Opera star to sing at rugby league final
Opera star Katherine Jenkins will sing the British national anthem at this year’s Rugby League Challenge Cup Final, it was announced today.
The 23-year-old Welsh singer will perform before the match at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium.
She will also sing the traditional Cup Final “anthem” Abide With Me.
St Helens and Wigan Warriors meet each other in the Powergen Challenge Cup Final final on May 15.
Katherine follows in the footsteps of previous headline acts Atomic Kitten and Mis-teeq.
Two months ago the mezzo-soprano made headlines when she clinched a £1m (€1.5m) record deal with Universal.
Her debut album Premiere went straight to the top of the classical charts, making the fastest-selling female opera star since Maria Callas.
Despite her success Katherine, originally from Neath in South Wales, still teaches music part-time at a school in London.
An RFL spokesman said: “We feel that Katherine’s performance will be the perfect way of creating an even greater atmosphere just before what will be a breathtaking rugby league contest between two fantastic teams.”
