Portland, Oregon—Over 115 members of the Portland Ensign Choir performed the national anthem at the Rose Garden Arena for the Portland Trailblazers NBA game against the Sacramento Kings on Monday, January 23rd. The choir was accompanied on trumpet by Brett Randolph and was the largest group to have ever sung the anthem in Trailblazer history. The second largest group to have performed the national anthem was 65. One Blazer executive commented to Portland Ensign Choir & Orchestra (PECO) President John Noffz, Jr. that when the choir took to the center of the court an “abnormal reverence” came upon the 18,000+ attendees of the game. He continued to say that he has never seen an audience become so quiet and pay so much attention to the national anthem as did that arena when the Portland Ensign Choir sang. Tom & Rhonda Faulkner wrote a letter of appreciation to PECO Music Director Dr. David Thomas. It read, “We’ve...
