Local Resident Rediscovers Passion, Performs at Dunkin’ Park

Jodette Bentley sang at a Hartford Yard Goats game in May and is scheduled to do an encore performance on June 24.   

Glastonbury resident Jodette Bentley grew up around music, developing a love of singing that she carried with her into adulthood. 

But for nearly 40 years, Bentley worked in Corporate America and was unable to live out her “childhood dream.” 

That changed in August of 2021 when she retired from her corporate job to pursue a second chance in the music field.

Bentley said the career transition has now opened many doors for the lifelong Connecticut resident, who recently sang “God Bless America” during the 7th inning stretch of a Hartford Yard Goats game at Dunkin’ Park on May 2. 

“I thought I would be so nervous, but I wasn’t,” recalled Bentley, who added it was the largest crowd she has ever performed in front of. “I just put my heart into what I was singing. It felt so good”

Earlier this year, Bentley auditioned for a chance to perform during a game in Hartford and was one of a dozen people selected. 
Her original date was slated for late-June, but the organization had a cancellation and reached out asking Bentley if she could fulfill the May date with only five days’ notice. 

“I was like ‘oh my gosh, I really have to practice now’,” joked Bentley. 

Bentley is still slated to perform for her original June 24 commitment when the Yard Goats welcome the Erie Seawolves from Pennsylvania to the park for the fifth game of a six-game set. 

Her encore performance will take place during the team’s Military Appreciation Night, a connection Bentley felt from her first time performing.  

“We are very fortunate in this country,” said Bentley “These people were there because they love this country and they love baseball.”

Bentley’s journey to singing at the venue in the state’s capital has been over four decades in the making.

After being raised in a household surrounded by musicians, she attended The Hartford Conservatory.

Her father was a jazz musician and her mom was a classically trained musician. Her aunt also taught at the Hartt School of Music, where Bentley is now attending.

Following her graduation from The Hartford Conservatory in 1981, she planned to continue on the musical path, yet quickly realized it was a rocky road.

“It’s really hard to make a living as a musician,” stated Bentley. “I didn’t want to starve; that’s why I went the corporate route.”

Bentley, who grew up in Wethersfield and has lived in Glastonbury since 1986, is now in the phase of her life where she does what she enjoys — whether it’s honing her musical skills, teaching yoga, or simply making deeper connections with people  

“I get to do things that are fulfilling and have fun,” stated Bentley. “I get to pick and choose what I do in my life.”

Bentley noted that the turning point for her was a few years back when she attended a jazz camp and met an eight-year old violinist that she helped write music for. 

“That was more fulfilling than anything I had done in 40 years.” recalled Bentley. “Just being in that creative process and being able to do things that make you happy.”

After leaving her job in IT, she began performing and the gig kept coming in.

She recently sang at the world famous Side Door Jazz Club in Old Lyme and regularly performing tunes from the 50s and 60s at local Senior Centers

“It’s so fulfilling to have people start singing with you,” Bentley said of the senior center performances. “To watch these folks light up is something special. They love it; there is no great feeling that looking out and seeing people clapping, tapping their feet, and singing along with you.” 

Bentley will next be performing jazz on Father’s Day, June 18, at the 350 Grill Steakhouse in Springfield, Mass. 

It’s the next phase in what Bentley called a “second chance at music.”  

​“Opportunities keep opening up for me. It’s an amazing thing that makes my life happy every day,” added Bentley. “My new mantra is if somebody asks me to get up and sing I’m going to do it. My answer is always yes. It has forced me to get into situations that I used to shy away from for years.”