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At 14, Stony Brook’s Ava Della Pietra has had an impressive acting and singing career thus far.
She’s acted on Broadway in “School of Rock: The Musical,” performed in national productions of “Les Misérables” and “White Christmas,” and is about to release a new musical recording.
And on Saturday, Ava will add to her long list of achievements when she performs the national anthem at this year’s New York Open at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
This isn’t the first time Ava has performed in front of a large crowd — two years ago she sang the national anthem to 18,000-plus fans at a New York Knicks game in Madison Square Garden.
Ava told GreaterPortJeff she’s excited to sing the “The Star-Spangled Banner” once again, especially this time on Long Island.
“As an active tennis player and fan of the game, I am thrilled to have the opportunity to sing at this match,” said Ava.
“It is great to be able to [sing the national anethem] again.”
Ava’s performance will happen moments before the men’s singles semifinals at 7 p.m.
her journey
Ava began acting when she was 4 years old at Performing Arts Studio of New York in Port Jefferson.
Her talent was spotted quickly.
“People would come up to mother after shows and say, ‘Your kid needs an agent’,” said Ava.
And that’s exactly what happened next for the budding star.
A few short years later, at 7, Ava landed her first professional gig — the national tour for “Les Misérables.”
From there, her career began to take off, eventually landing on Broadway at 10.
Between then and now, the North Shore resident has worked on her singing career, releasing a holiday single “Christmas Tonight” in December, which has been streamed 150,000 times.
According to Ava, she is currently working on her debut EP that features Grammy-nominated and winning producers Will Hicks and Adrian Gurvitz.
To learn more about the actress/singer, click here.
Top: Courtesy photo of Stony Brook’s Ava Della Pietra.
