Holidays

Viral Star-Spangled Singers Reunite to Sing for Peace

This will give you all the feels.

By Fiona McCann December 22, 2020

Last summer, a video of a young woman on a Portland campus being spontaneously joined in her rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner” by a passerby became an internet sensation. The two—Madisen Hallberg, who was recording the anthem for Portland State University’s virtual commencement ceremony, and Emmanuel “Onry” Henreid, who sings with the Portland Opera—struck a chord with hundreds of thousands of viewers amid nationwide protests for racial justice, and went on to appear on outlets local and national, including the Kelly Clarkson Show and the BBC News. (It was also one of our top arts and culture stories of the year.)

Now, the two are back with another duet on Portland’s streets, this time a Latin round aptly titled “Dona Nobis Pacem.” Translation? "Give us peace." The video, which once again comes courtesy Portland State University, shows the two walking through PSU’s eerily quiet campus, through the Park Blocks, past murals commemorating the ongoing protests for racial justice, and into Pioneer Square, their voices harmonizing all the way. Big, big feelings guaranteed.

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