12-year-old Sherbrooke student to sing for Alouettes, Tampa Bay Rays this summer

Jennifer Bellerose, a 12-year-old music student from Sherbrooke, Que., will be singing both the Canadian and American national anthems to kick off pro football and baseball games this summer.

Bellerose, a singer since the age of seven, first sent her portfolio to the Montreal Alouettes and then to the Tampa Bay Rays, knowing the baseball team was slated to face off against the Toronto Blue Jays this season.

"The first news I received was that I am going to sing the national anthem in Montreal during the Alouettes game on June 6," she told Radio-Canada.

"And this week, I also learned that I am going to sing the Canadian and American national anthems during the Tampa Bay Rays baseball game in Tampa on August 5."

Bellerose has been taking singing lessons for two years now at the École De Musique Pianissimo in Sherbrooke. She also studies music at Mitchell-Montcalm high school.

Bellerose said her family instilled in her a passion for both music and sports. One day, she said she hopes to sing the anthem at the start of a Habs game at the Bell Centre.

"When I was little, I watched the Montreal Canadiens with my father and the moment of the national anthem was always sacred," she said.

Her family supports her singing, cheering her on from the sidelines, and her grandparents will even be heading down to Florida this summer to hear her perform.

"Jennifer is supported, without pressure, for the experience," said her father, Jean-François Bellerose. "It's really a beautiful family story."