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November 6, 2013
Tri-Parish native Christine Permenter has been around music her whole life.
Two weekends ago, her talents were showcased before a globally televised audience.
The Cut Off woman and South Lafourche High School graduate sung “God Bless America” during the seventh inning stretch of Game 4 of the World Series between the Boston Red Sox and St. Louis Cardinals.
The performance was the first of its kind for Permenter who said she was “incredibly nervous,” before the performance, but “thrilled” after it was completed.
“It was absolutely amazing,” Permenter said, looking back on her performance. “I got to do a run-through before-hand and it was all just so professional. This was my first time doing anything like this before, so the whole thing was just so exciting for me. It’s something that I’m going to remember for the rest of my life.”
Permenter’s path to the World Series marked the peak of the local woman’s rich musical career.
She said that she and her family moved to Cut Off when she was 9. From there, she was raised on the bayou throughout the rest of her adolescent life.
After graduating from South Lafourche in 2002, Permenter enrolled at the University of Louisiana-Lafayette and graduated with a degree in Music Education in 2006.
After completing her college, she enlisted in the United States Army in 2007. Since being in service, Permenter has traveled across both the country and the world. She was also deployed in Afghanistan.
She currently resides in Waynesville, Missouri with her husband Donnie Permenter and the couple’s young daughter, whom the proud mother labeled as her “everything.”
Through the military, Permenter said she is able to nourish her rich love for music.
The Cut Off native is a member of the United States Army band. Ironically enough, she’s not a singer within the band.
“I’m actually a flute player,” Permenter said.
But it’s through those connections that the World Series gig came into place. While sitting at work the week before the big game, Permenter said the opportunity to sing presented itself – an offer that was accepted without hesitation.
“It was just a normal day at work,” Permenter said. “But then one of the guys at our operations shop came in and asked me if I wanted to sing in the World Series.
“So I’m sitting here thinking to myself, ‘That’s a silly question. Of course I do.’”
So Permenter attended the game and patiently waited her turn to take the stage.
When the top of the seventh inning finally ended, she took the microphone and all eyes in the stadium were on her.
Permenter said the butterflies she went in her gut were the greatest she’s ever felt before any other performance.
“Oh definitely I was nervous,” Permenter said. “This was a televised game at the World Series. I was really anxious. I was excited that once I started to sing that I had a clear voice. I was worried that my voice would maybe crack, because I was very, very nervous.”
But what eased Permenter’s nerves were memories of her family back home in Louisiana.
She said that while standing on the field at Busch Stadium, she imagined that she was in her family’s home in Cut Off singing to her loved ones. By being able to simplify the situation, Permenter said she was able to relax and feel comfortable while singing the song.
“Even before I started singing, the very last thing that went through my head was my family,” Permenter said. “I was thinking of my husband. I was thinking of my little girl. I thought about my family back in Cut Off. I joined the military so that I could make my family proud. I think that my singing and my performance that night was kind of the epitome of that.
“To help with the nerves, I just said to myself, ‘Christine, think of it like you’re singing to them.’ I’ve sung to my family my entire life. Once I looked at it like that, I knew I’d be fine.”
As soon as the opening notes were sung, Permenter said her entire circle rallied around her to create a unity that she described as “the most amazing feeling of my life.”
Permenter said she received dozens of calls, text messages and Facebook messages from people wishing to send kind words about the performance.
“Oh my goodness, that was the most amazing thing in the world,” Permenter said. “The woman who was in contact with the Cardinals throughout this was filming me on my phone as I sang. She said that I didn’t even get through a few notes before the phone started buzzing with text messages and calls from people who were so excited to see me. My husband was with me and it was the same thing with his phone.
“To have an experience like that and to also have friends and family sharing it with me and watching me on TV, while also letting me know that they are happy to see me sing – that was just the most incredible feeling. That felt so good to me.”
Cut Off native Christine Permenter stands on the infield diamond during the seventh inning of Game 4 of the World Series between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Boston Red Sox. Permenter said the experience was a thrill, adding that the support she received from friends and family afterward was phenomenal.
