MILWAUKEE — As the Milwaukee Bucks continue their hunt for the title, one Wisconsin man stands out at home games whom many may not know much about.
Seconds before the Bucks players take to the court, it’s one man’s time to shine.
Ben Tajnai is the voice behind the national anthem, something he’s been doing for several years.
He’s well-known for belting out the national anthem at Bucks games, but during the day, Ben Tajnai is a vocal coach at Hartland music.
“I teach about 50 kids lessons a week,” Tajnai said. “I’ve been doing it about the same time I’ve been with the Bucks.”
One student, Ella Serwin, has been with him for several years. Now that Tajnai is in the world spotlight, his stardom is stepping up for his students.
“Now, he’s a big deal — he’s singing every game,” Serwin said. “It is so cool, and I get to tell my friends I am friends with a famous person. He’s helped me mature so much with singing and belting.”
Serwin also has close ties to the Bucks organization as a Young Bucks dancer. She hopes to return to the dance team when the program resumes post-pandemic.
Tajnai credits his wife and mom for pushing him along the way, but when they encouraged him to audition for the Bucks, his low self-esteem got in the way.
“She would encourage me to go on auditions, and a lot of times I would say I would go but wouldn’t, because my confidence was low,” Tajnai said.
However, his wife quickly caught on.
“She would start to follow me in her car to auditions to make sure I would go,” he said. “Of course, on the day of the national anthem tryout, she wanted to follow me but couldn't because she had to work. So, she called my mom and said, ‘Can you follow Ben to the national anthem auditions?’ So, that is what we did.”
From there, the rest is history.
I will be singing the National Anthem TONIGHT for the NBA FINALS GAME 4! Never gets old to hear!) who’s gonna be there? ALL GLORY TO GOD! pic.twitter.com/kkkkbpAmgg
— Ben Tajnai (@bjtajnai) July 14, 2021
Today, on top of teaching lessons, Tajnai gives his students a support system to help them reach their dreams.
“Hold on to the people that support you, and if you have a dream, you should go for it,” he said.