Excitement's building amongst 100 young singers from Christchurch as they prepare to perform at the Cricket World Cup opening ceremony tonight.

The kids aged between five and 18 have been picked from all over the city and will back local star Hayley Westenra in one song and will perform by themselves in another.

Choirmaster Luke Di Somma says the choir has been picked to show off the diversity the city has to offer.

"The brief from the World Cup organisers was they wanted a choir that represented real Christchurch kids rather than an experienced group of singers."

Di Somma says as a young kid growing up and playing cricket in Christchurch, being involved in the opening ceremony is a dream come true.