Left to right: Robert Gould, Adeline Um, Lea Grace Hicks-Swinson, Calvin Falcon, and Grace Mann perform the national anthem at TD Bank Garden. Photo by Kelly Davidson

Dorchester’s Lea Grace Hicks-Swinson, who attends Berklee City Music after-school programs, performed the national anthem with other City Music students at the Boston Celtics game at TD Bank Garden on November 15.

The Boston Celtics Shamrock Foundation celebrated its partnership with Berklee City Music by presenting a $50,000 check to the after-school music education program last week. The presentation was made by Boston Celtics co-owner and Shamrock Foundation president Stephen Pagliuca at halftime during the game. Before the game, a group of Berklee City Music students performed the national anthem. The students — vocalists Grace Mann, 17, Adeline Um and Calvin Falcon, both 16, and Lea Grace Hicks-Swinson, 14 — attend Boston Arts Academy and participate in Berklee City Music after-school programs. One day earlier, Celtics power forward Brandon Bass visited Berklee to jam and hang out with three Berklee City Music ensembles.

“This generous commitment from the Boston Celtics Shamrock Foundation allows Berklee City Music to impact the lives of more youth, inspiring them to tap into their musical passions, build self-confidence and set the foundation for success in life,” said Executive Director of Berklee City Music J. Curtis Warner, Jr. Berklee City Music is a nonprofit program that provides contemporary music education to students from underserved communities in Boston and at 45 network sites across the United States. Since its inception in 1991, the program has benefited 23,000 4th – 12th graders, and has awarded more than 1,500 scholarships for summer and full-time undergraduate studies.

The Boston Celtics Shamrock Foundation benefits our children directly through programs that provide education and support. The Foundation currently partners with Boys and Girls Clubs of Boston, Perkins School for the Blind, Boston Children’s Hospital, Horizons for Homeless Children, the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (MSPCC), and Berklee College of Music.