ST. LOUIS — The St. Louis Cardinals welcomed the Toronto Blue Jays on opening day, which meant another anthem during the pregame ceremony.
After the Clydesdales made their trip around the warning track and the parade of current and former Cardinals made their way to the field, both teams lined up for the playing of the national anthems.
Because the Blue Jays were the visiting team, the performances started with local violinist Abigail Stahlschmidt performing "O Canada."
In a 2020 interview, Stahlschmidt told 5 On Your Side's Rene Knott she first picked it up at the age of four.
“My parents wanted my sister and I both to be involved in music,” she said.
The influence of her former conductor, Shane Williams, gave her inspiration.
“He really was amazing at instilling the love of music and just creativity. Instead of it being about the notes on the page, it was about making it come alive,” she said.
Abigail's abilities have taken her around the world. She has played in some unique venues.
“It’s been an incredible experience, honestly," she said. “Bulgaria, it was the ancient roman amphitheater which was built in 90 AD.”
And she's more than just a musician.
“I’m always working towards the next thing on my calendar," she said in the 2020 interview. “I’ve been modeling since I was 12 years old.”
She's been on pages of Elle magazine.
“They had a spread that was written up about modeling and music. I felt honored to be in that,” she said.
A model and a role model.
“I love the moments whenever I have young kids come up to me after a concert and say, ‘you inspired me to play the violin,’” she added.
Abigail's performance probably won't be the one most Cardinals fans remember, though. Cardinals' legend Adam Wainwright stepped up to the microphone moments later to give his rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner."
