By Emily Stonehouse
It’s been an adventure along the way, but Jennifer Strype has always stood out in a crowd.
Even a crowd of 42,000 people.
The Boshkung Lake local recently celebrated her 20th season of singing the national anthem for home-field Blue Jays games. She has also belted out Oh Canada for the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Toronto Football Club, and the Toronto Raptors games, to name a few. “Any team that’s played in Toronto, I’ve sung for them,” laughed Strype.
But Haliburton has always been home. “My parents bought a cottage up here when my mom was pregnant with me,” she shared over coffee on a rainy Thursday afternoon. She reflected on her years of coming up here as a child, when the entirety of Boshkung would gather. Including the family of her future husband. “There are home videos of us together as kids,” she giggled. “So of course we came back here.”
While she grew up in Toronto and spent summers in the Haliburton Highlands, the COVID-19 pandemic allowed her to move to the place her heart felt full, and make it home at last. With a regular job in sales and logistics, Strype carries on her passion for theatre full-time.
She attended school for singing, acting, and dancing, but left the program to join forces with her brother, and form a rock band. Strype would lead with vocals, with her brother taking on the majority of songwriting. They became well-known across the country, playing gigs in various locations around cities, and recording music for Dawson’s Creek and Joan or Arcadia.
As the only woman of the band, Strype stood out, and stepped up to take on managerial components of the rock group. But while she loved the opportunity to sing for a crowd, the pressure of performing eventually got her down. “It wears on you,” she said. “We both needed to step away for a bit. We needed a break from music.”
She continued on her journey of following her passion for musical theatre and song, but noted that she struggled with auditions along the way. “Auditions are hard,” Strype laughed. “I think I perform well, but I am not sure if I audition well.”
But then came her big break. An opportunity to record a song for the Blue Jays anthem. “And they picked me,” she said with pride.
That was 20 years ago. Strype performs for 10 to 12 games a season, generally twice a month. She noted that one of the best parts about growing with an organization is seeing how it shifts and evolves over the years. “There are so many women in high positions now within that organization,” she said. “And that’s the coolest thing to see. That was never the case before.”
As a numbers person, Strype was interested in seeing how many individuals she has performed in front of during her 20 year career of anthems in the city. In total, she predicts it to be upwards of 5.6 million people. “I used to get nervous, for sure,” she said. “But 287 games later, now it’s just the norm for me.”
This season, with the Blue Jays playing well, over 42,000 viewers have been in the crowd. When asked how she prepares to sing in front of such an enormous audience, Strype laughed. “I do so much prep for two minutes and fifty seconds of singing,” she said, noting that she gives herself a few hours to hydrate, apply makeup, and practice singing drills.
But it keeps her flame for performing burning bright. “Hearing that crowd, picking up on their energy, it just ignites your soul,” Strype shared with a passion.
While she still travels to the city for big games, Strype is happily settled in the Haliburton Highlands, returning to her roots on Boshkung Lake. She has recently joined the board for the Highlands Summer Festival, and is eager to find ways to apply her skill-set and experience to the organization. “I want to move it forward,” she said. “It’s so great, and I’ve always loved theatre, always loved musical theatre. I am excited to see what we can do.”
