A new era of basketball is tipping off in the Bay Area, and SFCM talent was there to help. 

SFCM alumna Rose Crelli performed the national anthem at the Golden State Valkyries' first game in San Francisco. The preseason game against the Los Angeles Sparks at Chase Center was held May 6, a historic day for the City and Women’s National Basketball (WNBA.) 

“It was so surreal,” Crelli said of the experience. She added, “and such an honor being a part of a historical night for women’s sports in the Bay Area and becoming their first-ever national anthem performer in the franchise’s history!” The Golden State Valkyries are the first to join the WNBA league since the Atlanta Dream in 2008, and are owned by the same group that owns the Golden State Warriors in the National Basketball Association.

Rose Crelli.

While at SFCM Crelli, who graduated in 2022, studied with faculty Simon James. Crelli has performed several times in the past at sporting events for the Golden State Warriors, Oakland Athletics, San Francisco Giants, Bay FC, Bay Area Panthers and UC Berkeley Bears. “I felt like every single one of those shows was preparing me for this performance,” Crelli said. Her rendition earned multiple moments of applause from the audience. 

“It’s been so fun reimagining how people experience the violin and I'm so excited to continue this journey!” Crelli said. In 2024, Crelli booked 219 performances, and credits the success to “always doing your best, because you never know who is watching!” 

The violinist was asked to perform through an email from the Valkyries team. “I am still not one hundred percent sure how they found out about me,” Crelli continued, “but it's so nice to know that even in rooms we're not present in, there are people positively speaking our names and recommending us.”

In addition to being a historic game for the Bay Area, it was Natalie Nakase's first game as head coach, with Nakase making history as the WNBA's first Asian-American head coach. While the team is just getting started, popularity is already sky high! The Golden State Valkyries are the first WNBA team in history to sell 10,000 season tickets. 

For Crelli, who dyed her hair Valkyries colors for the event, it was a thrilling and exciting performance experience in a career she’s successfully building one game at a time. “There are so many ways to pursue a performing career in music and it has been so empowering running my own business and building my career from scratch.”

The Golden State Valkyries first regular season game is May 16th, at Chase Center against the Los Angeles Sparks. This is the team's home opener and first-ever regular season game.

Learn more about studying violin at SFCM.