Belting out the national anthem at a Major League Baseball game is a bucket-list moment for many vocalists.
For singer Ali Berke, known as “Ali the Anthem Girl,” it’s become a cross-country mission.
The Long Island, N.Y., resident sang “The Star-Spangled Banner” on Wednesday at PNC Park before the Pirates took on the Arizona Diamondbacks. It marked the 23rd MLB ballpark in her quest to perform at all 30 stadiums in the league.
Berke had never been to Pittsburgh. She woke at 4 a.m. Wednesday to catch a flight from LaGuardia Airport and spent only a few hours in Pittsburgh before returning home.
Before the first pitch, Berke gave little indication she was about to sing in front of thousands of fans. She relaxed in the Pirates’ administrative offices wearing jeans and a hoodie before changing into a custom-made Pirates jersey and making her way onto the field.
Once at the microphone, she confidently hit every note, drawing applause from the crowd. She smiled, waved and was on her way.
“What a beautiful skyline and great ballpark,” she said afterward.
The anthem tour started as a side venture to build her brand.
“I’m a recording artist,” she said. “I always thought of it as more of a side quest to build my resume and get my name out there. It’s definitely been working.”
The publicity has helped introduce her to new audiences, but the experience has taught her lessons beyond exposure.
“I’ve learned nothing is impossible,” she said. “The national anthem is one of the hardest songs to sing. I’ve learned so much about balancing my life and my careers — same-day flights, early mornings, late nights. It’s taught me how to balance it all.”
Berke and her father, Jack, who works as a sports agent, arrange the travel, booking flights and coordinating with ballclubs months in advance.
“We reach out to teams, send videos of performances I’ve done before and basically do virtual auditions,” Berke said. “It’s really been me and my dad making it happen.”
At 25, balancing life means more than hopping on airplanes. Berke works multiple jobs — at a recording studio, in a medical office and doing office work — while continuing to write and record her own pop music.
The anthem, she says, is only one chapter in her career.
“I hope fans take away that this is part of my career, but it’s not my whole career,” she said. “After I finish all 30 parks, I’m ready for that chapter to close and really focus on my original music.”
That musical journey started when she was 13.
“I told my dad one day, ‘I want to record music,’ ” she recalled. “Once I became serious about vocal lessons and recording in the studio, the rest is history.”
The stadium tour started after she received an opportunity to sing at a New York Mets game in 2017 when she was just 16 years old. A few years later, opportunities opened with the Baltimore Orioles and Philadelphia Phillies in 2021, followed by the Boston Red Sox and Milwaukee Brewers in 2023.
“At that point,” her dad said, “I said we should try and do all 30 ballparks.”
Some of her favorite performances come from singing the anthem at games other than baseball, including at Madison Square Garden before a New York Knicks game and in Buffalo before a Bills game. The Garden felt like a hometown performance, and the Bills are her favorite football team.
The journey has been as demanding as it has been rewarding.
Performing under the social media moniker “Ali the Anthem Girl,” Berke sang at nine ballparks in 2024 and six more last year before a few more this year.
“It kind of snowballed,” Jack Berke said. “I kept making connections and pursuing it.”
Along the way, his daughter has checked off iconic venues such as Wrigley Field and even appeared on Chicago’s WGN television station, helping spread the word about her quest.
Among baseball venues, Wrigley Field and American Family Field in Milwaukee stand out, she said.
“Milwaukee was probably the first time I felt 100% confident singing the anthem,” she said. “That was about three years ago. Wrigley was a lot of fun, too.”
Her father has been by her side throughout.
“We’re doing these one by one,” he said. “We’re contacting each team separately and working through logistics.”
Confidence matters when performing a song many vocalists consider deceptively difficult.
“I think a lot of people don’t realize it’s one of the hardest songs to sing,” Ali said. “It takes a lot of practice and a lot of time and energy to perfect it.”
Then there’s the crescendo every audience waits for: the climactic “land of the free.”
“It depends on how my voice is feeling,” she said with a laugh. “I try to hold it as long as I can until I run out of air.”
Only seven more MLB stadiums remain before she completes the tour: Seattle, Toronto, Texas, Colorado, Atlanta, Detroit and Yankee Stadium. She is scheduled in Detroit on Aug. 30.
When it’s all over, she’ll happily retire from anthem performances.
“I wouldn’t say I’d ever grow tired of America’s song because I’m proud to sing it,” she said. “But after 30, I’m good.”
Although Wednesday’s performance at PNC Park may have lasted barely 2 minutes, it represents years of planning, thousands of miles of air travel and countless hours of practice.
“I’m really excited to get one step closer to my goal,” Berke said.
The national anthem was never the end game.
She believes it’s the opening act.