Kiri to sing for Queen

Dame Kiri Te Kanawa will be singing at Buckingham Palace. Photo / David Venni Photography

Dame Kiri Te Kanawa will sing the British national anthem to open a series of gala concerts at Buckingham Palace to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Queen's coronation.

The soprano said she was "honoured and thrilled" to be part of the coronation festival and sing God Save the Queen for the monarch.

Dame Kiri said the three gala concerts in mid-July would be a wonderful celebration of the Queen's long reign.

"It will be a fabulous event and such a privilege to be in the gardens of Buckingham Palace for the concerts," she said from Vienna.

"I can't wait."

Coronation festival organisers The Royal Warrant Holders Association said the gala concerts would celebrate music of the Commonwealth and Britain's influence on pop since the 1960s.

Musicians including Katherine Jenkins, Russell Watson, Katie Melua and The Feeling will perform at the festival in the palace gardens.

The gala concerts form part of the coronation festival and will be staged in the grounds of the palace for an audience of 6000 guests each evening on July 11, 12 and 13. They will be broadcast on TV and radio.

- AAP