Renee Fleming has signed on to sing the national anthem at this year's Super Bowl.
The Associated Press reports that the American Soprano will perform before the Denver Broncos and the Seattle Seahawks play at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., on Feb. 2. The performance will mark the first time an opera star sings the national anthem at the Super Bowl. In recent years, it has been performed mainly by pop and country stars.
Fleming is no stranger to sporting events. She recently sang the national anthem before Game 2 of the 2003 World Series at Yankee Stadium. The soprano is known as "The People's Diva," and has been closely identified with the New York City region because she has spent years singing on the iconic stages of Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall. Last year, she received the National Medal of Arts, the highest honor the U.S. government gives to artists. Fleming is currently performing Dvorak's "Rusalka" at the Metropolitan Opera. The work will be presented on the Live in HD series and will be shown in movies theaters across the world. The soprano is also scheduled to sing Richard Strauss' "Arabella" at the Salzburg Festival and Andre Previn's "A Streetcar Named Desire" at the Los Angeles Opera. She will also perform a concert with world renowned tenor Jonas Kaufmann in Chicago and a number of recitals around the world.
Fleming has won three Grammy awards and recently released her latest CD "Guilty Pleasures," which garnered rave reviews. The soprano has an exclusive contract with Decca records.
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