Chickasaw Ensemble sings anthem at Arrowhead

This article appeared in the January 2017 edition of the Chickasaw Times

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A blustery November day turned into a rainbow for 18 Chickasaw Nation Youth Ensemble singers. The group performed the national anthem Nov. 20 at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City as part of Native American Heritage Month.

It marked the ensemble’s third consecutive appearance at the request of the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League. The young singers performed the anthem before the Chiefs’ game against the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

“It’s a very nice experience for the girls,” Director of Performing Arts Corey King said. “It is exciting to me we get to do something like this. The opportunity to get the Chickasaw Nation’s name out there on a consistent basis and for something that is this important, it is just a great opportunity.”

Weather conditions on performance day made singing a challenge, as did an errant sound system. The system did not allow the girls to hear, in real time, what they were singing.

“I’d say the girls would have a two-second delay from the time they sang a note before they heard it,” Mr. King said. “I don’t know how Phillip (Berryhill, choir conductor) was able to conduct them and I don’t know how they did it. I’m a pretty experienced singer and it is extremely difficult to (sing) when you aren’t hearing your voice in real time.

“But they did it and, boy, they were on beat and it was great,” Mr. King said in praising the ensemble’s performance under stressful circumstances. “Without the Chickasaw Nation and the programs we offer here, these girls would not have these opportunities to experience. I feel very fortunate to work for the Nation and am grateful the leadership of the Nation finds it important to devote time and resources on this. We’re encouraged to do it and that is invaluable,” Mr. King observed.

In years past, the ensemble has performed in white Chickasaw Nation T-shirts. This year, the girls were given blue choir vests resembling ribbon shirts, an addition to showcase traditional Chickasaw attire.

“We have been hosted by the Chiefs before during Native American Heritage Month,” Mr. King said. “Many of the other tribes appear in full regalia and we decided to share our heritage with the new vests. They are wonderful and beautiful but they didn’t do much to keep us warm!”

The ensemble includes Eryn Anoatubby, Abbie Gandy, Gabrielle Padilla, Micah Postoak, Faithlyn Seawright, Haley Shaw, Isabelle Wilkerson and Mazzi Perrin Wycle, of Ada, Okla.; Madisen Moore, Makenna Moore and Haley Scheerger, of Ardmore, Okla.; Markita McCarty and Ashton Rawlins, of Stonewall, Okla.; and Taylor Harrison, of Allen, Okla.; Jaylee Jennings, of Davis, Okla.; Lydia Bomboy, of Newalla, Okla.; Mackenzie Geisler, of Shawnee, Okla.; and Daryn Berryhill, of Wewoka, Okla.