Joyce DiDonato, one of the most revered American mezzo-sopranos, will sing the National Anthem at tonight’s game 7 of the World Series. The game will take place at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City.
The Kansas City Royals will welcome the San Francisco Giants after the Royals extended the series to a seventh game by defeating the Giants Tuesday night, 10-0. Other performers of the National Anthem in this year’s World Series are Carlos Santana, Phillip Phillips, Aaron Lewis, Trisha Yearwood, and the Kansas City Symphony.
DiDonato has deep connections to Kansas City, as she was born in Kansas and raised there. She went to Wichita State University and later won an award at Plácido Domingo’s Operalia competition. DiDonato has said she has been a Royals fan for a long time, and she was last seen performing at Carnegie Hall in New York.
Frank Byrne, the executive director of the symphony where DiDonato performs, said in a statement the musicians are “honored by the selection.”
“We believe that Kansas City needs both major league sports and major league performing arts,” Byrne said. “We are thrilled to support the Royals on their way to victory.”
A recent social media campaign may be to credit for DiDonato getting the chance to sing at game 7. The campaign included a Facebook page, an online petition, and even a Twitter hashtag, “#letjoycesing.”
Joyce DiDonato will most certainly perform better than Aaron Lewis, the lead singer of Staind who botched the words of the National Anthem and responded with an apology, saying “All I can say is I’m sorry and ask for the nation’s forgiveness. My nerves got the best of me and I am completely torn up about what happened.”
You can see Joyce DiDonato deliver her rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner tonight before game 7 of the World Series, which airs on FOX at 7 pm.
[photo credit: dapertuttotrubadur]