Donnie Hawkins ’27 (Bachelor of Music in Performance – Voice) will sing the national anthem for the Denver Nuggets NBA team’s game versus the San Antonio Spurs at Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado, on Saturday, April 4. This was an extremely competitive opportunity with more than 1,000 applicants vying to sing the national anthem for the Nuggets in 2026. Hawkins was awarded a $300 Dean’s Circle grant to support his travel to sing for the Nuggets.

“I am so thankful and so blessed for the opportunity to be able to sing the national anthem and partner with the Denver Nuggets and provide an amazing game-day experience for the fans,” said Hawkins. “This will be my first ever time traveling to Colorado and I’m so excited to enrich myself culturally and musically. I would like to thank my family, colleagues and the vocal performance program. I cannot wait to represent Shenandoah Conservatory on a national platform.”

Hawkins has sung the national anthem at more than 40 different venues in 10 different states. Since 2024, he has traveled a total of 6,000 miles singing the national anthem for different athletic events. These include events for the New York Yankees, the West Virginia State Capitol, West Virginia University, James Madison University, George Mason University, Harrisburg Senators, Richmond Flying Squirrels and the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs, where he was able to meet the Governor of Maryland.