Placido Domingo to sing ahead of World Cup final in Rio

Plácido Domingo, a longtime soccer fan, will perform a concert in Rio de Janeiro ahead of the World Cup finals. The Spanish tenor is scheduled to perform on July 11 in a concert that will also include pianist Lang Lang and soprano Ana Maria Martinez.

The performance, which will be held at the HSBC Arena in Rio, will also feature the Orquestra Sinfônica Brasileira, conducted by Eugene Kohn. Domingo has sung at several World Cups, soccer’s biggest event that takes place once every four years.

This year’s World Cup is scheduled to take place June 12 to July 13 in Rio.

In 2010, Domingo was on hand to celebrate his home country Spain’s victory over the Netherlands in South Africa, but he didn’t sing at that World Cup because we was in the midst of a run of Verdi’s “Simon Boccanegra” at London’s Royal Opera.

Domingo recently completed a run of Massenet’s “Thais” at Los Angeles Opera, where he serves as general director. The opera star is scheduled to be back at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion for the annual Operalia competition in August, followed by a September engagement of “La Traviata.”

Twitter: @DavidNgLAT