Haley MacDonald, 21, from the beautiful coastal town of Antigonish, Nova Scotia, has been selected to perform the Canadian National Anthem at the 2011 O’Brien Awards
.
MacDonald is thrilled to be making the trip to Ontario, and is looking forward to singing at this year’s gala. She has performed at Truro Raceway, sung the National Anthem at Varsity Hockey Games at Saint Francis Xavier University, and is a member of Xavier’s choir.
She has also been involved in the Maritimes harness racing industry for as long as she can remember. “If I didn’t have pictures of myself at St. Martha’s Regional Hospital, I would swear I was born in the barn,” MacDonald joked.
Haley’s mother, Clare MacDonald, is a top trainer and driver in the Maritimes and owns and runs the family establishment, West River Stock Farm, which her grandfather founded years ago.
In addition to her musical talent, Haley is a fourth-year Human Kinetics student at Saint Francis Xavier University and hopes to continue her studies in Physiotherapy after graduation. Still, more than anything, she looks forward to summers at home in Antigonish, working with her mother to train and race their stable in the Atlantic Sires Stakes program. In 2010, Haley was honoured as Truro Raceway’s Horsewoman of the Year.
Haley is thrilled to be making the trip for such a special evening.
“Singing the anthem is important to me because it gives me an opportunity to contribute and be part of something special,” Haley said. “Being able to perform at the O’Brien awards is a huge honour for me because I have heard about the O’Briens for many years, but have never had the chance to attend. It’s something that many people will never get to do.”
Standardbred Canada would like to extend its thanks and appreciation to all of the talented individuals that applied to sing the anthem at the 2011 awards.
The O’Brien Awards will take place on Saturday, January 28 at the Delta Meadowvale Hotel in Mississauga, Ont.
For more information on the O'Brien Awards, click here.
Congratulations. I heard you
Congratulations. I heard you at Truro last summer, great job. I am sure you will wow the audience at the O'Brien's.