South Dakota Teacher Shines Singing At Minnesota Twins Game

A South Dakota teacher got the experience of a lifetime singing at a Minnesota Twins game during the seventh-inning stretch.

A Tea Area High School choir teacher named Janice Gilbert got a big break performing "God Bless America" in front of thousands of dedicated Minnesota Twins fans. Her performance? She knocked it out of the park!

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It's been a busy summer for teacher Janice Gilbert

Not only did Janice just perform during a Major League Baseball game, but she also took the stage at Levitt at the Falls and opened the show for country singer Deana Carter at the Washington Pavilion two days later.

READ MORE: Hey South Dakota Singers! ‘American Idol’ Auditions Coming Soon

Our friends at Pigeon605 exclusively sat down with Janice to learn more about her singing career. It turns out this is not Janice's first time performing for baseball fans.

Janice's first baseball game singing the National Anthem dates back to 2005 for the Chicago White Sox. Since then, Janice has been singing at other major baseball games and for the Sioux Falls Canaries. Her first Minnesota Twins game was through a video she submitted to the team in 2020 of her performing “The Star-Spangled Banner.” Janice did not have the opportunity to sing in person at Target Field until 2022.

Janice's performance of "God Bless America" felt different but in a good way.

“This was the first time I’ve gotten to do ‘God Bless America,’ which was pretty cool. It was really laid-back. There’s a lot of pressure with “The Star-Spangled Banner” in the beginning, so it was nice. It was right in the middle, and there were a lot of people there.”

Janice thought this song during this time really brought people together. What a great show to start the new school year!

To read more about Janice and her singing journey, click here.

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