Ideally, the audience won't be as icy as the rink when Alex Armstrong performs the national anthem.
The Fulton High School sophomore recently earned the chance to sing before the Nov. 24 St. Louis Blues game against the Nashville Predators at the Scottrade Center.
"I could give (the judges) like a million hugs," Armstrong enthused.
He's one of just nine vocalists chosen after the final round of auditions Aug. 26. During the first round, he said, around 650 contestants sent in audition videos.
Armstrong's mother, Donna, learned about the opportunity on Facebook.
"Two of my friends posted it to my Facebook page," she said.
According to Alex, everyone who knows him knows he sings, and friends and relatives frequently point out chances to audition.
Alex was one of about 35 contestants summoned to perform before judges at Powell Symphony Hall in St. Louis.
This was far from Alex's first time auditioning. He's been singing for as long as Donna can remember, and his first turn on stage came when he was 5 years old. Since then, he's been part of nearly 20 musicals and is an avid participant in choir at school. His father, Andrew, is a state trooper; so Alex has sang at some of their events as well.
"It's always been music that I've wanted to do," Alex said. "It's nice to be known as the guy who sings."
In December, he'll star in "Elf the Musical" at the TRYPS Children's Institute, though his favorite role to date was Tarzan. (The dreadlocks he had to wear hurt his head, but the role's physicality made up for it, he said.)
Even with that much experience under his belt, he felt the pressure before his audition. The judges included the Blues' in-house anthem singer, Charles Glenn, along with two major figures in the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra.
"We went outside and we were all waiting outside the doors (of Powell Hall)," Alex said. "By the time we were called in, we were all best friends."
First, Alex interviewed with the team's public relations. Then, he sang Francesco Paolo Tosti's "Aprile," an Italian art song - a capella.
"It was first performed by Pavarotti, so those are some pretty big shoes to fill," he said.
The judges chose 14 singers to continue to the second round. Each musician had to sing the national anthem, again unaccompanied.
"The acoustics in the whole hall are beautiful," he said. "I could sit in there and listen to music for hours."
"The Star Spangled Banner," is one of his favorite songs to perform. Alex enjoys expressing emotion when he sings, and the national anthem is perfect for that, he said.
"It's a big range, and a very dramatic song," he added.
Alex knew he did well, but after listening to all the other performers, he wasn't sure he could beat them all.
"They were so powerful in their singing that you could hear it down the stairs and through the vents," he said. "They were so good."
He and the other auditioners were surprised - but delighted - when the judges chose nine singers, instead of just one.
Alex hopes to pursue a career in musical theater. His next step will likely be entering a conservatory, where he can train intensively in the art.
"That sounds like heaven," he said.
He'll have the full support of his family.
"We want to encourage it and grow it," Donna said. "There's not very many people in life given a God-given talent that you can share as well as singing."