Photo of Stacey Nattrass, by Rusty Barton

 March 3rd is National Anthem Day, where we have the opportunity to recognize the songs that represent nations around the World.These songs become identifiers, and sources of pride in all of us. In some cases, moving us to tears. 

When we think of our Canadian National Anthem, and perhaps a household name of somebody who sings anthems frequently? Most Manitobans would say "Stacey Nattrass", The official Anthem singer for the Winnipeg Jets. 

Golden West On-air team member Jayme Giesbrecht connected with Stacey over the phone, and had a few questions about her experience, starting with how it all began:

Stacey sings a "true-to-form" version of both anthems...is that a conscious decision?:

Singing in an arena produces an echo -- how does she keep the songs moving?:

How about which pitch to start on?: 

After years of performing the National Anthem, are there any nerves, pre-game?:

We've seen some slip-ups and trip-ups from anthem singers over the years, that unfortunately tend to go viral. Does she have any fears in this regard?: 

Standing on the same ice as the NHLers, has there been any interaction or comments from players?:

Stacey follows in the footsteps of Jennifer Hanson, who became a Manitoba celebrity of sorts, for singing the National Anthems at Winnipeg Jets games in the 1990's. The two met for the very first time at a recent video performance with the Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra. Here's what Stacey had to say about that interaction. 

Thank you Stacey for representing our Province and Country so well on the National Hockey League stage. You are a Manitoba treasure.