Renee Fleming donates Super Bowl gown to Smithsonian

Renée Fleming is donating the Vera Wang gown she wore to perform the national anthem at this year’s Super Bowl game to the Smithsonian in Washington. The National Museum of American History will display the gown starting June 14.

The gown -- which is black with a white shoulder wrap made of silk -- will go on view at the museum as part of the organization’s celebration of the 200th anniversary of “The Star-Spangled Banner.” Francis Scott Key wrote the original poem in 1814 during the Battle of Baltimore in the War of 1812.

A museum spokeswoman said that Fleming’s gown only recently arrived and that it will be displayed for only a short period.

The National Museum of American History will also display the original manuscript of “The Star-Spangled Banner” lyrics, together for the first time with the flag Key saw that inspired him to write the poem.

Fleming was the first opera singer to perform the national anthem at the Super Bowl, Feb. 2 at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium. She was accompanied by a recording provided by the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, along with a military chorus. The Seattle Seahawks won the championship, beating the Denver Broncos 43-8.

Starting May 18, Fleming will appear at Los Angeles Opera in a production of Andre Previn’s “A Streetcar Named Desire.” The production will run for three performances only at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.