Young singer shares experience performing national anthem at area sporting events

A young local vocalist is continuing to pursue her singing dreams.

Lake City High School freshman Jordynn Walker, 15, has been having a blast singing at Gonzaga University's soccer, volleyball, baseball and basketball games. She performed the national anthem Saturday at the Women's NCAA Super Regional March Madness game before Oklahoma played UConn in the Spokane Arena.

"I think it went very well," Jordynn said Tuesday, writing via email during a spring break trip out of town. "Many people were encouraging and complimentary of my performance."

The Press last caught up with Jordynn when she was a sixth grader at Woodland Middle School and had performed "The Star-Spangled Banner" before a Gonzaga Bulldogs men's basketball game. In the January 2022 article, Jordynn discussed her stage debut in November 2021 before a Gonzaga women's basketball game.

"A lot of emotions go through," Jordynn said in the 2022 article. "It's like one big adrenaline rush when you walk in front of everyone. You’re happy and you're terrified, and then you have to wait. Once you start to sing, it all goes away and all you can think about is the song."

Since then, Jordynn's singing career has expanded. She is in choir at school and for a couple years has been taking lessons from renowned North Idaho vocalist and musician Jenny Shotwell.

Shotwell fondly described Jordynn as "the girl with the big voice."

"She is so passionate and determined in her lessons each week," Shotwell said. "She's a joy to teach and watch — and listen to — her grow. She loves to learn, even when it's challenging; learning how to sing can be frustrating at times, especially when someone has as big of a voice as Jordynn. But she's certainly up to the challenge."

Jordynn, who has been performing since age 4, said she loves it now even more than she did as a little girl.

"Every time I sing it feels like a different experience," she said. 

Jordynn's mom and dad, Kevin Walker and Jennifer Brumley, said they feel proud and blessed to have had the ability to watch their daughter grow in something she loves. Even though they may feel nervous as she takes the stage, they know she can handle it, "but we can't stop the butterflies until she hits the last note, then usually a few tears of joy and pride."

"It's a bonus that we love to just listen to her sing and enjoy her voice," they said in a shared statement. "Watching her composure while performing in front of 8,000-10,000 people is inspiring."

Performing the national anthem ahead of sporting events has given Jordynn the ability to take something big and intimidating and break it down so she can focus on what she needs to accomplish.

It's a good kind of nervous, her parents said.

"We love that she hasn't been scared away from a crowd and seems ready to take on any challenge," they said.

Jordynn gave a shout-out to the late "Music Man" Chris Guggemos, who helped her become an event singer before his death in 2022. She also thanked Shotwell and her choir director, Brittany Pfundheller, for their guidance and support, as well as her parents for believing in her from the start.

While she has no Kootenai County performances scheduled at this time, she does have a recital with Shotwell coming up and will soon be performing with her school choir. After high school, Jordynn wants to attend the University of Idaho and go to veterinary school.

"This is my realistic future," she said, "but my dream future is to become a singer or actress known for my vocal talents."

    Seen here in 2022, then-sixth grader Jordynn Walker appears on a jumbotron as she sings the national anthem before a Gonzaga basketball game. The young vocalist continues to sing at area sporting events as her performance portfolio expands.