NEW ORLEANS (December 26) – The national anthem for Monday's Allstate Sugar Bowl (January 1, 7:45 p.m.) will be performed by Mark-Anthony Thomas, a teacher and a jazz and opera performer who was born and raised in New Orleans. The national anthem is being presented by Vet Tix. Vet Tix provides tickets to events which reduce stress, strengthen family bonds, build life-long memories, and encourage service members and veterans to stay engaged with local communities and American life.
 
The national anthem is providing the opportunity for the Allstate Sugar Bowl to merge two of its major interests – football and the support of teachers. And it will give fans visiting from around the country to watch the sold-out College Football Playoff Semifinal the opportunity to enjoy an outstanding up-and-coming New Orleans performer.
 
In recent years, the Allstate Sugar Bowl and the College Football Playoff Foundation have committed more than $4 million to the support of area teachers.
 
"Teachers have always been the lifeblood of education," said Jeff Hundley, the chief executive officer of the Allstate Sugar Bowl. "Recognizing that, we've had the good fortune to work with the CFP Foundation and local education leaders to formulate a strategy which focuses on recruiting, retaining, and recognizing teachers."
 
While a large group of area teachers handles the display of a giant American flag on the field, Thomas will get into position to sing the anthem.
 
"I've performed the anthem many times, including at a lot of Pelicans games," he said. "But the Superdome is definitely different. It's a little more intimidating, but it's a thrill."
 
A New Orleans native, who graduated from McDonogh 35 High School and the New Orleans Center for the Creative Arts (NOCCA), Thomas is a member of the New Orleans Opera Association Chorus and also arranges jazz standards and performs at jazz and R&B venues throughout the region. He is also the Arts Pastor at Vintage Church New Orleans, an artist-teacher at NOCCA, and serves on the school's Board of Directors.
 
Thomas' family is very involved in the music industry – his oldest cousin [Sam Williams] is Big Sam from Big Sam's Funky Nation, a must-see New Orleans band; and his brother Myron Thomas plays piano for the Brass-A-Holics, a legendary New Orleans Go-Go Brass Funk band.
 
"I come from a very musical family and Christmas time is always a big family sing-along," Thomas said. "But I think it was my first solo performance at Greater St. Stephens Church when I first realized I could maybe do something with singing."
 
Thomas references multiple teachers in his official bio. He studied vocal music and received a Certificate of Artistry under the tutelage of Phyllis Treigle at NOCCA and he received his Master of Music from Loyola University New Orleans, studying with internationally acclaimed artist, Luretta Bybee. The influence of teachers has helped him gravitate to the profession himself.
 
"I had a voice teacher (Luretta Bybee, Master of Music teacher at Loyola University), and she taught me how to live," he said. "I want to enable others to have the same freedom – to learn how to live freely. I teach a lot of people and it's unbelievable how many things they believe about themselves that aren't true – I want to help change them to find their true selves."
 
While Thomas has been a fixture at his family sing-alongs this holiday season, he also performed with the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra's holiday concert series "Holiday Spectacular." He recently played Police Buddy #2 in the New Orleans Opera Association's production of Blue and he's the background vocalist for GRAMMY-nominated Tank and the Bangas. And Monday, he will perform The Star-Spangled Banner for Sugar Bowl fans.
 
"My performance will be a mix of opera and jazz," he said. "I'm a classically trained singer who embraces a technique, but I love other styles as well, so you'll hear aspects of it all."
 
The Allstate Sugar Bowl has established itself as one of the premier college football bowl games, having hosted 28 national champions, 103 Hall of Fame players, 52 Hall of Fame coaches and 21 Heisman Trophy winners in its 89-year history. In addition to football, the Sugar Bowl Committee annually invests over $1 million into the community through the hosting and sponsorship of sporting events, awards, scholarships and clinics. Through these efforts, the organization supports and honors thousands of student-athletes each year, while injecting nearly $2.4 billion into the local economy in the last decade. For more information, visit www.AllstateSugarBowl.org.