The singer of the national anthem for Super Bowl XLVIII has been selected. Opera singer Renee Fleming will sing her rendition of “The Star Spangled Banner” for audiences watching the big game on February 2nd.

The tradition of singing the national anthem before sporting events dates back many years, and a variety of famous musicians have been chosen to sing the celebratory song at the Super Bowl over the years.

Renee Fleming will be carrying on the tradition that talented musicians such as Alicia Keys, Christina Aguilera, Kathy Lee Gifford, and Whitney Houston have all participated in at the beginning of past Super Bowls.

Fleming certainly has big shoes to fill, but according to Entertainment Weekly, she is undoubtedly one of the most competently trained singers to take on the National Anthem at the Super Bowl in some time.

The upcoming Super Bowl will be host to the Seattle Seahawks and the Denver Broncos, the two teams that have remained at the top throughout the season and have rightfully earned a trip to this year’s Super Bowl.

The Broncos defeated the Patriots in order to advance, and the Seahawks were able to handle their bitter rivals, the San Francisco 49ers, in a fierce battle in Seattle.

Renee Fleming is an acclaimed opera singer who has picked up four Grammys over the course of her lengthy career. She was also one of the voices on the soundtrack for The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King, and performed the theme song for the animated film Rise Of The Guardians. She is also the first opera singer to sing the national anthem at the Super Bowl.

Renee Fleming to sing National Anthem at the Super Bowl. Gotta be honest, first time I ever had to look up singer.

— darren rovell (@darrenrovell) January 21, 2014

Actor and former governor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger was also recently added to the Super Bowl festivities, and is set to be the subject of a Bud Light commercial.

Renee Fleming brings the musical performances of the evening full circle. She joins Bruno Mars and Red Hot Chili Peppers, who will be performing the halftime show, and U2 is also set to make a performance of some sort during the show, likely in the form of an ad in support of their new single “Invisible” and/or their upcoming new album.

She has a tough job, and one that singers have been known to struggle with in the past – but her talent and experience should help her succeed at the big event.

All the people who say that American Anthem so HARD to sing will see that it's clearly not when @reneesmusings sings it. Training. Duh.

— Alexandra Pomeroy (@ladychyld) January 21, 2014

Image via Wikimedia Commons