Joyce DiDonato to sing national anthem at Game 7 of World Series

Joyce DiDonato, the renowned American mezzo-soprano, will kick off Game 7 of the World Series on Wednesday evening with a rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

Wednesday’s game will take place at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Mo., which is also DiDonato’s hometown. The Kansas City Royals are battling the San Francisco Giants for major league baseball’s biggest title. The Royals won Game 6 of the series 10-0.

So far, this year’s World Series has seen the national anthem performed by the likes of Carlos Santana, country-music star Trisha Yearwood, “American Idol” alum Phillip Phillips and the Kansas City Symphony.

DiDonato was the subject of a recent social media campaign to have the mezzo-soprano sing the national anthem at the World Series. The campaign, which included a Facebook page, an online petition and the Twitter hashtag #letjoycesing, sought to get DiDonato to perform given her strong connection to Kansas City.

The singer was born in Kansas and grew up in the Kansas City, Mo., area. She attended Wichita State University and received a boost to her professional career when she won a prize at Plácido Domingo’s Operalia competition.

DiDonato, who has described herself as a longtime Royals fan, was recently seen on Sunday performing a concert at Carnegie Hall in New York. Later this season, she is set to star in a new production of Rossini’s “The Lady of the Lake” at the Metropolitan Opera.

On Twitter this week, DiDonato wrote: “I now fully understand what it feels like to have one’s stomach lodged behind their eyeballs.”

Twitter: @DavidNgLAT