He knew all the words, unlike Cindy Lauper; and sounded better.He sure hit every note and held them for an impressive period of time. Here are his cridentials-
James Cornelison (born c. 1964)
[1] is a tenor who sings
The Star-Spangled Banner and
O Canada at the beginning of home games for the
Chicago Blackhawks. Cornelison started singing the anthem for the Blackhawks part time in 1996;
[2] he has been singing the national anthem for the Blackhawks full time since 2007. In the 2010-2011
NFL playoffs, Cornelison also sang the anthem for the
Chicago Bears.
[3] He sang for the
Chicago Bulls during the
2011 NBA Playoffs, the day following the
death of Osama Bin Laden. He also sang for the
Chicago Bears opening game against the
Atlanta Falcons of the 2011 football season on September 11, 2011, the tenth anniversary of the
9/11 World Trade Center attack.
[4]Cornelison graduated from
Seattle Pacific University with degrees in music and psychology. He then went on to post graduate work and earned a Masters in Music from
Indiana University in 1992. In 1995, he moved to Chicago and joined the Lyric Opera Center for American Artists.
[5]Cornelison has won several awards for music, including:
[6]- The William Matheus Sullivan Foundation Award
- First place in the American Opera Society of Chicago’s 1997 Vocal Competition
- The George London Foundation Encouragement Grant
