Madisen Hallberg was creating a video for her virtual graduation from Portland State University in Oregon. Because she’s a singer, she decided to sing the national anthem in a park while a cameraman filmed her.
As she began to sing, a stranger walking by asked if he could join.
She thought, “why not?”
She had no idea the man was professional opera singer Emmanuel “Onry” Henreid.
“All the sudden, we just started harmonizing. I came in on the verse, and she was kind of surprised a little bit,” Henreid said.
It was an absolutely stunning rendition.
Portland State posted the video of the two singing the national anthem for its virtual graduation, and it went viral.
NPR reported it was more than just a pretty song. “It was by any measure a moment of magic. But it was especially magical right now. Onry is African American; Madisen is white. For him, the experience was a direct contrast to images and videos that portray conflict rooted in racism.”
Henreid agreed. “This African American male just walking up and singing with this woman who happens to be white. And there’s a beautiful moment that happens there.”
I agree. It was beautiful. Watch it for yourself below:
A @Portland_State University grad student was recording the national anthem for their online graduation.
— The Lincoln Project (@ProjectLincoln) June 25, 2020
A stranger walked by and heard her. This is what happened:
🇺🇸
pic.twitter.com/FHVVTxRwnj
Image Credit: Twitter Screen Shot
Hat Tip: NPR