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SALT LAKE CITY -- Final auditions will be held in Salt Lake City in about two weeks to find a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to sing the national anthem at Dodger Stadium next month.
Every year the Los Angeles Dodgers host "Mormon Night" and about 12,000 Latter-day Saints attend. This year, organizers decided to hold open auditions for any LDS Church member to sing the national anthem before that game.
LDS Open Auditions Producer Sonja Eddings Brown said, "What I thought was, let's make someone's dream come true."
She didn't think she'd get such a response. About 500 people from across North America sent in CDs. It's now down to 80 people; 40 will sing in L.A. and 40 at the LDS Conference Center in Salt Lake on July 22.
She said, "It's very important that we see how they represent themselves because they will represent the LDS Church at 'Mormon Night' on Aug. 6 at Dodger Stadium."
The Dodgers will help narrow it down to six, who will all be on the field that night. The winner will be announced and then will step forward to sing the anthem.
"One opportunity could change someone's life," Brown said.
The winner also gets tickets to the game, $1,500 and an audition for Shadow Mountain Records.
Dodgers host several businesses and groups at the park for games all-year round, and the LDS Church is the Dodgers' single, biggest client.
Besides singing the national anthem and "God Bless America" after the 7th inning, a member of the LDS Church in the crowd is also invited to throw out the first pitch.
E-mail: mrichards@ksl.com
