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SUNY Potsdam graduate to be first opera singer to perform national anthem at Super Bowl on Feb. 2

Posted 1/23/14

POTSDAM -- A SUNY Potsdam graduate will be first opera singer to perform the national anthem at the Super Bowl Feb. 2 The NFL announced Tuesday that world-renowned soprano, Renée Fleming, is set to …

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SUNY Potsdam graduate to be first opera singer to perform national anthem at Super Bowl on Feb. 2

Posted

POTSDAM -- A SUNY Potsdam graduate will be first opera singer to perform the national anthem at the Super Bowl Feb. 2

The NFL announced Tuesday that world-renowned soprano, Renée Fleming, is set to make history, as the first opera singer to perform "The Star-Spangled Banner" at the Super Bowl.

Fleming, a 1981 graduate of SUNY Potsdam's Crane School of Music, will perform as part of the pregame festivities, which will be broadcast worldwide on Fox.

"The Crane School of Music continues to cherish the many-faceted career of our beloved Renée Fleming, as we follow her ongoing work as a singer, as a spokesperson and advocate for the arts, and as an artistic leader around the world. We will join the tens of millions hearing her magnificent voice before the Super Bowl with special Potsdam pride." said Crane School of Music Dean Dr. Michael Sitton.

Fleming is among many great performers who have been honored with singing the Super Bowl national anthem, including Alicia Keys, Billy Joel, Diana Ross, Neil Diamond, Whitney Houston, Harry Connick Jr., Garth Brooks, Natalie Cole, Vanessa Williams, Luther Vandross, Jewel, Cher, Faith Hill, the Backstreet Boys, Mariah Carey, the Dixie Chicks, Beyoncé Knowles and Christina Aguilera.

Fleming is a four-time Grammy winner.

Fleming has performed at other major events worldwide, including the Diamond Jubilee Concert for Queen Elizabeth II, the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony and the Olympics in Beijing. At a White House ceremony last July, President Barack Obama awarded Fleming the National Medal of Arts, America's highest honor for an individual artist.

For more information about SUNY Potsdam's Crane School of Music, please visit www.potsdam.edu/crane.