Philly-Trained Opera Star Joyce DiDonato Leads Poll On Who Should Sing National Anthem at World Series

Joyce DiDonato, by Simon Pauly

Move over, American Idol, there’s a new diva in town who the nation wants to hear sing the National Anthem at this year’s World Series.

And, yeah, she’s an opera singer.

The fans of world-renowned mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato, who trained at Philadelphia’s own Academy of Vocal Arts, have started a grassroots campaign to have the down-to-earth diva perform the National Anthem at the start of the Fall Classic in her hometown, Kansas City. DiDonato’s fans began a Change.org petition to Major League Baseball, requesting to have DiDonato sing the anthem, citing that the performer is a “lifelong Royals fan” and “arguably the world’s most famous opera singer.” So far, the petition has collected over 2,500 signatures.

The 2012 Grammy Award-winning vocalist is also topping a KansasCity.com poll of who should sing the National Anthem, with 33 percent of the vote. Over 13,000 votes have been cast, and DiDonato beats the likes of Sheryl Crow (3%) and Lorde (11%).

On Twitter, fans have used the hashtag #LetJoyceSing to spread the word about the diva’s chances of performing the National Anthem live, and the star took to Twitter herself to thank the fans for their loyal support:

Seriously, do you guys have any idea of how fabulous you are?!?! Thanks for all the @MLB #WorldSeries love you're throwing me! & GO @ROYALS!

— Joyce DiDonato (@JoyceDiDonato) October 17, 2014

If DiDonato does sing at the World Series, it will, surprisingly, not be the first time this year that an opera singer performed the National Anthem during a major sporting event: Last winter, renowned soprano Renee Fleming made history by being the first opera star to ever sing the National Anthem at the Superbowl.

DiDonato, who regularly makes appearances at the world’s greatest opera houses, has been coined the “most potent female singer of her generation” by The New Yorker. She’s yet another fine example of how Philadelphia stands out as arguably the nation’s most esteemed city for vocal training, given that it houses both AVA and the Curtis Institute of Music.

For a preview of DiDonato’s latest album, watch the video below: