Stivers Chamber Choir is Winner of DDN/Dragons National Anthem Contest; Will Perform on Opening Night April 7

Dayton, Ohio— The advanced choir from Stivers School for the Arts has been selected as the winner of the Dayton Daily News/Dayton Dragons national anthem contest.

The group of 24 singers, all high school sophomores, juniors and seniors, will sing the national anthem at beautiful Day Air Ballpark in the heart of the Water Street District on Opening Night, April 7. The Dragons will host the Lake County Captains at 7:05 p.m. as they open their 26th season in Dayton.

Kelsey DeMange, Choir Magnet Director at Stivers School for the Arts, says the advanced choir is part of a program of approximately 100 students, most of whom have been studying music since seventh grade. She says the advanced choir recently received a “Superior” rating in Class Double-A at the Ohio Music Education Association (OMEA) event on March 7. They were also selected as the featured choir for the entire state at the Ohio Choral Directors Association conference. They perform every December at Stivers Celebrates! at the Masonic Temple.

Ms. DeMange says that many students in the choir plan to further their educations at Berklee College of Music in Boston or Northwestern University. Several of the students perform in the Dayton Opera. The program at Stivers is sponsored by the Seedling Foundation of Dayton.

“The students responded with very vocal excitement when they were told,” said Ms DeMange. “The risers were shaking! They at first just froze, as if they were wondering if it was real. When they realized that they really did it, you had a lot of teenagers jumping up and down.”

Dayton Dragons President Robert Murphy, says, “The National Anthem Tryouts presented by Dayton Daily News have been part of Dragons baseball from the beginning. For over 26 seasons, the Grand Prize winners and finalists have uplifted the community with their talents and set the stage for many wonderful nights of baseball and family fun at Day Air Ballpark. Stivers Chamber Choir, the winner of this year’s contest, are a truly special group and we’re thrilled that one of our downtown neighbors has earned this moment with their incredible preparation and performing excellence. This group has certainly lived up to the reputation of the Stiver School for the Arts, and we can’t wait to have them kick off Dragons baseball in 2026, and we know it will be a truly memorable moment.”

The Dayton Daily News has served as the sponsor for the national anthem audition contest for all 26 seasons of Dragons history.

All auditions in 2026 were virtual. More than 250 performers submitted auditions in 2026. Submissions were reviewed by the Dragons panel of judges. Along with the Grand Prize Winner, Stivers Chamber Choir, 65 additional finalists from the National Anthem Tryouts will perform throughout the season before a Dragons game.