, in class, studying in the library, or having lunch at crossroads. We had no idea what was about to pop up on our phones.
Ally McGrath and Avery Faires, the co-chair seniors of the Delilahs, were in separate spots on campus when they received the best news since being performance-starved for over a year due to the pandemic.
Avery Faires was sitting in Cool Beans when she received an email from the live production and entertainment department of the Boston Celtics. At first, she thought it was spam! The email was titled “National Anthem Inquiry – The Delilahs.” She thought to herself, no way this is real. She proceeded to open the email. Jumping out of her seat, she grabbed her phone and called Ally as fast as she could! It’s true! The Delilahs have been asked to sing the National Anthem at a Boston Celtics game at the TD Gardens! After the reality set in, she sent a message to the group, causing our hearts to skip a beat all over campus! With the sun shining, we were all running around screaming!
On March 30, the Boston Celtics will be playing against the Miami Heat, but this is not an ordinary game. Tommy Heinsohn, deemed “Tommy Day”, a proud alumnus of Holy Cross, is being honored at this game. The Boston Celtics asked the Delilahs to perform the national anthem to him with excitement and honor! As a member of the Delilahs, I can easily say we are honored and thrilled to have been chosen. This is truly an honor in itself, in addition to being asked to represent the College.
Working together, and with the help from our Senior Musical director, Olivia Hastie, The Delilahs will be hard at work, perfecting the National Anthem within the next few weeks. Be sure to watch our Weekly Manic Monday performances at Cool Beans at 10 pm, and of course, stay tuned for March 30! We are so excited and hope you can tune in to this crazy opportunity!