News  Essex Superior PO’s singing talent is highlighted in national press

Essex Superior Probation Officer (PO) Todd Angilly, a gifted Classic Tenor, was featured in USA Today’s column, “For the Win, NHL” and on NBC Sports’ “NHL on NBC” recently for his performance at the Bruins game against the Columbus Blue Jackets where he sang “The Star-Spangled Banner,” before hockey fans at TD Garden. Angilly is scheduled to sing again this Saturday, May 4, at 7 p.m., at the Bruins/Blue Jackets playoff game. Check your local television and or streaming listings for viewing options. 

The 12-year PO has been asked to sing regularly since the official singer for the Bruins Rene Rancourt retired last season after a 40 year career. Angilly has performed at every Bruins’ playoff game so far and is a singer in high-demand. He has performed for every major sports team in the Boston area, including the Celtics at the TD Garden, the Patriots and the New England Revolution at Gillette Stadium, and the Red Sox at Fenway Park.

He began singing before sports team audiences nearly 20 years ago when he came to Boston to earn a master’s degree in education at the New England Conservatory of Music where he also studied opera. As a college student, he participated in singing competitions. He grew up in Rhode Island singing in the church choir with his three brothers. Angilly was also a member of rock bands both in high school and college but prefers Bach and Beethoven.

Angilly said the excitement of singing live before more than 19,000 Bruins fans increases during playoff games. In addition to singing the National Anthem, he sings “O Canada," the Canadian national anthem, when the Bruins play a team from the country.

“It’s always the crowd that steps up. You can go out there with a certain level of energy and then as the crowd starts to react, you sort of feed off of it -- especially during the playoffs. It’s been pretty intense, probably the most intense I have ever experienced and that’s a good thing,” Angilly said. “The fan involvement and them singing along and their reaction before, during, and after I sing has been pretty cool.”

Angilly said he chose a career as a Probation Officer despite his passion for singing because of his stronger passion to help people get back on track as well as to work with children. Angilly is also a certified Employee Specialist who is involved with a national study on employment retention to be conducted by the National Institute of Corrections/Urban Institute. He is the brainchild of the Making Real Changes Job Club, a collaborative effort of the Essex Superior and Salem Probation Departments as well as Lifebridge, a homeless shelter in Salem. The club has helped 65 percent of its graduates, all of whom have criminal backgrounds, find employment. Angilly is also hosting an employment fair for CORI-friendly employers seeking to hire probationers and others with a criminal record.

When his probationers mention they have seen him singing on television, Angilly said he “maintains a sense of professionalism.”

He added, “When supervising people, there is a line that you don’t want to cross. And that’s the friendship line. We’re here to do a job and to not just supervise a group of people but to help them. We want to be someone they can go to. The goal is to have them on probation but to one day soon get them off of probation and hopefully not return to probation.”