Placido Domingo will sing the national anthem for opening day at Dodger Stadium
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When the Dodgers play their home opener against the San Francisco Giants on Thursday at Dodger Stadium, none other than Plácido Domingo will be on hand to perform the national anthem. The game, which will be televised on ESPN, will be the first in a series of four games against last year’s World Series champions.
The Spanish tenor-- a huge sports fan -- will be joined by Broadway singer Davis Gaines, who will sing ‘God Bless America.’
No stranger to Dodger Stadium, Domingo performed at the park in 1994 as part of the Three Tenors, with Luciano Pavarotti and Jose Carreras. That concert featured the Los Angeles Philharmonic conducted by Zubin Mehta.
The Three Tenors began as a concert in Rome for the 1990 World Cup Finals. Domingo was part of a different World Cup celebration last July when he joined the Spanish team after their overtime Cup victory.
Domingo is also a fan of the Lakers and has befriended his fellow countryman Pau Gasol. The tenor has attended Lakers games and Gasol comes to see Domingo perform at L.A. Opera.
A spokeswoman for the Dodgers said that Domingo sang ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ at Dodger Stadium on Oct. 4, 1988, in a game against the New York Mets.
Domingo, who serves as the general director of L.A. Opera, turned 70 in January. Next season, he will perform the title role in Verdi’s ‘Simon Boccanegra’ and will conduct Gounod’s ‘Roméo et Juliette.’
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-- David Ng
Photo (top): Plácido Domingo. Credit: Bebeto Matthews / Associated Press
Photo (bottom): Domingo. Credit: Juan Medina / Reuters
