Renée Lynn Fleming (born February 14, 1959) is an American
soprano
A soprano () is a type of classical singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hertz, Hz to A5 in Choir, choral ...
and actress, known for performances in opera, concerts, recordings, theater, film, and at major public occasions. A recipient of the
National Medal of Arts
The National Medal of Arts is an award and title created by the United States Congress in 1984, for the purpose of honoring artists and Patronage, patrons of the arts. A prestigious American honor, it is the highest honor given to artists and ar ...
, Fleming has been nominated for 18
Grammy Awards
The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious a ...
and has won five times. In December 2023, she was one of five recipients of the
Kennedy Center Honors
The Kennedy Center Honors are annual honors given to those in the performing arts for their lifetime of contributions to Culture of the United States, American culture. They have been presented annually since 1978, culminating each December in ...
. Other notable honors have included the Crystal Award from the
World Economic Forum
The World Economic Forum (WEF) is an international non-governmental organization, international advocacy non-governmental organization and think tank, based in Cologny, Canton of Geneva, Switzerland. It was founded on 24 January 1971 by German ...
in
Davos
Davos (, ; or ; ; Old ) is an Alpine resort town and municipality in the Prättigau/Davos Region in the canton of Graubünden, Switzerland. It has a permanent population of (). Davos is located on the river Landwasser, in the Rhaetian ...
,
the
Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur
The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...
from the French government, Germany's
Cross of the Order of Merit, Sweden's
Polar Music Prize and honorary membership in England's
Royal Academy of Music
The Royal Academy of Music (RAM) in London, England, is one of the oldest music schools in the UK, founded in 1822 by John Fane and Nicolas-Charles Bochsa. It received its royal charter in 1830 from King George IV with the support of the firs ...
. Unusual among artists whose careers began in opera, Fleming has achieved name recognition beyond the classical music world.
Fleming has a full
lyric soprano
A lyric soprano is a type of operatic soprano voice that has a warm quality with a bright, full timbre that can be heard over an orchestra. The lyric soprano voice generally has a higher tessitura than a soubrette and usually plays ingenues and ot ...
voice.
[ Tommasini, Anthony]
"For a Wary Soprano, Slow and Steady Wins the Race"
''The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'', September 14, 1997 She has performed
coloratura
Coloratura ( , , ; , from ''colorata'', the past participle of the verb ''colorare'', 'to color') is a passage of music holding elaboration to a melody. The elaboration usually takes the form of runs, trills, wide leaps or other virtuoso ma ...
,
lyric
Lyric may refer to:
* Lyrics, the words, often in verse form, which are sung, usually to a melody, and constitute the semantic content of a song
* Lyric poetry is a form of poetry that expresses a subjective, personal point of view
* Lyric, from t ...
, and lighter
spinto soprano operatic roles in Italian, German, French, Czech, and Russian, aside from her native English. A significant portion of her career has been the performance of new music, including world premieres of operas, concert pieces, and songs composed for her by
André Previn
André George Previn (; born Andreas Ludwig Priwin; April 6, 1929 – February 28, 2019) was a German-American pianist, composer, and conductor. His career had three major genres: Hollywood films, jazz, and classical music. In each he achieved ...
,
Caroline Shaw,
Kevin Puts
Kevin Matthew Puts (born January 3, 1972) is an American composer, best known for his opera ''The Hours (opera), The Hours'' and for winning a Pulitzer Prize in 2012 for his first opera ''Silent Night (opera), Silent Night'' and a Grammy Award i ...
,
Anders Hillborg,
Nico Muhly,
Henri Dutilleux,
Brad Mehldau
Bradford Alexander Mehldau (; born August 23, 1970) is an American jazz pianist, composer, and arranger.
Mehldau studied music at The New School, touring and recording while still a student. He was a member of saxophonist Joshua Redman's quar ...
, and
Wayne Shorter
Wayne Shorter (August 25, 1933 – March 2, 2023) was an American jazz saxophonist, composer and bandleader. Shorter came to mainstream prominence in 1959 upon joining Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, for whom he eventually became the primary comp ...
.
[ Tommasini, Anthony]
"People's Diva Sets Her Course"
''The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'', January 27, 2012 In 2008, Fleming became the first woman in the 125-year history of the
Metropolitan Opera
The Metropolitan Opera is an American opera company based in New York City, currently resident at the Metropolitan Opera House (Lincoln Center), Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, situated on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Referred ...
(the Met) to solo headline a season opening night gala.
Conductor Sir
Georg Solti
Sir Georg Solti ( , ; born György Stern; 21 October 1912 – 5 September 1997) was a Hungarian-British orchestral and operatic conductor, known for his appearances with opera companies in Munich, Frankfurt, and London, and as a long-servi ...
said of Fleming: "In my long life, I have met maybe two sopranos with this quality of singing."
Beyond opera, Fleming has sung and recorded
lied
In the Western classical music tradition, ( , ; , ; ) is a term for setting poetry to classical music. The term is used for any kind of song in contemporary German and Dutch, but among English and French speakers, is often used interchangea ...
er,
chanson
A (, ; , ) is generally any Lyrics, lyric-driven French song. The term is most commonly used in English to refer either to the secular polyphonic French songs of late medieval music, medieval and Renaissance music or to a specific style of ...
s,
jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...
,
musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre, theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, ...
, and
indie rock
Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom, United States and New Zealand in the early to mid-1980s. Although the term was originally used to describe rock music released through independent reco ...
, and she has performed with a wide range of artists, including
Luciano Pavarotti
Luciano Pavarotti (, , ; 12 October 19356 September 2007) was an Italian operatic tenor who during the late part of his career crossed over into popular music, eventually becoming one of the most acclaimed tenors of all time. He made numerou ...
,
Lou Reed
Lewis Allan Reed (March 2, 1942October 27, 2013) was an American musician and songwriter. He was the guitarist, singer, and principal songwriter for the rock band the Velvet Underground and had a solo career that spanned five decades. Althoug ...
,
Wynton Marsalis,
Paul Simon
Paul Frederic Simon (born October 13, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter known for his solo work and his collaborations with Art Garfunkel. He and Garfunkel, whom he met in elementary school in 1953, came to prominence in the 1960s as Sim ...
,
Andrea Bocelli
Andrea Bocelli (; born 22 September 1958) is an Italian tenor. He rose to fame in 1994 after winning the newcomers' section of the 44th Sanremo Music Festival performing " Il mare calmo della sera".
Since 1994, Bocelli has recorded 15 solo st ...
,
Sting and
John Prine. A 2018
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...
nominee, Fleming has acted on
Broadway and in theatrical productions in London, Los Angeles and Chicago. Fleming has also recorded songs for the soundtracks of several major films, two of which won the
Academy Award for Best Picture
The Academy Award for Best Picture is one of the Academy Awards (also known as Oscars) presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) since the awards debuted in 1929. This award goes to the producers of the film a ...
(''
The Shape of Water'' and ''
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King''). Fleming has made numerous television appearances, and she is the only classical singer to have performed the
US National Anthem at the
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the annual History of the NFL championship, league championship game of the National Football League (NFL) of the United States. It has served as the final game of every NFL season since 1966 NFL season, 1966 (with the excep ...
.
Fleming has also become a frequent public speaker about the impact of music on health and neuroscience, winning a Research!America award for Impact on Public Opinion.
[
] In May 2023, Fleming was appointed by the
World Health Organization
The World Health Organization (WHO) is a list of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations which coordinates responses to international public health issues and emergencies. It is headquartered in Gen ...
as a Goodwill Ambassador for Arts and Health. In April 2024,
Penguin Random House
Penguin Random House Limited is a British-American multinational corporation, multinational conglomerate (company), conglomerate publishing company formed on July 1, 2013, with the merger of Penguin Books and Random House. Penguin Books was or ...
published Fleming's anthology ''Music and Mind: Harnessing the Arts for Health and Wellness''. In January 2025, Fleming was appointed as an inaugural member of the
World Economic Forum
The World Economic Forum (WEF) is an international non-governmental organization, international advocacy non-governmental organization and think tank, based in Cologny, Canton of Geneva, Switzerland. It was founded on 24 January 1971 by German ...
Global Arts and Culture Council.
Early life and education
Fleming was born on February 14, 1959, in
Indiana, Pennsylvania, the daughter of two music teachers.
She has great-grandparents who were born in
Prague
Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...
and later emigrated to the US. She grew up in
Churchville, New York and attended
Churchville-Chili High School.
She studied with
Patricia Misslin at the
Crane School of Music at the
State University of New York (SUNY) at Potsdam, and graduated with a
Bachelor of Music Education in 1981. While at SUNY Potsdam, Fleming took up singing with a
jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...
trio at Alger's, an off-campus bar. The jazz
saxophonist
The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of Single-reed instrument, single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed (mouthpi ...
Illinois Jacquet invited her on tour with his
big band
A big band or jazz orchestra is a type of musical ensemble of jazz music that usually consists of ten or more musicians with four sections: saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and a rhythm section. Big bands originated during the early 1910s and ...
, but she chose instead to continue with graduate studies with voice teacher John Maloy at the
Eastman School of Music
The Eastman School of Music is the music school of the University of Rochester, a private research university in Rochester, New York, United States. Established in 1921 by celebrated industrialist and philanthropist George Eastman, it was the ...
at the
University of Rochester
The University of Rochester is a private university, private research university in Rochester, New York, United States. It was founded in 1850 and moved into its current campus, next to the Genesee River in 1930. With approximately 30,000 full ...
, from which she received a
Master of Music
The Master of Music (MM or MMus) is, as an academic title, the first graduate degree in music awarded by universities and conservatories. The MM combines advanced studies in an applied area of specialization (usually performance in singing or i ...
in 1983.
As a student, Fleming spent several summers at the
Aspen Music Festival and School
The Aspen Music Festival and School (AMFS) is a European classical music, classical music festival held annually in Aspen, Colorado.
It is noted both for its concert programming and the musical training it offers to mostly young-adult music stu ...
(AMFS), where she studied with
Jan DeGaetani and was directed by Edward Berkeley.
She appeared in the role of Anne Sexton in Conrad Susa's ''
Transformations'' (1983); gave her first performance as Countess Almaviva in Mozart's ''
The Marriage of Figaro
''The Marriage of Figaro'' (, ), K. 492, is a ''commedia per musica'' (opera buffa) in four acts composed in 1786 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, with an Italian libretto written by Lorenzo Da Ponte. It premiered at the Burgtheater in Vienn ...
'' (1984), the role in which she later made most of her major opera house debuts; and sang the role of Anne in Stravinsky's ''
The Rake's Progress'' (1987). She also performed scenes from ''
Der Rosenkavalier
(''The Knight of the Rose'' or ''The Rose-Bearer''), Op. 59, is a comic opera in three acts by Richard Strauss to an original German libretto by Hugo von Hofmannsthal. It is loosely adapted from Louvet de Couvrai's novel ''Les amours du cheva ...
'', and the Marschallin in that opera became one of her calling-card roles at opera houses around the globe.
She won a
Fulbright Scholarship
The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright–Hays Program, is one of several United States cultural exchange programs with the goal of improving intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural competence between the people ...
in 1985, which enabled her to work in Europe with
Arleen Augér and
Elisabeth Schwarzkopf. Fleming then sang at jazz clubs to pay for further studies at the
Juilliard School
The Juilliard School ( ) is a Private university, private performing arts music school, conservatory in New York City. Founded by Frank Damrosch as the Institute of Musical Art in 1905, the school later added dance and drama programs and became ...
.
[Brady, James]
"In Step With: Renée Fleming"
''Parade Magazine'', November 7, 2004 While at Juilliard, she sang in roles with the
Juilliard Opera Center, appearing as Musetta in Puccini's ''
La bohème
''La bohème'' ( , ) is an opera in four acts,Puccini called the divisions '':wikt:quadro, quadri'', ''wikt:tableau, tableaux'' or "images", rather than ''atti'' (acts). composed by Giacomo Puccini between 1893 and 1895 to an Italian libretto b ...
'' and the Wife in
Menotti's ''Tamu-Tamu'', among others. Her voice teacher at Juilliard was
Beverley Peck Johnson.
She graduated Juilliard with an Artist Diploma in 1986.
Career
1980s
Fleming began performing professionally in smaller concerts and with small opera companies while still a graduate student at
Juilliard
The Juilliard School ( ) is a private performing arts conservatory in New York City. Founded by Frank Damrosch as the Institute of Musical Art in 1905, the school later added dance and drama programs and became the Juilliard School, named aft ...
. She sang frequently in the ''Musica Viva'' concert series sponsored by the New York
Unitarian Church of All Souls during the 1980s. In 1984 she sang nine songs by
Hugo Wolf
Hugo Philipp Jacob Wolf (; ; 13 March 1860 – 22 February 1903) was an Austrian composer, particularly noted for his art songs, or Lieder. He brought to this form a concentrated expressive intensity which was unique in late Romantic music, so ...
in the world premiere of
Eliot Feld
Eliot Feld (born July 5, 1942) is an American modern ballet choreographer, performer, teacher, and director. Feld works in contemporary ballet. His company and schools, including the Feld Ballet and Ballet Tech, are involved in dance and dance ed ...
's
ballet
Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form of ...
''Adieu'', which she again performed in 1987 and 1989 at the
Joyce Theater
The Joyce Theatre Foundation is a leading presenter of dance in New York City and nationally. It is runs, in part, from the Joyce Theater, a 472-seat dance performance venue located in the Chelsea, Manhattan, Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan in ...
. In 1986 she sang her first major operatic role, Konstanze in ''
Die Entführung aus dem Serail
' () (Köchel catalogue, K. 384; ''The Abduction from the Seraglio''; also known as ') is a singspiel in three acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The German libretto is by Gottlieb Stephanie, based on Christoph Friedrich Bretzner's . The plot concer ...
'', at the
State Theatre in Salzburg, Austria. Two years later she portrayed Thalie, Clarine and La Folie in
Jean-Philippe Rameau
Jean-Philippe Rameau (; ; – ) was a French composer and music theory, music theorist. Regarded as one of the most important French composers and music theorists of the 18th century, he replaced Jean-Baptiste Lully as the dominant composer of ...
's ''
Platée
''Platée'' is an opera in a prologue and three acts by Jean-Philippe Rameau with a libretto by Adrien-Joseph Le Valois d'Orville. Rameau bought the rights to the libretto ''Platée ou Junon jalouse'' (''Plataea, or Juno Jealous'') by Jacques Autr ...
'' with the
Piccolo Teatro dell'Opera in New York.
Her major break came in 1988 when she won the
Met Auditions at age 29. That same year she sang the Countess in ''
The Marriage of Figaro
''The Marriage of Figaro'' (, ), K. 492, is a ''commedia per musica'' (opera buffa) in four acts composed in 1786 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, with an Italian libretto written by Lorenzo Da Ponte. It premiered at the Burgtheater in Vienn ...
'' in her debut with
Houston Grand Opera. She reprised the role the following year in her debut at the
Spoleto Festival in Italy. Also in 1989, Fleming made her debut with the
New York City Opera
The New York City Opera (NYCO) is an American opera company located in Manhattan in New York City. The company has been active from 1943 through its 2013 bankruptcy, and again since 2016 when it was revived.
The opera company, dubbed "the peopl ...
as Mimì in ''La bohème'' under conductor
Chris Nance and her debut with
The Royal Opera, London, as Dircé in Cherubini's ''
Médée''. She also was awarded a
Richard Tucker Career Grant and won the
George London Competition.
1990s
In 1990 she was once again honored by the
Richard Tucker Music Foundation but this time with the highly coveted
Richard Tucker Award. That same year she made her debut with
Seattle Opera
Seattle Opera is an American opera company based in Seattle, Washington. The company's season runs from August through late May, comprising five or six operas of eight to ten performances each, often featuring double casts in major roles to all ...
in her first portrayal of the title role in ''
Rusalka
In Slavic folklore, the rusalka (plural: rusalki; , plural: русалки; , plural: ''rusałki'') is a female entity, often malicious toward mankind and frequently associated with water. It has counterparts in other parts of Europe, such as th ...
'', a role that she has since recorded and reprised at many of the world's great opera houses. She also sang for the 50th anniversary of the
American Ballet Theatre
American Ballet Theatre (ABT) is a classical ballet company based in New York City. Founded in 1939 by Lucia Chase and Richard Pleasant. Through 2019, it had an annual eight-week season at the Metropolitan Opera House (Lincoln Center) in the spr ...
in their production of Eliot Feld's ''Les Noces'' and returned to the New York City Opera to sing both the Countess in ''Le nozze di Figaro'' and Micaëla in
Bizet's ''
Carmen
''Carmen'' () is an opera in four acts by the French composer Georges Bizet. The libretto was written by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on the novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée. The opera was first performed by the O ...
''. She sang the title role in the US premiere presentation of
Donizetti's 1841 opera ''
Maria Padilla
''Maria Padilla'' is a '' melodramma'', or opera, in three acts by Gaetano Donizetti. Gaetano Rossi and the composer wrote the Italian libretto after François Ancelot's play. It premiered on 26 December 1841 at La Scala, Milan. The plot is lo ...
'' with
Opera Omaha. In addition, she sang the title role in Donizetti's ''
Lucrezia Borgia
Lucrezia Borgia (18 April 1480 – 24 June 1519) was an Italian noblewoman of the House of Borgia who was the illegitimate daughter of Pope Alexander VI and Vannozza dei Cattanei. She was a former governor of Spoleto.
Her family arranged ...
'' with the
Opera Orchestra of New York.
Fleming's first television appearance came in January 1991, singing the Cherry Duet from
Mascagni's ''
L'amico Fritz'' with
Luciano Pavarotti
Luciano Pavarotti (, , ; 12 October 19356 September 2007) was an Italian operatic tenor who during the late part of his career crossed over into popular music, eventually becoming one of the most acclaimed tenors of all time. He made numerou ...
on
Live from Lincoln Center. Fleming made her
Met and
San Francisco Opera
The San Francisco Opera (SFO) is an American opera company founded in 1923 by Gaetano Merola (1881–1953) based in San Francisco, California.
History
Gaetano Merola (1923–1953)
Merola's road to prominence in the Bay Area began in 1906 wh ...
debut portraying Countess Almaviva in ''Le nozze di Figaro'' in 1991. She was originally not scheduled to make her Met debut until the following season, but stepped in to replace
Felicity Lott
Dame Felicity Ann Emwhyla Lott, (born 8 May 1947) is an English soprano.
Education
Lott was born in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. From her earliest years she was musical, having started studying piano at age 5. She also played violin and bega ...
who had become ill. She returned to the Met later that year to sing Rosina in the world premiere of
John Corigliano's ''
The Ghosts of Versailles''. Continuing her progress, she made her
Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhattan), 57t ...
debut performing music by
Ravel with the New York City Opera Orchestra, sang ''Rusalka'' with Houston Grand Opera, and made her debut at the
Tanglewood Music Festival as Ilia in Mozart's ''
Idomeneo
(Italian for ''Idomeneus, King of Crete, or, Ilia and Idamante''; usually referred to simply as ''Idomeneo'', Köchel catalogue, K. 366) is an Italian-language opera seria by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The libretto was adapted by Giambattista Vares ...
'' with
Seiji Ozawa and the
Boston Symphony Orchestra
The Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) is an American orchestra based in Boston. It is the second-oldest of the five major American symphony orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five (orchestras), Big Five". Founded by Henry Lee Higginson in ...
.
1992 saw Fleming making her debut with
Grand Théâtre de Genève
Grand Théâtre de Genève is an opera house in Geneva, Switzerland.
As with many other opera houses, the Grand Théâtre de Genève is both a venue and an institution. The venue is a majestic building, towering over Place Neuve, officia ...
in Switzerland as Fiordiligi in Mozart's ''
Così fan tutte
(''Women are like that, or The School for Lovers''), Köchel catalogue, K. 588, is an opera buffa in two acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. It was first performed on 26 January 1790 at the Burgtheater in Vienna, Austria. The libretto was written ...
'', and she sang the role of Anna in Boieldieu's ''
La dame blanche'' at Carnegie Hall with the
Opera Orchestra of New York and the role of Fortuna in Mozart's ''
Il sogno di Scipione'' at
Alice Tully Hall
Alice Tully Hall is a concert hall at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City. The hall is named for Alice Tully, a New York performer and Philanthropy, philanthropist whose donations assis ...
, as part of
Lincoln Center
Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (also simply known as Lincoln Center) is a complex of buildings in the Lincoln Square neighborhood on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It has thirty indoor and outdoor facilities and is host to 5  ...
's ''Festival of Mozart Operas in Concert''.
Fleming sang the role of Alaide in
Bellini's ''
La straniera'' in a concert performance by the Opera Orchestra of New York; made her debut at the
Rossini Opera Festival in Italy in the title role of
Rossini's ''
Armida''; and debuted with the
Lyric Opera of Chicago
Lyric Opera of Chicago is an American opera company based in Chicago, Illinois. The company was founded in Chicago in 1954, under the name 'Lyric Theatre of Chicago' by Carol Fox (Chicago opera), Carol Fox, Nicola Rescigno and Lawrence Kelly, w ...
in the title role of Carlisle Floyd's ''
Susannah''.
She also gave her New York City solo recital debut at Alice Tully Hall to great acclaim, sang her first Pamina in Mozart's ''
The Magic Flute
''The Magic Flute'' (, ), K. 620, is an opera in two acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to a German libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder. It is a ''Singspiel'', a popular form that included both singing and spoken dialogue. The work premiered on ...
'' at the Met, and performed
Alban Berg
Alban Maria Johannes Berg ( ; ; 9 February 1885 – 24 December 1935) was an Austrian composer of the Second Viennese School. His compositional style combined Romantic lyricism with the twelve-tone technique. Although he left a relatively sma ...
's "Three Excerpts from ''Wozzeck'' and the "''Lulu'' Suite" with the Met Orchestra under
James Levine
James Lawrence Levine ( ; June 23, 1943 – March 9, 2021) was an American conductor and pianist. He was music director of the Metropolitan Opera from 1976 to 2016. He was terminated from all his positions and affiliations with the Met on March ...
.
The same season saw her singing in the world premiere of
Joan Tower's ''Fanfare'' with
Pinchas Zukerman and the
Aspen Chamber Symphony and in the world premiere of
John Kander
John Harold Kander (born March 18, 1927) is an American composer, known largely for his work in the musical theater. As part of the songwriting team Kander and Ebb (with lyricist Fred Ebb), Kander wrote the scores for 15 musicals, including ''Cab ...
's ''Letter From Sullivan Ballou'' at the Richard Tucker Awards ceremony.
In June 1993, Fleming performed recital pieces at the funeral of the American soprano
Arleen Auger at
Frank E. Campbell Funeral Chapel in New York City.
During the 1993/1994 season, Fleming sang her first Desdemona in Verdi's ''
Otello
''Otello'' () is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Arrigo Boito, based on William Shakespeare, Shakespeare's play ''Othello''. It was Verdi's penultimate opera, first performed at the La Scala, Teatro alla Scala, M ...
'' and her first Ellen Orford in Britten's ''
Peter Grimes'', both with the Met. During the following summer, she made her debut at the
Glyndebourne Festival
Glyndebourne Festival Opera is an annual opera festival held at Glyndebourne, an English country house near Lewes, in East Sussex, England.
History
Under the supervision of the Christie family, the festival has been held annually since 1934, e ...
in England as the Countess in ''Le nozze di Figaro''. In addition, she performed the role of Madame de Tourvel in the world premiere of Conrad Susa's ''
The Dangerous Liaisons''. The 1994/1995
San Francisco Opera
The San Francisco Opera (SFO) is an American opera company founded in 1923 by Gaetano Merola (1881–1953) based in San Francisco, California.
History
Gaetano Merola (1923–1953)
Merola's road to prominence in the Bay Area began in 1906 wh ...
's season included her Salome in Massenet's ''
Hérodiade''.
In 1995 Fleming portrayed the Marschallin in ''
Der Rosenkavalier
(''The Knight of the Rose'' or ''The Rose-Bearer''), Op. 59, is a comic opera in three acts by Richard Strauss to an original German libretto by Hugo von Hofmannsthal. It is loosely adapted from Louvet de Couvrai's novel ''Les amours du cheva ...
'' with
Houston Grand Opera; sang in Salomé in Massenet's ''
Hérodiade'' with the Opera Orchestra of New York at Carnegie Hall; and sang Rusalka with the San Francisco Opera. Fiordiligi in ''Così fan tutte'' with Solti at
Royal Festival Hall
The Royal Festival Hall is a 2,700-seat concert, dance and talks venue within Southbank Centre in London, England. It is situated on the South Bank of the River Thames, not far from Hungerford Bridge, in the London Borough of Lambeth. It is a G ...
in London followed, as did a lauded recital at the
Morgan Library.
A highlight of 1996 was her signing of an exclusive recording contract with the
London/Decca label, making her the first American singer in 31 years to do so, the last having been
Marilyn Horne
Marilyn Berneice Horne (born January 16, 1934) is an American mezzo-soprano opera singer. She specialized in roles requiring beauty of tone, excellent breath support, and the ability to execute difficult coloratura passages. She is a recipient ...
.
The title role in Rossini's ''Armida'' at the Pesaro Festival in Italy also came in 1996. Fiordiligi in ''Così fan tutte'' at the Met followed, as did the soprano solo in the
Verdi Requiem with Luciano Pavarotti and the Met Orchestra at Carnegie Hall. Her debut in the role of Marguerite in Gounod's ''
Faust'' came with Chicago Lyric Opera, and she sang the role of Donna Anna in Mozart's ''
Don Giovanni
''Don Giovanni'' (; K. 527; full title: , literally ''The Rake Punished, or Don Giovanni'') is an opera in two acts with music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to an Italian libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte. Its subject is a centuries-old Spanish legen ...
'' with the
Paris Opera
The Paris Opera ( ) is the primary opera and ballet company of France. It was founded in 1669 by Louis XIV as the , and shortly thereafter was placed under the leadership of Jean-Baptiste Lully and officially renamed the , but continued to be kn ...
at the reopening of the
Palais Garnier
The (, Garnier Palace), also known as (, Garnier Opera), is a historic 1,979-seatBeauvert 1996, p. 102. opera house at the Place de l'Opéra in the 9th arrondissement of Paris, France. It was built for the Paris Opera from 1861 to 1875 at the ...
with Sir
Georg Solti
Sir Georg Solti ( , ; born György Stern; 21 October 1912 – 5 September 1997) was a Hungarian-British orchestral and operatic conductor, known for his appearances with opera companies in Munich, Frankfurt, and London, and as a long-servi ...
.
Solti chose Fleming to be the first recipient of his "Solti Prize", an award given to an outstanding younger singer, and given by the "Académie du disque lyrique" in a ceremony equivalent to the
Grammy Awards
The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious a ...
. That year, Fleming debuted at the
Bayreuth Festival
The Bayreuth Festival () is a music festival held annually in Bayreuth, Germany, at which performances of stage works by the 19th-century German composer Richard Wagner are presented. Wagner himself conceived and promoted the idea of a special ...
in Germany as Eva in Wagner's ''
Meistersinger
A (German for "master singer") was a member of a German guild for lyric poetry, composer, composition and a cappella, unaccompanied art song of the 14th to 16th centuries. The Meistersingers were drawn from middle class males for the most part ...
''.
Her other performances included recitals at the
Edinburgh International Festival
The Edinburgh International Festival is an annual arts festival in Edinburgh, Scotland, spread over the final three weeks in August. Notable figures from the international world of music (especially european classical music, classical music) and ...
in Scotland and at
Alice Tully Hall
Alice Tully Hall is a concert hall at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City. The hall is named for Alice Tully, a New York performer and Philanthropy, philanthropist whose donations assis ...
.
Her first ''
Manon'' at the
Opéra Bastille in France received glowing reviews in 1997. At the Bastille, she also reprised the Marschallin in ''Der Rosenkavalier'' as well as singing Marguerite in ''Faust'' and Rusalka at the Met.
Two concert performances occurred: first with the
New York Philharmonic
The New York Philharmonic is an American symphony orchestra based in New York City. Known officially as the ''Philharmonic-Symphony Society of New York, Inc.'', and globally known as the ''New York Philharmonic Orchestra'' (NYPO) or the ''New Yo ...
, first under
Zubin Mehta
Zubin Mehta (born 29 April 1936) is an Indian conductor of Western classical music. He is music director emeritus of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra (IPO) and conductor :wikt:emeritus, emeritus of the Los Angeles Philharmonic.
Mehta's father ...
performing a selection of opera arias; the second singing Mozart's ''
Exsultate, jubilate'' and three songs of
Richard Strauss
Richard Georg Strauss (; ; 11 June 1864 – 8 September 1949) was a German composer and conductor best known for his Tone poems (Strauss), tone poems and List of operas by Richard Strauss, operas. Considered a leading composer of the late Roman ...
with
Kurt Masur. She appeared at the
Ravinia Festival
Ravinia Festival is a primarily outdoor music venue in Highland Park, Illinois. It hosts a series of outdoor concerts and performances every summer from June to September in a wide variety of musical genres from classical to pop. The first orche ...
with the
Chicago Symphony Orchestra
The Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) is an American symphony orchestra based in Chicago, Illinois. Founded by Theodore Thomas in 1891, the ensemble has been based in the Symphony Center since 1904 and plays a summer season at the Ravinia F ...
and performed
Samuel Barber
Samuel Osmond Barber II (March 9, 1910 – January 23, 1981) was an American composer, pianist, conductor (music), conductor, baritone, and music educator, and one of the most celebrated composers of the mid-20th century. Principally influenced ...
's ''
Knoxville: Summer of 1915'' with the
Orchestra of St. Luke's under
André Previn
André George Previn (; born Andreas Ludwig Priwin; April 6, 1929 – February 28, 2019) was a German-American pianist, composer, and conductor. His career had three major genres: Hollywood films, jazz, and classical music. In each he achieved ...
. She gave recitals as well at notable venues such as the
Salzburg Festival
The Salzburg Festival () is a prominent festival of music and drama established in 1920. It is held each summer, for five weeks starting in late July, in Salzburg, Austria, the birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Mozart's operas are a focus of ...
in Austria.
Two title roles were offered to Fleming in 1998: Richard Strauss' ''
Arabella
''Arabella'', Op. 79, is a lyric comedy, or opera, in three acts by Richard Strauss to a German libretto by Hugo von Hofmannsthal, their sixth and last operatic collaboration.
Performance history
It was first performed on 1 July 1933 at the D ...
'' with Houston Grand Opera and
Carlisle Floyd's ''
Susannah''. Also, there was Countess Almaviva in a landmark production of ''Le nozze di Figaro'' at the Met which also starred
Cecilia Bartoli
Cecilia Bartoli Order of Merit of the Italian Republic, OMRI (; born 4 June 1966) is an Italian mezzo-soprano widely known in the music of Vincenzo Bellini, Bellini, George Frideric Handel, Handel, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Mozart, Gioachino Ross ...
,
Susanne Mentzer,
Dwayne Croft,
Danielle de Niese, and
Bryn Terfel and which was broadcast on
PBS' ''
Great Performances
''Great Performances'' is a television anthology series dedicated to the performing arts; the banner has been used to televise plays, musicals, opera, ballet, concerts, as well as occasional documentaries. It is produced by the PBS member statio ...
''. She made her Carnegie Hall recital debut and sang Richard Strauss's ''
Four Last Songs'' with
Claudio Abbado
Claudio Abbado (; 26 June 1933 – 20 January 2014) was an Italian conductor who was one of the leading conductors of his generation. He served as music director of the La Scala opera house in Milan, principal conductor of the Berlin Philharm ...
and the
Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra at the Salzburg Festival. and later with the
Berlin Philharmonic
The Berlin Philharmonic () is a German orchestra based in Berlin. It is one of the most popular, acclaimed and well-respected orchestras in the world.
Throughout the 20th century, the orchestra was led by conductors Wilhelm Furtwängler (1922� ...
.
She originated the roles of
Blanche DuBois
Blanche DuBois (married name Grey) is a fictional character in Tennessee Williams' 1947 Pulitzer Prize-winning play ''A Streetcar Named Desire''. The character was written for Tallulah Bankhead and made popular to later audiences with Elia Kaza ...
in the world première of
André Previn
André George Previn (; born Andreas Ludwig Priwin; April 6, 1929 – February 28, 2019) was a German-American pianist, composer, and conductor. His career had three major genres: Hollywood films, jazz, and classical music. In each he achieved ...
's ''
A Streetcar Named Desire
''A Streetcar Named Desire'' is a play written by Tennessee Williams and first performed on Broadway on December 3, 1947. The play dramatizes the experiences of Blanche DuBois, a former Southern belle who, after encountering a series of pe ...
'' with the
San Francisco Opera
The San Francisco Opera (SFO) is an American opera company founded in 1923 by Gaetano Merola (1881–1953) based in San Francisco, California.
History
Gaetano Merola (1923–1953)
Merola's road to prominence in the Bay Area began in 1906 wh ...
in September 1998.
1999 brought appearances at the
Bavarian State Opera
The Bavarian State Opera () is a German opera company based in Munich. Its main venue is the Nationaltheater München, and its orchestra the Bavarian State Orchestra.
History
The parent ensemble of the company was founded in 1653, under El ...
in Germany as the Marschallin in ''Der Rosenkavalier'' and she returned to Carnegie Hall to great success with a concert of German
lied
In the Western classical music tradition, ( , ; , ; ) is a term for setting poetry to classical music. The term is used for any kind of song in contemporary German and Dutch, but among English and French speakers, is often used interchangea ...
er. She also performed in recital with
André Previn
André George Previn (; born Andreas Ludwig Priwin; April 6, 1929 – February 28, 2019) was a German-American pianist, composer, and conductor. His career had three major genres: Hollywood films, jazz, and classical music. In each he achieved ...
and made her debut at the Schleswig-Holstein Festival in Germany. Fleming's CD, ''The Beautiful Voice'', won her a
Grammy Award
The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...
that year.
Performances of two new title roles were given: Handel's ''
Alcina
''Alcina'' (Händel-Werke-Verzeichnis, HWV 34) is a 1735 opera by George Frideric Handel. Handel used the libretto of ''L'isola di Alcina'', a work set to music in 1728 in Rome by Riccardo Broschi, which he had acquired a year later during his t ...
'' with
Les Arts Florissants and conductor
William Christie and with the
Lyric Opera of Chicago
Lyric Opera of Chicago is an American opera company based in Chicago, Illinois. The company was founded in Chicago in 1954, under the name 'Lyric Theatre of Chicago' by Carol Fox (Chicago opera), Carol Fox, Nicola Rescigno and Lawrence Kelly, w ...
and Charpentier's ''
Louise'' with
San Francisco Opera
The San Francisco Opera (SFO) is an American opera company founded in 1923 by Gaetano Merola (1881–1953) based in San Francisco, California.
History
Gaetano Merola (1923–1953)
Merola's road to prominence in the Bay Area began in 1906 wh ...
. Fleming closed out the year by performing for President
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician and lawyer who was the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, ...
at the
White House
The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest (Washington, D.C.), NW in Washington, D.C., it has served as the residence of every U.S. president ...
for a Christmas celebration.
2000s
In 2000, Fleming appeared at the Met, San Francisco Opera and at Covent Garden in England as the Marschallin in ''Der Rosenkavalier'' and sang the title role in Donizetti's ''
Lucrezia Borgia
Lucrezia Borgia (18 April 1480 – 24 June 1519) was an Italian noblewoman of the House of Borgia who was the illegitimate daughter of Pope Alexander VI and Vannozza dei Cattanei. She was a former governor of Spoleto.
Her family arranged ...
'' with the Opera Orchestra of New York.
She appeared as Donna Anna in Mozart's ''Don Giovanni'' at the
Salzburg Festival
The Salzburg Festival () is a prominent festival of music and drama established in 1920. It is held each summer, for five weeks starting in late July, in Salzburg, Austria, the birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Mozart's operas are a focus of ...
and at the Met. She performed with the
Orchestra of St. Luke's, under
Mark Elder as part of the PBS series ''Live From Lincoln Center'' and with the
Boston Symphony Orchestra
The Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) is an American orchestra based in Boston. It is the second-oldest of the five major American symphony orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five (orchestras), Big Five". Founded by Henry Lee Higginson in ...
in Haydn's ''
Creation'' under James Levine. In June of that year she sang at the installation of New York Archbishop
Edward Egan.
As Desdemona in ''Otello'' she opened the 2001/02 Lyric Opera of Chicago season, Manon with the Paris Opera, the Marschallin with both the San Francisco Opera and the Met, and Arabella at both the Bavarian State Opera in Germany and the Met. She also sang in Verdi's ''Requiem'' twice, once with the London Symphony Orchestra and once with the New York Philharmonic. Fleming also sang at
World Trade Center site shortly after the
September 11 attacks
The September 11 attacks, also known as 9/11, were four coordinated Islamist terrorist suicide attacks by al-Qaeda against the United States in 2001. Nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners, crashing the first two into ...
.
Taking a rather different approach, in 2002 Fleming provided the vocals for
Howard Shore
Howard Leslie Shore (born October 18, 1946) is a Canadian composer, conductor and orchestrator noted for his film scores. He has composed the scores for over 80 films, most notably the scores for ''The Lord of the Rings'' and '' The Hobbit'' fi ...
's soundtrack for ''
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King'' soundtrack. Her singing can be found in the songs "The End of All Things", "Twilight and Shadow" and "The Return of the King" (Original Soundtrack) and "The Grace Of Undómiel", "Mount Doom", "The Eagles" and "The Fellowship Reunited" (The Complete Recordings). She also sang in several concerts in the United Kingdom with Bryn Terfel and gave the most extensive recital tour of her career, singing in dozens of recitals with pianist
Jean-Yves Thibaudet throughout the United States, Europe, Australia, and Asia. In addition, she portrayed the role of Rusalka with
Opéra Bastille and Imogene in Bellini's ''
Il pirata'' with
Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris.
Her career at the Met continued in 2003 with Imogene and Violetta in ''
La traviata''. She sang the title role in Massenet's ''Thaïs'' with the Lyric Opera of Chicago, in addition to Rusalka at Covent Garden and another Violetta with Houston Grand Opera. A reprise of Blanche in Previn's ''A Streetcar Named Desire'' took place at the
Barbican Centre
The Barbican Centre is a performing arts centre in the Barbican Estate of the City of London, England, and the largest of its kind in Europe. The centre hosts classical and contemporary music concerts, theatre performances, film screenings a ...
in London.
Met performances continued in 2004, with Fleming portraying ''
Rodelinda'' in
Handel
George Frideric (or Frederick) Handel ( ; baptised , ; 23 February 1685 – 14 April 1759) was a German-British Baroque composer well-known for his operas, oratorios, anthems, concerti grossi, and organ concerti.
Born in Halle, Germany, H ...
's opera and reprises of Rusalka and Violetta at the Met. She also sang her first Countess in ''
Capriccio'' at the
Palais Garnier
The (, Garnier Palace), also known as (, Garnier Opera), is a historic 1,979-seatBeauvert 1996, p. 102. opera house at the Place de l'Opéra in the 9th arrondissement of Paris, France. It was built for the Paris Opera from 1861 to 1875 at the ...
and performed in concerts with the
Chicago Symphony Orchestra
The Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) is an American symphony orchestra based in Chicago, Illinois. Founded by Theodore Thomas in 1891, the ensemble has been based in the Symphony Center since 1904 and plays a summer season at the Ravinia F ...
, the
Philadelphia Orchestra, the
Boston Symphony Orchestra
The Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) is an American orchestra based in Boston. It is the second-oldest of the five major American symphony orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five (orchestras), Big Five". Founded by Henry Lee Higginson in ...
, the
Los Angeles Philharmonic
The Los Angeles Philharmonic (LA Phil) is an American orchestra based in Los Angeles, California. The orchestra holds a regular concert season from October until June at the Walt Disney Concert Hall and a summer season at the Hollywood Bowl from ...
, and the
Toronto Symphony Orchestra among others. Recitals were given in Spain, Switzerland, Germany, Canada, and the United States and performed in several concerts with
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, songwriter and pianist. His music and showmanship have had a significant, lasting impact on the music industry, and his songwriting partnership with l ...
at
Radio City Music Hall
Radio City Music Hall (also known as Radio City) is an entertainment venue and Theater (structure), theater at 1260 Sixth Avenue (Manhattan), Avenue of the Americas, within Rockefeller Center, in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York C ...
. Her first book, ''The Inner Voice: The Making of a Singer'', was published in 2004 by the Penguin Group.
Massenet's ''Manon'' at the Met, Desdemona in Verdi's ''Otello'' at Covent Garden, and Thaïs in Vienna were part of her 2005 repertoire, in addition to concerts with the
Berlin Philharmonic
The Berlin Philharmonic () is a German orchestra based in Berlin. It is one of the most popular, acclaimed and well-respected orchestras in the world.
Throughout the 20th century, the orchestra was led by conductors Wilhelm Furtwängler (1922� ...
(Mahler's
Symphony No. 4 and Alban Berg's ''
Seven Early Songs'', conducted by Claudio Abbado, and released as a live recording by Deutsche Grammophon), the
London Symphony Orchestra
The London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London. Founded in 1904, the LSO is the oldest of London's orchestras, symphony orchestras. The LSO was created by a group of players who left Henry Wood's Queen's ...
, the
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (BSO) is an American symphony orchestra based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Baltimore SO has its principal residence at the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, where it performs more than 130 concerts a year. In 2005, ...
, the
New Jersey Symphony, the
Rochester Philharmonic, and the
Mormon Tabernacle Choir among several other ensembles.
In 2006, Fleming performed a solo concert at the Lyric Opera of Chicago with Sir
Andrew Davis, sang Violetta in ''La traviata'' with
Los Angeles Opera; returned to the Met to sing both Manon and Rodelinda; and took up Violetta in the Met's touring production to Japan. Several recitals and concerts throughout the United States, Italy, Russia, Sweden and Austria took place, the latter being a celebration of Mozart's 250th Birthday with the
Vienna Philharmonic which was broadcast live internationally. She also recorded song cycles with pianist
Brad Mehldau
Bradford Alexander Mehldau (; born August 23, 1970) is an American jazz pianist, composer, and arranger.
Mehldau studied music at The New School, touring and recording while still a student. He was a member of saxophonist Joshua Redman's quar ...
, which were released as ''
Love Sublime''.
Violetta reappeared the following year in Chicago; Tatyana in ''
Eugene Onegin
''Eugene Onegin, A Novel in Verse'' (, Reforms of Russian orthography, pre-reform Russian: Евгеній Онѣгинъ, романъ въ стихахъ, ) is a novel in verse written by Alexander Pushkin. ''Onegin'' is considered a classic of ...
'' and Violetta were given at the Met; her Arabella was seen at the
Zurich Opera, as was Thaïs at the
Théâtre du Châtelet,
The Royal Opera, London, in concert at the
Vienna Konzerthaus, and the
Liceu, Barcelona. Performances with over a dozen orchestras, including the
Monte-Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra, the
National Symphony Orchestra, the
Vancouver Symphony, the
Boston Symphony, the
San Francisco Symphony
The San Francisco Symphony, founded in 1911, is an American orchestra based in San Francisco, California. Since 1980 the orchestra has been resident at the Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall in the city's Hayes Valley, San Francisco, Hayes Valley ne ...
, the
China Philharmonic Orchestra, the
Los Angeles Philharmonic
The Los Angeles Philharmonic (LA Phil) is an American orchestra based in Los Angeles, California. The orchestra holds a regular concert season from October until June at the Walt Disney Concert Hall and a summer season at the Hollywood Bowl from ...
, and the
Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra where she appeared as a ''Pennington Great Performers'' series artist. Additionally, Fleming appeared at numerous music festivals, including the Salzburg Festival and the Lincoln Center Festival and she gave recitals throughout Southeast Asia, Germany, and Switzerland.
On September 22, 2008, Fleming became the first woman in the 125-year history of the Met to solo headline opening night. Fleming performed three favorite roles: Violetta in act 2 of Verdi's ''La traviata''; Manon in act 3 of Massenet's ''Manon''; and the Countess in the final scene of Strauss's ''Capriccio''. The performance was also transmitted live in HD to screens in
Times Square
Times Square is a major commercial intersection, tourist destination, entertainment hub, and Neighborhoods in New York City, neighborhood in the Midtown Manhattan section of New York City. It is formed by the junction of Broadway (Manhattan), ...
.
The 2008/09 season resulted in Fleming singing Desdemona and Thais at the Met, the Countess in ''Capriccio'' at the
Vienna State Opera
The Vienna State Opera (, ) is a historic opera house and opera company based in Vienna, Austria. The 1,709-seat Renaissance Revival venue was the first major building on the Vienna Ring Road. It was built from 1861 to 1869 following plans by ...
, Tatyana at the
Tanglewood Music Festival, and ''Lucrezia Borgia'' at the
Washington National Opera
Washington National Opera (WNO) is an American opera company in Washington, D.C. Formerly the Opera Society of Washington and the Washington Opera, the company received Congressional designation as the National Opera Company in 2000. Performance ...
.
In 2009, Fleming premiered the complete version of ''
Le temps l'horloge'' by
Henri Dutilleux. She sang Violetta at Covent Garden and Rusalka at the Met, the Marschallin at the
Baden-Baden Festival, the
Théâtre des Champs-Élysées and the Met. She sang a variety of short pieces at Napa Valley's
Festival del Sole in California.
Fleming sang in the opening concert of the 2009–10 season of the New York Philharmonic. The concert, telecast via ''Live from Lincoln Center'', was the first performance of conductor Alan Gilbert as music director of the New York Philharmonic. Fleming performed
Olivier Messiaen
Olivier Eugène Prosper Charles Messiaen (, ; ; 10 December 1908 – 27 April 1992) was a French composer, organist, and ornithology, ornithologist. One of the major composers of the 20th-century classical music, 20th century, he was also an ou ...
's song cycle ''Poèmes pour mi''.
During the 2009–10 Met season, Fleming sang in
Mary Zimmerman's new production of Rossini's ''
Armida'', in the first-ever production of the opera by the company. She returned to that role during the Met's 2010–2011 season, along with the Countess in ''Capriccio''.
On November 14, 2009, Fleming performed at a concert in Prague organized by
Václav Havel
Václav Havel (; 5 October 193618 December 2011) was a Czech statesman, author, poet, playwright, and dissident. Havel served as the last List of presidents of Czechoslovakia, president of Czechoslovakia from 1989 until 1992, prior to the dissol ...
to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Czech
Velvet Revolution
The Velvet Revolution () or Gentle Revolution () was a non-violent transition of power in what was then Czechoslovakia, occurring from 17 November to 28 November 1989. Popular demonstrations against the one-party government of the Communist Pa ...
, which also featured
Lou Reed
Lewis Allan Reed (March 2, 1942October 27, 2013) was an American musician and songwriter. He was the guitarist, singer, and principal songwriter for the rock band the Velvet Underground and had a solo career that spanned five decades. Althoug ...
,
Joan Baez
Joan Chandos Baez (, ; born January 9, 1941) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and activist. Her contemporary folk music often includes songs of protest and social justice. Baez has performed publicly for over 60 years, releasing mo ...
and others. Fleming sang the aria "Song to the Moon" from ''
Rusalka
In Slavic folklore, the rusalka (plural: rusalki; , plural: русалки; , plural: ''rusałki'') is a female entity, often malicious toward mankind and frequently associated with water. It has counterparts in other parts of Europe, such as th ...
'' in Czech, and also sang "
Perfect Day" in a duet with Reed.
In a 2010 ''
Wall Street Journal
''The Wall Street Journal'' (''WSJ''), also referred to simply as the ''Journal,'' is an American newspaper based in New York City. The newspaper provides extensive coverage of news, especially business and finance. It operates on a subscriptio ...
'' article, Fleming talked about her view of the battle between opera traditionalists and those who want to reinterpret the standards, siding – with some reservations – with the latter: "I'm not a reactionary. I've loved some of
hese productionswhen they've been well thought out. I have no problem with edgy, as long as it's not vulgar or disrespectful of the piece." She said her "classic" image meant that she was unlikely to be asked to perform in such productions. In the same interview, Fleming explained her increasing preference for performing in concerts, rather than opera productions, and said, having learned more than 50 operas, that she is unlikely to learn many more.
At the
Last Night of the Proms in London in 2010, Fleming performed songs by
Richard Strauss
Richard Georg Strauss (; ; 11 June 1864 – 8 September 1949) was a German composer and conductor best known for his Tone poems (Strauss), tone poems and List of operas by Richard Strauss, operas. Considered a leading composer of the late Roman ...
,
Dvořák and
Smetana. In December, the Board of Directors of Lyric Opera of Chicago announced that Fleming was named Creative Consultant, a first in the company's history.
2011–2015
On July 2, 2011, Fleming sang for the
Wedding of Albert II, Prince of Monaco, and Charlene Wittstock in Monte Carlo. On October 21, 2011, Fleming headlined a gala concert in the opening festivities of the
Royal Opera House Muscat in Oman. In November 2011, Fleming appeared in the title role of Handel's ''Rodelinda'' at the
Met, in a revival of a production created for her in 2004, the first time the company had ever presented the work.
Fleming performed with the Philadelphia Orchestra on January 29, 2011, for the Academy of Music 154th Anniversary Concert.
Paul Simon
Paul Frederic Simon (born October 13, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter known for his solo work and his collaborations with Art Garfunkel. He and Garfunkel, whom he met in elementary school in 1953, came to prominence in the 1960s as Sim ...
also performed at the concert, and together with Fleming sang "
The Sound of Silence". On November 11, 2011, Fleming performed
A. R. Gurney's ''
Love Letters'' with
Alec Baldwin
Alexander Rae Baldwin III (born April 3, 1958) is an American actor and film producer. He is known for his leading and supporting roles in a variety of genres, from comedy to drama. He has received List of awards and nominations received by A ...
at Carnegie Hall in New York City. In her role as creative consultant to the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Fleming collaborated with Chicago's Second City comedy troupe to develop Second City's Guide to the Opera, which was staged at the Lyric Opera on January 5, 2013. Fleming co-hosted and co-starred with actor
Patrick Stewart
Sir Patrick Stewart (born 13 July 1940) is an English actor. With a career spanning over seven decades of Patrick Stewart on stage and screen, stage and screen, he has received List of awards and nominations received by Patrick Stewart, variou ...
for the sold-out performance.
On April 26, 2013, Fleming sang the world premiere of ''The Strand Settings'' at Carnegie Hall with the
New York Philharmonic
The New York Philharmonic is an American symphony orchestra based in New York City. Known officially as the ''Philharmonic-Symphony Society of New York, Inc.'', and globally known as the ''New York Philharmonic Orchestra'' (NYPO) or the ''New Yo ...
. Written for Fleming by Swedish composer
Anders Hillborg and presented as part of Fleming's Perspectives residency at Carnegie Hall, the work is a setting of poems by the Canadian poet
Mark Strand. The performance received a five-minute ovation. In the Spring of 2014, Fleming performed the role of Blanche Dubois in André Previn's operatic adaptation of ''A Streetcar Named Desire'' at Carnegie Hall in New York and later in Chicago and Los Angeles. The ''
Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...
'' theater critic
Charles McNulty
Charles McNulty (born 1966) is the chief theatre critic for the ''Los Angeles Times'' newspaper and a recipient of Cornell University's prestigious Nathan Award for dramatic criticism, who, himself, served as chairman of the Pulitzer Prize dra ...
described Fleming as "that rare opera star whose expressive vocal potential is nearly matched by a gestural eloquence", and wrote:
Renée Fleming's magnificent Blanche dominates the stage in every scene that she's in. The tragedy belongs to her character – and it's personal, achingly so. Fleming is quite simply the best Blanche I've seen since Elizabeth Marvel
Elizabeth Marvel (born November 27, 1969) is an American actress. Her more prominent roles include Det. Nancy Parras on '' The District'', Solicitor General Heather Dunbar on '' House of Cards'', and President Elizabeth Keane on '' Homeland''. ...
brutally essayed the role in Ivo van Hove's brilliant deconstruction at New York Theatre Workshop in 1999.
In January 2015, Fleming co-starred with Kelli O'Hara in a new production of the operetta ''
The Merry Widow
''The Merry Widow'' ( ) is an operetta by the Austria-Hungary, Austro-Hungarian composer Franz Lehár. The Libretto, librettists, Viktor Léon and Leo Stein (writer), Leo Stein, based the story – concerning a rich widow, and her countrymen's ...
'' at the Met in New York. The production was directed by
Susan Stroman
Susan P. Stroman (born October 17, 1954) is an American theatre director, choreographer, and performer. Her notable theater productions include ''Oklahoma!'', ''The Music Man'', ''Crazy for You (musical), Crazy for You'', ''Contact (musical), Co ...
, the winner of five Tony Awards. In April 2015, Fleming made her Broadway debut in a new comedy by Joe DiPietro, ''Living on Love'', directed by Kathleen Marshall at the Longacre Theatre. Fleming played the role of an opera diva in the production, which also featured
Douglas Sills,
Anna Chlumsky and
Jerry O'Connell.
2016–present
On May 5, 2016, Fleming sang at Carnegie Hall's 125th Anniversary Gala.
Itzhak Perlman
Itzhak Perlman (; born August 31, 1945) is an Israeli-American violinist. He has performed worldwide and throughout the United States, in venues that have included a state dinner for Elizabeth II at the White House in 2007, and at the First ina ...
,
James Taylor
James Vernon Taylor (born March 12, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A six-time Grammy Award winner, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000.
Taylor achieved his breakthrough in 1970 with the single "Fi ...
,
Yo-Yo Ma
Yo-Yo Ma (born October 7, 1955) is a French-born American Cello, cellist. Born to Chinese people, Chinese parents in Paris, he was regarded as a child prodigy there and began to study the cello with his father at age four. At the age of seven, ...
and others also performed.
Richard Gere served as the host. On December 9, 2016, Fleming sang jazz with bassist
Christian McBride at Wigmore Hall in London.
On May 13, 2017, Fleming performed the role of the Marschallin in ''
Der Rosenkavalier
(''The Knight of the Rose'' or ''The Rose-Bearer''), Op. 59, is a comic opera in three acts by Richard Strauss to an original German libretto by Hugo von Hofmannsthal. It is loosely adapted from Louvet de Couvrai's novel ''Les amours du cheva ...
'' for the last time at the Met.
In an interview, Fleming stated that she will focus in the future on new roles.
Fleming performed the role of Nettie Fowler in a 2018
Broadway revival of ''
Carousel
A carousel or carrousel (mainly North American English), merry-go-round (International English), or galloper (British English) is a type of amusement ride consisting of a rotating circular platform with seats for riders. The seats are tradit ...
'' at the
Imperial Theatre. Produced by
Scott Rudin and directed by
Jack O'Brien, the show garnered 11 Tony Award nominations, including a Tony nomination for Fleming herself.
On September 1, 2018, Fleming sang "
Danny Boy" at the funeral service for Senator
John McCain
John Sidney McCain III (August 29, 1936 – August 25, 2018) was an American statesman and United States Navy, naval officer who represented the Arizona, state of Arizona in United States Congress, Congress for over 35 years, first as ...
held at the
Washington National Cathedral.
On October 2, 2018, Fleming sang at the Carnegie Hall opening night gala with Audra McDonald and the San Francisco Symphony, conducted by Michael Tilson Thomas.
During April and May 2019, Fleming appeared opposite actor
Ben Whishaw
Benjamin John Whishaw (born 14 October 1980) is an English actor. He has received List of awards and nominations received by Ben Whishaw, various accolades, including three British Academy Television Awards, two Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe Aw ...
in ''
Norma Jeane Baker of Troy'', the inaugural production in the Kenneth C. Griffin Theater at
The Shed in Manhattan. In his review, New York Times theater critic
Ben Brantley
Benjamin D. Brantley (born October 26, 1954) is an American theater critic, journalist, editor, publisher, and writer. He served as the chief theater critic for ''The New York Times'' from 1996 to 2017, and as co-chief theater critic from 2017 t ...
wrote:
leming'screamy, disembodied voice floats through the air like thought made sound...Mr. Whishaw and Ms. Fleming are, against the odds, marvelous. They somehow lend an emotional spontaneity to ritualistic words and gestures, while conjuring an affecting relationship.
On July 24, 2019, Fleming performed the world premiere of ''Penelope'', a collaboration between
Tom Stoppard
Sir Tom Stoppard (; born , 3 July 1937) is a Czech-born British playwright and screenwriter. He has written for film, radio, stage, and television, finding prominence with plays. His work covers the themes of human rights, censorship, and politi ...
and
André Previn
André George Previn (; born Andreas Ludwig Priwin; April 6, 1929 – February 28, 2019) was a German-American pianist, composer, and conductor. His career had three major genres: Hollywood films, jazz, and classical music. In each he achieved ...
, with the
Emerson String Quartet and pianist
Simone Dinnerstein. Fleming was joined by actress
Uma Thurman
Uma Karuna Thurman (born April 29, 1970) is an American actress. She has performed in a variety of films, from romantic comedies and dramas to science fiction and action films. Following her appearances on the December 1985 and May 1986 cover ...
, who provided narration for the spoken text. In the summer of 2019, Fleming co-starred with
Dove Cameron and
Alex Jennings in the London premiere of ''The Light in the Piazza'', which received six Tony awards when it opened on Broadway in 2005. In his review of the musical for ''
The Daily Telegraph
''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was found ...
'',
Rupert Christiansen wrote "
hefirst London staging is lucky to have netted Renée Fleming for the central role of Margaret ... Fleming makes the transition to Broadway style effortlessly, using her gorgeously rich middle register ... and handling the spoken dialogue with wit and assurance." Fleming performed the same role when the production was staged in Los Angeles and Chicago later in 2019.
In 2019, Fleming also premiered the Pulitzer Prize-winning composer
Kevin Puts' ''The Brightness of Light'', a setting of letters between
Georgia O'Keeffe and
Alfred Stieglitz
Alfred Stieglitz (; January 1, 1864 – July 13, 1946) was an American photographer and modern art promoter who was instrumental over his 50-year career in making photography an accepted art form. In addition to his photography, Stieglitz was k ...
. Fleming performed the work in concert at Tanglewood, Santa Fe, Aspen and the Kennedy Center.
On September 25, 2020, Fleming appeared in a live concert with
Vanessa Williams, titled "A Time to Sing", for a small, socially-distanced audience in the Kennedy Center Opera House. The performance, the first on a stage inside the Kennedy Center since the March 13 shutdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, was also live-streamed.
On January 20, 2021, Fleming sang at a private mass attended by President-elect
Joe Biden
Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...
and Vice President-elect
Kamala Harris
Kamala Devi Harris ( ; born October 20, 1964) is an American politician and attorney who served as the 49th vice president of the United States from 2021 to 2025 under President Joe Biden. She is the first female, first African American, and ...
prior to their swearing-in as president and vice president of the US. Attendees also included the Democratic and Republican leaders of the Senate and House of Representatives.
On November 22, 2022, she returned to the stage to sing the role of Clarissa Vaughan in the world premiere of
Kevin Puts' opera ''
The Hours'' at the Met. The performance of December 10 was video-cast as part of the
Met Live in HD series.
She performed with Dead and Company at the Las Vegas Sphere concert during their Space segment on 4/18/25
Personal life
Fleming has been married twice. Fleming married actor Rick Ross in 1989, and the couple had two daughters. The couple divorced in 2000.
On September 3, 2011, Fleming married tax lawyer Tim Jessell, whom she met on a blind date set up by author
Ann Patchett
Ann Patchett (born December 2, 1963) is an American author. She received the 2002 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction, PEN/Faulkner Award and the Orange Prize for Fiction in the same year, for her novel ''Bel Canto (novel), Bel Canto''. Patchett's othe ...
.
Non-classical recordings
Fleming appeared as a special guest vocalist on
Joe Jackson's 1994 album ''
Night Music'' on the song "Lullaby". Fleming has released a number of recordings on the
Decca label. In 2000 she was a guest artist alongside the cellist
Julian Lloyd Webber and the violinist
Gil Shaham on the album ''
Two Worlds'' by
Dave Grusin
Robert David Grusin (born June 26, 1934) is an American composer, arranger, producer, jazz pianist, and band leader. He has composed many scores for feature films and television and has won numerous awards for his soundtrack and record work, incl ...
and
Lee Ritenour
Lee Mack Ritenour ( ; born January 11, 1952) is an American jazz guitarist who has been active since the late 1960s.
Biography
Ritenour was born in 1952, in Los Angeles, California. At the age of eight he started playing guitar and four years l ...
. In 2005, Fleming recorded a jazz album with pianist
Fred Hersch
Fred Hersch (born October 21, 1955) is an American jazz pianist, composer, and a 17-time Grammy nominée. He was the first person to play weeklong engagements as a solo pianist at the Village Vanguard in New York City. He has recorded more than ...
and guitarist
Bill Frisell entitled ''Haunted Heart''. On June 8, 2010, Decca/Mercury released Fleming's album ''
Dark Hope'', a collection of indie rock covers. The album was the idea of rock managers Peter Mensch and Cliff Burnstein; after listening to Fleming's performance of "In the Pines" on Elvis Costello's TV show ''Spectacle'', they approached Fleming and producer David Kahne. Fleming's ''Dark Hope'' album features covers of songs by
Leonard Cohen
Leonard Norman Cohen (September 21, 1934November 7, 2016) was a Canadian songwriter, singer, poet, and novelist. Themes commonly explored throughout his work include faith and mortality, isolation and depression, betrayal and redemption, soc ...
,
Band of Horses
Band of Horses is an American Rock music, rock band formed in 2004 in Seattle, Seattle, Washington. Led by singer-songwriter Ben Bridwell, who has been the band's sole constant member throughout numerous line-up changes, the band's current line ...
,
Jefferson Airplane
Jefferson Airplane was an American Rock music, rock band formed in San Francisco, California, in 1965. One of the pioneering bands of psychedelic rock, the group defined the San Francisco Sound and was the first from the San Francisco Bay Area, ...
and others.
In 2008, Fleming sang
Blossom Dearie's "Touch the Hand of Love" accompanied by Chris Thile, Edgar Meyers, and Yo-Yo Ma on Ma's ''Songs of Joy and Peace'' album. In November 2010, the Charlie Haden Quartet West released the jazz CD ''Sophisticated Ladies'' in which Fleming was a guest vocalist on the song "A Love Like This" by Ned Washington and Victor Young. In 2014, Decca released Fleming's holiday album
Christmas in New York, with intimately-arranged jazz treatments of holiday standards. Guests on the album include Chris Botti, Kurt Elling, Wynton Marsalis, Brad Mehldau, Kelli O'Hara, Gregory Porter and Rufus Wainwright. The album was the inspiration for a PBS special featuring Fleming with the same title.
In 2015, Fleming sang "New York Tendaberry" accompanied by Chris Thile, Edgar Meyers and Yo-Yo Ma on the Billy Childs album ''Map to the Treasure: Reimagining Laura Nyro'', the song winning the Grammy for Best Arrangement, Instruments and Vocals. In 2017, Decca released Fleming's album ''
Distant Light'', which features four songs by the Icelandic composer
Björk
Björk Guðmundsdóttir ( , ; born 21 November 1965), known mononymously as Björk, is an Icelandic singer, songwriter, composer, record producer, and actress. Noted for her distinct voice, three-octave vocal range, and eccentric public per ...
, Samuel Barber's ''
Knoxville: Summer of 1915'' and the ''Strand Settings'', a four-song cycle composite by Anders Hillborg. Fleming recorded an album of musical theater songs, ''Reneé Fleming: Broadway'', which was released by Decca in 2018. Guest artists included Christian McBride, Leslie Odom Jr., and Dan Tepfer.
TV, radio, film, and digital platforms
2000s
Fleming appeared on the children's show ''
Sesame Street
''Sesame Street'' is an American educational television, educational children's television series that combines live-action, sketch comedy, animation, and puppetry. It is produced by Sesame Workshop (known as the Children's Television Worksh ...
'' singing a lively rendition of "Caro nome" from ''
Rigoletto
''Rigoletto'' is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi. The Italian libretto was written by Francesco Maria Piave based on the 1832 play '' Le roi s'amuse'' by Victor Hugo. Despite serious initial problems with the Austrian censors who had c ...
'', replacing the traditional Italian text with lyrics intended to aid children learning to count. She performed several times on
Garrison Keillor's
public radio
Public broadcasting (or public service broadcasting) is radio, television, and other electronic media outlets whose primary mission is public service with a commitment to avoiding political and commercial influence. Public broadcasters receive ...
program ''
A Prairie Home Companion
''A Prairie Home Companion'' was a weekly radio variety show created and hosted by Garrison Keillor that aired live from 1974 to 2016. In 2016, musician Chris Thile took over as host, and the successor show was eventually renamed ''Live from He ...
''.
Fleming appears on the soundtrack of the 2003 film ''
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King'' in which she sings in the
fictional language Sindarin. Fleming also sang on the soundtrack of the 2003 Disney release, ''
Piglet's Big Movie'', performing the duet "Comforting to Know" with
Carly Simon
Carly Elisabeth Simon (born June 25, 1943) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and author. She rose to fame in the 1970s with a string of hit records; her 13 Billboard Hot 100, top 40 U.S. hits include "Anticipation (song), Anticipatio ...
. In 2004, Fleming performed in the
Kennedy Center Honors
The Kennedy Center Honors are annual honors given to those in the performing arts for their lifetime of contributions to Culture of the United States, American culture. They have been presented annually since 1978, culminating each December in ...
gala, telecast on CBS, in tribute to honoree
Warren Beatty
Henry Warren Beatty (né Beaty; born March 30, 1937) is an American actor and filmmaker. His career has spanned over six decades, and he has received an Academy Award and three Golden Globe Awards. He also received the Irving G. Thalberg Memor ...
. She previously performed in Kennedy Center Honors broadcasts for
André Previn
André George Previn (; born Andreas Ludwig Priwin; April 6, 1929 – February 28, 2019) was a German-American pianist, composer, and conductor. His career had three major genres: Hollywood films, jazz, and classical music. In each he achieved ...
(1998) and
Van Cliburn
Harvey Lavan "Van" Cliburn Jr. (July 12, 1934February 27, 2013) was an American pianist. At the age of 23, Cliburn achieved worldwide recognition when he won the inaugural International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow in 1958 during the Cold ...
(2001). On
November 18, 2005, Fleming appeared as guest on the
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station replaced the BBC Home Service on 30 September 1967 and broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes from the BBC's headquarters at Broadcasti ...
radio programme ''
Desert Island Discs''; her favourite was Joni Mitchell's 1971 song "
River
A river is a natural stream of fresh water that flows on land or inside Subterranean river, caves towards another body of water at a lower elevation, such as an ocean, lake, or another river. A river may run dry before reaching the end of ...
". Fleming performed "
I'll Be Home for Christmas" on ABC's ''
The View'' on December 18, 2008.
Fleming performed on HBO's
We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial on January 18, 2009, a concert which also included performances by
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American Rock music, rock singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Nicknamed "the Boss", Springsteen has released 21 studio albums spanning six decades; most of his albums feature th ...
,
Mary J. Blige
Mary Jane Blige ( ; born January 11, 1971) is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, actress, and entrepreneur. Often referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Hip-Hop Soul" and "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Qu ...
,
Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris (; Judkins; born May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American and Ghanaian singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. He is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th c ...
,
Garth Brooks
Troyal Garth Brooks (born February 7, 1962) is an American Country music, country singer and songwriter. His integration of pop and rock elements into the country genre has earned him his immense popularity, particularly in the United States, ...
,
U2 and others. Fleming sang the Rodgers and Hammerstein classic "
You'll Never Walk Alone
"You'll Never Walk Alone" is a show tune from the 1945 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical '' Carousel''. In the second act of the musical, Nettie Fowler, the cousin of the protagonist Julie Jordan, sings "You'll Never Walk Alone" to comfort and e ...
" with the combined choirs of the
United States Naval Academy
The United States Naval Academy (USNA, Navy, or Annapolis) is a United States Service academies, federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as United States Secre ...
. Fleming appeared on the December 18, 2009, broadcast of the ''Martha Stewart Show'' and baked cookies with Stewart and
Snoop Dogg
Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. ( ; born October 20, 1971), better known by his stage name Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg), is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. Rooted in West Coast hip-hop, he is widely regarded as one of t ...
.
Fleming was featured on the first episode of the second season of ''
HBO Masterclass''. She led a master class in which she taught and mentored four aspiring college-aged singers.
On ''
Good Morning America
''Good Morning America'', often abbreviated as ''GMA'', is an American breakfast television, morning television program that is broadcast on American Broadcasting Company, ABC. It debuted on November 3, 1975, and first expanded to weekends wit ...
'' on June 8, 2010, Fleming performed a cover of
Muse
In ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, the Muses (, ) were the Artistic inspiration, inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge embodied in the poetry, lyric p ...
's "Endlessly" from their album ''
Absolution
Absolution is a theological term for the forgiveness imparted by ordained Priest#Christianity, Christian priests and experienced by Penance#Christianity, Christian penitents. It is a universal feature of the historic churches of Christendom, alth ...
''.
2011–2015
Fleming appears on the soundtrack of the 2011 Steven Spielberg animated film ''
The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn'' as the singing voice of opera diva Bianca Castafiore, singing Juliette's waltz from Gounod's ''Romeo et Juliette''. She recorded Alexandre Desplat's theme song "Still Dream" for the 2012 DreamWorks animated feature, ''
Rise of the Guardians''.
On March 20, 2011, Fleming appeared in Grand Finale concert of the
YouTube Symphony Orchestra with the Sydney Children's Choir, performing
Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 1756 – 5 December 1791) was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition and proficiency from an early age ...
's "Caro bell'idol mio" K562, under the baton of
Michael Tilson Thomas
Michael Tilson Thomas (born December 21, 1944) is an American conductor, pianist, and composer. He is Artistic Director Laureate of the New World Symphony, an American orchestral academy in Miami Beach, Florida, Music Director Laureate of the S ...
. In less than one week, the concert had 33 million online views.
On April 6, 2012, Fleming performed Broadway duets with Josh Groban on PBS's ''Live at Lincoln Center''.
On June 4, 2012, Fleming performed at the Queen Elizabeth II
Diamond Jubilee Concert from the balcony of
Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace () is a royal official residence, residence in London, and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and r ...
, a concert which was internationally broadcast and included performances by
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, songwriter and pianist. His music and showmanship have had a significant, lasting impact on the music industry, and his songwriting partnership with l ...
,
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained global fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and the piano, and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John ...
,
Kylie Minogue
Kylie Ann Minogue (; born 28 May 1968) is an Australian singer, songwriter, and actress. Frequently referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Princess of Pop", she has achieved recognition in both the music industry and fas ...
,
Ed Sheeran
Edward Christopher Sheeran ( ; born 17 February 1991) is an English singer-songwriter. Born in Halifax, West Yorkshire, and raised in Framlingham, Suffolk, he began writing songs around the age of eleven. In early 2011, Sheeran independently r ...
and others.
In November 2013, Fleming programmed and hosted a three-day festival held at the
John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington DC titled "American Voices", which explored the artistry and pedagogy of singing across musical genres.
Sara Bareilles
Sara Beth Bareilles ( ; born December 7, 1979) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actress. She has sold over three million albums and over 15 million singles in the United States. Bareilles has earned various accolades, including ...
,
Kim Burrell,
Ben Folds,
Sutton Foster,
Alison Krauss
Alison Maria Krauss (born July 23, 1971) is an American bluegrass-country singer, fiddler and music producer. She entered the music industry at an early age, competing in local contests by the age of eight and recording for the first time at ...
and others conducted master classes and performed in the centerpiece ''American Voices'' concert, in which Fleming also performed. A 90-minute documentary on the festival and the concert was broadcast on PBS Great Performances.
On September 26, 2013, Fleming sang the
Late Show Top Ten List ("Top 10 Opera Lyrics") on CBS's ''
Late Show with David Letterman
''Late Show with David Letterman'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS, the first iteration of the ''Late Show'' franchise. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and was produced by Letterman's production com ...
''.
On February 2, 2014, Fleming was the first opera singer to perform "
The Star-Spangled Banner
"The Star-Spangled Banner" is the national anthem of the United States. The lyrics come from the "Defence of Fort M'Henry", a poem written by American lawyer Francis Scott Key on September 14, 1814, after he witnessed the bombardment of Fort ...
" as part of the
Super Bowl XLVIII
Super Bowl XLVIII was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion 2013 Denver Broncos season, Denver Broncos and National Football Conference (NFC) champion 2013 Seattle Seahawks season, Seattle Seahawks to ...
pre-game ceremonies, the broadcast earning the
Fox Network the highest ratings of any television program in the network's history. It was also the largest audience in the history of American television, until it was eclipsed by NBC's airing of
Super Bowl XLIX
Super Bowl XLIX was an American football game played to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2014 NFL season, 2014 season. The American Football Conference (AFC) champion 2014 New England Patriots season, New Eng ...
the following year. The gown which Fleming wore while performing has been added to the permanent collection of the Smithsonian Institute's National Museum of American History.
On November 9, 2014, with German Chancellor
Angela Merkel and
Mikhail Gorbachev
Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev (2 March 1931 – 30 August 2022) was a Soviet and Russian politician who served as the last leader of the Soviet Union from 1985 to dissolution of the Soviet Union, the country's dissolution in 1991. He served a ...
in attendance, Fleming sang in a televised concert at the
Brandenburg Gate
The Brandenburg Gate ( ) is an 18th-century Neoclassical architecture, neoclassical monument in Berlin. One of the best-known landmarks of Germany, it was erected on the site of a former city gate that marked the start of the road from Berlin t ...
to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the fall of the
Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall (, ) was a guarded concrete Separation barrier, barrier that encircled West Berlin from 1961 to 1989, separating it from East Berlin and the East Germany, German Democratic Republic (GDR; East Germany). Construction of the B ...
.
2016–present
On May 29, 2016, Fleming sang "
How Can I Keep from Singing?" to honor fallen service men and women in the
National Memorial Day Concert held on West Lawn of the Capitol in Washington, D.C. The concert was broadcast on PBS.
In 2017, Fleming, in her capacity as creative consultant for the Lyric Opera of Chicago, conceived and served as artistic director of Chicago Voices, a festival and concert celebrating Chicago's vocal music legacy and featuring
Kurt Elling,
Lupe Fiasco
Wasalu Muhammad Jaco (born February 16, 1982), better known by his stage name Lupe Fiasco ( ), is an American rapper, record producer and Music education, music educator. Born and raised in Chicago, he gained mainstream recognition for his gue ...
,
Jessie Mueller,
John Prine,
Michelle Williams Michelle Williams or Michele Williams may refer to:
* Michelle Ann Williams (born circa 1965), American public health scholar
* Michelle Williams (singer) (born 1979), American singer, previously a member of Destiny's Child
* Michelle Williams (actr ...
,
Terrence Howard
Terrence Dashon Howard (born March 11, 1969) is an American actor performing on film and television. He has received a Screen Actors Guild Awards, Screen Actors Guild Award as well as nominations for an Academy Awards, Academy Award, a Golden ...
and others. Fleming also hosted and performed in the concert, which has been broadcast nationwide on PBS's ''Great Performances'' and won three Midwest/Chicago Emmy awards.
In the 2017 film ''
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri'', Fleming's Decca recording of "
The Last Rose of Summer" is heard in the opening scene and in the middle of the movie, which was nominated for Best Picture and Best Original Score.
In April 2018, Fleming was interviewed by
David Rubenstein on ''The David Rubenstein Show: Peer-to-Peer Conversations'', which was broadcast on
Bloomberg Television
Bloomberg Television (on-air as Bloomberg) is an American-based pay television network focusing on business and capital market programming, owned by diversified information and media private company Bloomberg L.P. It is distributed globally, re ...
.
Fleming sings "You'll Never Know" on the soundtrack of the film ''The Shape of Water'', which won four
Academy Awards
The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence in ...
, including Best Picture, and Best Original Score for composer
Alexandre Desplat.
On July 4, 2018, Fleming sang in the PBS telecast
A Capitol Fourth from the West Lawn of the US Capitol, performing "You'll Never Walk Alone" and, during the fireworks display, "
America the Beautiful
"America the Beautiful" is an American patriotic song. Its lyrics were written by Katharine Lee Bates and its music was composed by church organist and choirmaster Samuel A. Ward at Grace Church (Newark), Grace Episcopal Church in Newark, New ...
".
On September 1, 2018, Fleming sang "
Danny Boy" at the funeral service for Senator
John McCain
John Sidney McCain III (August 29, 1936 – August 25, 2018) was an American statesman and United States Navy, naval officer who represented the Arizona, state of Arizona in United States Congress, Congress for over 35 years, first as ...
held at the
Washington National Cathedral.
Fleming provided the singing voice of Roxann Coss, the American opera diva played by
Julianne Moore
Julie Anne Smith (born December 3, 1960), known professionally as Julianne Moore, is an American actress and children's author. Prolific in film since the early 1990s, she is known for her portrayals of emotionally troubled women in independent ...
, in the 2018 film ''
Bel Canto
, )—with several similar constructions (, , , pronounced in English as )—is a term with several meanings that relate to Italian singing, and whose definitions have often been misunderstood. ''Bel canto'' was not only seen as a vocal technique ...
'', an adaptation of
Ann Patchett
Ann Patchett (born December 2, 1963) is an American author. She received the 2002 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction, PEN/Faulkner Award and the Orange Prize for Fiction in the same year, for her novel ''Bel Canto (novel), Bel Canto''. Patchett's othe ...
's best-selling novel.
At the 2018
Kennedy Center Honors
The Kennedy Center Honors are annual honors given to those in the performing arts for their lifetime of contributions to Culture of the United States, American culture. They have been presented annually since 1978, culminating each December in ...
awards ceremony broadcast on CBS, Fleming sang a jazz aria composed by honoree
Wayne Shorter
Wayne Shorter (August 25, 1933 – March 2, 2023) was an American jazz saxophonist, composer and bandleader. Shorter came to mainstream prominence in 1959 upon joining Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, for whom he eventually became the primary comp ...
as a tribute to Shorter.
Fleming appeared as a guest on the National Public Radio quiz show ''
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!'' broadcast on October 19, 2019.
On June 14, 2020, Fleming premiered a new work by composer
John Corigliano, "And the People Stayed Home", a setting of Kitty O'Meara's poem, which was written in the first weeks of the pandemic and became a viral success on social media. The performance was part of a streamed concert, ''We Are Here: A Celebration of Resilience, Resistance, and Hope'', which also featured performances by
Whoopi Goldberg,
Lang Lang, and
Billy Joel
William Martin Joel (born May 9, 1949) is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Piano Man" after his Signature song, signature 1973 song Piano Man (song), of the same name, Joel has ha ...
.
On August 1, 2020, Fleming performed a live recital for the Metropolitan Opera ''Met Stars Live in Concert'' series, live-streamed from
Dumbarton Oaks Music Room in Washington, DC. The performance was later telecast on PBS Great Performances.
Fleming was featured in the PBS
Great Performances
''Great Performances'' is a television anthology series dedicated to the performing arts; the banner has been used to televise plays, musicals, opera, ballet, concerts, as well as occasional documentaries. It is produced by the PBS member statio ...
New Year's Eve telecast on December 31, 2020, in a concert taped at
Mount Vernon
Mount Vernon is the former residence and plantation of George Washington, a Founding Father, commander of the Continental Army in the Revolutionary War, and the first president of the United States, and his wife, Martha. An American landmar ...
that also included
Joshua Bell,
Denyce Graves,
Jean-Yves Thibaudet,
Yo-Yo Ma
Yo-Yo Ma (born October 7, 1955) is a French-born American Cello, cellist. Born to Chinese people, Chinese parents in Paris, he was regarded as a child prodigy there and began to study the cello with his father at age four. At the age of seven, ...
,
Anna Deavere Smith,
Audra McDonald,
Brian Stokes Mitchell, and
Patti LaBelle
Patricia Louise Holte (born May 24, 1944), known professionally as Patti LaBelle, is an American Rhythm and blues, R&B singer and actress. She has been referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Godmother of Soul". LaBelle began ...
.
Music and health
Fleming has been an advocate for the study of the relationship between music and health, as well as the utility of music in neuroscience research.
In 2016, Fleming was appointed Artistic Advisor for the
John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. In this capacity, she spearheaded Sound Health, a collaboration between the Kennedy Center and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Sound Health has brought together leading neuroscientists, music therapists and arts practitioners to better understand the impact of arts on the mind and body. In September 2019, the NIH announced a commitment of $20 million to support research projects to explore the potential of music for treating a wide range of conditions resulting from neurological and other disorders. In February 2025, she and those in multiple other positions at the Kennedy Center resigned from their positions after several members of the Board were removed and the sitting chair was removed and replaced by
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...
.
In 2017, Fleming and
Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health, had published a joint article in the ''
Journal of the American Medical Association
''JAMA'' (''The Journal of the American Medical Association'') is a peer-reviewed medical journal published 48 times a year by the American Medical Association. It publishes original research, reviews, and editorials covering all aspects of ...
'' on music and health.
While touring for performances, Fleming has given presentations around the world called "Music and the Mind", exploring the power of music as it relates to health and the brain. Fleming's presentations on this subject have been made at hospitals, arts organizations and research universities. They have included the Compton Lecture at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the Pritzker Lecture for the Chicago Public Library and the J. Edward Rall Cultural Lecture at the National Institutes of Health.
Fleming has been an Artist Spokesperson for the American Music Therapy Association.
In 2020, Research!America awarded Fleming the Isadore Rosenfeld Award for Impact on Public Opinion for her commitment to research advocacy at the intersection of music, the brain, and wellness.
In May 2020, after the COVID-19 pandemic had halted concert touring, Fleming launched Music and Mind LIVE, a weekly web series, streamed via Fleming's Facebook page and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts YouTube Channel. Episodes featured different guest experts each week from the worlds of medicine, music therapy, research, advocacy, and performing arts, with viewer Q&A. The first guest was former U.S. Surgeon General Dr.
Vivek Murthy, and later guests included author and neuroscientists Dr.
Daniel Levitin, Director of the U.S. National Institutes of Health Dr.
Francis Collins,
Deepak Chopra
Deepak Chopra (; ; born October 22, 1946) is an Indian-American author, New Age, new age guru, and alternative medicine advocate. A prominent figure in the New Age movement, his books and videos have made him one of the best-known and wealthi ...
, M.D., and Grateful Dead drummer
Mickey Hart
Mickey Hart (born Michael Steven Hartman, September 11, 1943) is an American percussionist. He is best known as one of the two drummers of the rock band Grateful Dead. He was a member of the Grateful Dead from September 1967 until February 19 ...
. 19 episodes were streamed with a total of more than 665,000 views from 70 countries.
On April 20, 2021, the
Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (FNIH) announced a grant from the Renée Fleming Foundation to convene experts from the fields of neuroscience, music therapy and medicine, behavioral intervention development, clinical trial methodology, and patient advocacy. The goal of these conventions was to explore enhanced data collection for improved clinical trial design and, ultimately, to create a research toolkit to help develop music-based therapies for brain disorders of aging.
On May 6, 2021, Fleming spoke in the Fifth International Vatican Conference (conducted online during the COVID-19 pandemic) on a panel exploring the therapeutic use of music for patients with heart failure and cardiovascular disease. The 3-day conference also featured Dr.
Anthony Fauci, Dr.
Sanjay Gupta,
Jane Goodall, PhD, and US Surgeon General
Vivek Murthy, MD.
Philanthropy and advocacy
On July 13, 2004, Fleming joined Elton John on stage at Radio City Music Hall to perform
Your Song, in the finale of his benefit concert for Juilliard and the Royal Academy of Music.
Fleming has supported and served on the board of directors of
Sing For Hope since the organization's inception in 2006. Sing For Hope is a nonprofit that brings music programs and performances to under-resourced schools, healthcare facilities, refugee camps, transit hubs, and public spaces.
On April 11, 2013, Fleming hosted and performed at the 20th anniversary gala of Classical Action, a program of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS that raises funds for AIDS and family-service organizations nationwide.
On April 17, 2014, Fleming sang for the 25th anniversary concert of the Rainforest Foundation Fund at Carnegie Hall, performing solo and "
Là ci darem la mano" in a duet with
Sting. The program also included
Paul Simon
Paul Frederic Simon (born October 13, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter known for his solo work and his collaborations with Art Garfunkel. He and Garfunkel, whom he met in elementary school in 1953, came to prominence in the 1960s as Sim ...
,
Stephen Stills,
Patti Scialfa and
James Taylor
James Vernon Taylor (born March 12, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A six-time Grammy Award winner, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000.
Taylor achieved his breakthrough in 1970 with the single "Fi ...
.
In 2015, Fleming and Andrea Bocelli sang together for the first time ever at "Remembering Pavarotti", a benefit concert for pancreatic cancer research at the Los Angeles Music Center's
Dorothy Chandler Pavilion
The Dorothy Chandler Pavilion is one of the halls in the Los Angeles Music Center, which is one of the largest performing arts centers in the United States. The Music Center's other halls include the Mark Taper Forum, Ahmanson Theatre, and Walt ...
on September 25.
Fleming has served on the board of trustees of Carnegie Hall, and as the artistic director of SongStudio, Carnegie's intensive program for emerging vocalists and pianists dedicated to the art of the song recital.
Fleming has been a member of the Artistic Advisory Board of the Polyphony Foundation, which brings Israeli youth together through the study and performance of music. Polyphony, through its executive director Naheel Abboud-Askar, has created a conservatory in Nazareth where Arab and Jewish students train together, and it has created music appreciation programs for Israeli kindergartens and elementary schools.
Roles
Fleming's signature roles include Countess Almaviva in
Mozart's ''
Le nozze di Figaro
''The Marriage of Figaro'' (, ), K. 492, is a ''commedia per musica'' (opera buffa) in four acts composed in 1786 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, with an Italian libretto written by Lorenzo Da Ponte. It premiered at the Burgtheater in Vienna ...
'', Desdemona in
Verdi's ''
Otello
''Otello'' () is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Arrigo Boito, based on William Shakespeare, Shakespeare's play ''Othello''. It was Verdi's penultimate opera, first performed at the La Scala, Teatro alla Scala, M ...
'', Violetta in Verdi's ''
La traviata'', the title role in
Dvořák's ''
Rusalka
In Slavic folklore, the rusalka (plural: rusalki; , plural: русалки; , plural: ''rusałki'') is a female entity, often malicious toward mankind and frequently associated with water. It has counterparts in other parts of Europe, such as th ...
'', the title roles in
Massenet's ''
Manon'' and ''
Thaïs'', Tatyana in
Tchaikovsky's ''
Eugene Onegin
''Eugene Onegin, A Novel in Verse'' (, Reforms of Russian orthography, pre-reform Russian: Евгеній Онѣгинъ, романъ въ стихахъ, ) is a novel in verse written by Alexander Pushkin. ''Onegin'' is considered a classic of ...
'', the title role in
Richard Strauss's ''
Arabella
''Arabella'', Op. 79, is a lyric comedy, or opera, in three acts by Richard Strauss to a German libretto by Hugo von Hofmannsthal, their sixth and last operatic collaboration.
Performance history
It was first performed on 1 July 1933 at the D ...
'', the Marschallin in Strauss's ''
Der Rosenkavalier
(''The Knight of the Rose'' or ''The Rose-Bearer''), Op. 59, is a comic opera in three acts by Richard Strauss to an original German libretto by Hugo von Hofmannsthal. It is loosely adapted from Louvet de Couvrai's novel ''Les amours du cheva ...
'', the Countess in Strauss's ''
Capriccio'', and Blanche DuBois in
André Previn's ''
A Streetcar Named Desire
''A Streetcar Named Desire'' is a play written by Tennessee Williams and first performed on Broadway on December 3, 1947. The play dramatizes the experiences of Blanche DuBois, a former Southern belle who, after encountering a series of pe ...
''.
Recordings
Audio
* ''
A Salute to American Music'', RCA 1992
* ''
New Year's Eve Concert 1992: Richard Strauss Gala'', Sony 1993
* ''
Marilyn Horne: Divas in Song'', RCA 1994
* ''Donizetti:
Rosmonda d'Inghilterra'',
Opera Rara 1994
* ''Strauss
Four Last Songs'', RCA 1996
* ''Visions of Love – Mozart Arias'', Decca 1996
* ''
Schubert
Franz Peter Schubert (; ; 31 January 179719 November 1828) was an Austrian composer of the late Classical period (music), Classical and early Romantic music, Romantic eras. Despite his short life, Schubert left behind a List of compositions ...
Lied
In the Western classical music tradition, ( , ; , ; ) is a term for setting poetry to classical music. The term is used for any kind of song in contemporary German and Dutch, but among English and French speakers, is often used interchangea ...
er'', Decca 1997
* ''Signatures – Great Opera Scenes'', arias by Mozart, Verdi, Britten, Strauss, with Sir
Georg Solti
Sir Georg Solti ( , ; born György Stern; 21 October 1912 – 5 September 1997) was a Hungarian-British orchestral and operatic conductor, known for his appearances with opera companies in Munich, Frankfurt, and London, and as a long-servi ...
, Decca 1997
*
''Elijah'' (Mendelssohn), Decca 1997
* ''
Rusalka
In Slavic folklore, the rusalka (plural: rusalki; , plural: русалки; , plural: ''rusałki'') is a female entity, often malicious toward mankind and frequently associated with water. It has counterparts in other parts of Europe, such as th ...
'' (1997)
* ''
A Streetcar Named Desire
''A Streetcar Named Desire'' is a play written by Tennessee Williams and first performed on Broadway on December 3, 1947. The play dramatizes the experiences of Blanche DuBois, a former Southern belle who, after encountering a series of pe ...
'' (1997)
* ''The Beautiful Voice'', Decca 1998
* ''I Want Magic'' American Opera Arias, Decca 1998
* ''Star Crossed Lovers'' Duets with
Plácido Domingo
José Plácido Domingo Embil (born 21 January 1941) is a Spanish opera singer, conductor, and arts administrator. He has recorded over a hundred complete operas and is well known for his versatility, regularly performing in Italian, French, ...
, Decca 1999
* ''Strauss Heroines'', Decca 1999
* ''
The Faces of Love: The Songs of Jake Heggie'', RCA 1999
*
''Requiem'' (Verdi) with
Andrea Bocelli
Andrea Bocelli (; born 22 September 1958) is an Italian tenor. He rose to fame in 1994 after winning the newcomers' section of the 44th Sanremo Music Festival performing " Il mare calmo della sera".
Since 1994, Bocelli has recorded 15 solo st ...
,
Olga Borodina and
Ildebrando D'Arcangelo, conducted by
Valery Gergiev
Valery Abisalovich Gergiev (, ; ; born 2 May 1953) is a Russian conducting, conductor and opera company director. He is currently general director and artistic director of the Mariinsky Theatre and of the Bolshoi Theatre and artistic director o ...
, Philips 2001
* ''Renée Fleming'', Decca 2001
* ''Night Songs'' Lieder by
Debussy
Achille Claude Debussy (; 22 August 1862 – 25 March 1918) was a French composer. He is sometimes seen as the first Impressionism in music, Impressionist composer, although he vigorously rejected the term. He was among the most influe ...
,
Fauré,
Marx
Karl Marx (; 5 May 1818 – 14 March 1883) was a German philosopher, political theorist, economist, journalist, and revolutionary socialist. He is best-known for the 1848 pamphlet '' The Communist Manifesto'' (written with Friedrich Engels) ...
,
Strauss,
Rachmaninov, Decca 2001
* ''
Thaïs'' (2001)
* ''
Manon'' (2001)
* ''Bel Canto'' Arias by Donizetti, Bellini, Rossini, Decca 2002
* ''Under the Stars'' Broadway Duets with
Bryn Terfel, Decca 2003
* ''By Request'', Decca 2003
* ''Mozart:
Così fan tutte
(''Women are like that, or The School for Lovers''), Köchel catalogue, K. 588, is an opera buffa in two acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. It was first performed on 26 January 1790 at the Burgtheater in Vienna, Austria. The libretto was written ...
'', Decca
* ''Handel:
Alcina
''Alcina'' (Händel-Werke-Verzeichnis, HWV 34) is a 1735 opera by George Frideric Handel. Handel used the libretto of ''L'isola di Alcina'', a work set to music in 1728 in Rome by Riccardo Broschi, which he had acquired a year later during his t ...
'', Erato
* ''Rossini:
Armida'', Sony (live)
* ''Mozart:
Don Giovanni
''Don Giovanni'' (; K. 527; full title: , literally ''The Rake Punished, or Don Giovanni'') is an opera in two acts with music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to an Italian libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte. Its subject is a centuries-old Spanish legen ...
'', Decca
* ''Massenet:
Hérodiade'', Sony (live)
* ''Handel Arias'', Decca 2003/2004
* ''Requiem'' (Verdi), Philips 2004
* ''
Haunted Heart'', Decca 2005
* ''Sacred Songs'', Decca 2005
* ''Homage – The Age of the Diva'', Decca 2006
* ''
Love Sublime'' Song cycles with
Brad Mehldau
Bradford Alexander Mehldau (; born August 23, 1970) is an American jazz pianist, composer, and arranger.
Mehldau studied music at The New School, touring and recording while still a student. He was a member of saxophonist Joshua Redman's quar ...
, Nonesuch, 2006
* Strauss: ''
Daphne'', Decca
* ''Four Last Songs by Richard Strauss'', Decca 2008
* ''Verismo'' – Arias of Puccini, Mascagni, Cilea, Giordano, Leoncavallo, Decca 2009
* ''
Dark Hope'', Decca 2010
* ''
Poèmes'' – French songs, Decca 2012
* ''Guilty Pleasures'' – Wide range of opera arias, Decca 2013
* ''
Christmas in New York'', Decca 2014
* ''
Distant Light'', Decca 2017
* ''Rodgers & Hammerstein's
Carousel
A carousel or carrousel (mainly North American English), merry-go-round (International English), or galloper (British English) is a type of amusement ride consisting of a rotating circular platform with seats for riders. The seats are tradit ...
, 2018 Broadway Cast Recording'', Craft Recordings, 2018
* ''Renée Fleming: Broadway'', Decca 2018
* ''Lieder: Brahms, Schumann, and Mahler'', Decca 2019
* ''Voice of Nature: the Anthropocene'', art songs and world premieres, with
Yannick Nézet-Séguin, pianist, Decca 2021
* ''Renée Fleming: Greatest Moments at the Met'', live performances at the Metropolitan Opera, multiple composers, double album, Decca 2023
Video
* ''Mozart:
The Marriage of Figaro
''The Marriage of Figaro'' (, ), K. 492, is a ''commedia per musica'' (opera buffa) in four acts composed in 1786 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, with an Italian libretto written by Lorenzo Da Ponte. It premiered at the Burgtheater in Vienn ...
'', NVC Arts 1999
* ''Previn:
A Streetcar Named Desire
''A Streetcar Named Desire'' is a play written by Tennessee Williams and first performed on Broadway on December 3, 1947. The play dramatizes the experiences of Blanche DuBois, a former Southern belle who, after encountering a series of pe ...
'', Arthaus 1999
* ''The Kindness of Strangers'' (documentary) Arthaus 2001
* ''Ladies and Gentlemen Miss Renée Fleming'' (documentary) Decca 2002
* ''Verdi:
Otello
''Otello'' () is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Arrigo Boito, based on William Shakespeare, Shakespeare's play ''Othello''. It was Verdi's penultimate opera, first performed at the La Scala, Teatro alla Scala, M ...
'', Deutsche Grammophon 2004
* ''Mozart:
Don Giovanni
''Don Giovanni'' (; K. 527; full title: , literally ''The Rake Punished, or Don Giovanni'') is an opera in two acts with music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to an Italian libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte. Its subject is a centuries-old Spanish legen ...
'', Deutsche Grammophon 2005
* ''
James Levine's 25th Anniversary Metropolitan Opera Gala'', Deutsche Grammophon 2005
* ''Tchaikovsky:
Eugene Onegin
''Eugene Onegin, A Novel in Verse'' (, Reforms of Russian orthography, pre-reform Russian: Евгеній Онѣгинъ, романъ въ стихахъ, ) is a novel in verse written by Alexander Pushkin. ''Onegin'' is considered a classic of ...
'', Decca 2007
* ''Verdi:
La traviata'', Decca 2007
* ''Strauss, R:
New Year's Eve Concert 1992: Richard Strauss Gala'', Kultur 2007
* ''Strauss, R:
Arabella
''Arabella'', Op. 79, is a lyric comedy, or opera, in three acts by Richard Strauss to a German libretto by Hugo von Hofmannsthal, their sixth and last operatic collaboration.
Performance history
It was first performed on 1 July 1933 at the D ...
'', Decca 2008
* ''Metropolitan Opera: The Audition'' (2008 documentary)
* ''Massenet:
Manon'', Arthaus 2009
* ''Strauss, R:
Der Rosenkavalier
(''The Knight of the Rose'' or ''The Rose-Bearer''), Op. 59, is a comic opera in three acts by Richard Strauss to an original German libretto by Hugo von Hofmannsthal. It is loosely adapted from Louvet de Couvrai's novel ''Les amours du cheva ...
'', Decca 2009
* ''Dvořák:
Rusalka
In Slavic folklore, the rusalka (plural: rusalki; , plural: русалки; , plural: ''rusałki'') is a female entity, often malicious toward mankind and frequently associated with water. It has counterparts in other parts of Europe, such as th ...
'', Arthaus 2009
* ''Massenet:
Thaïs'', Decca 2010
* ''Rossini:
Armida'', Decca 2011
* ''Strauss, R:
Capriccio'', Decca 2011
* ''Strauss, R: Capriccio'', Arthaus 2011
* ''Handel:
Rodelinda'', Decca 2012
* ''Strauss, R:
Ariadne auf Naxos'', Decca 2013
* ''Donizetti:
Lucrezia Borgia
Lucrezia Borgia (18 April 1480 – 24 June 1519) was an Italian noblewoman of the House of Borgia who was the illegitimate daughter of Pope Alexander VI and Vannozza dei Cattanei. She was a former governor of Spoleto.
Her family arranged ...
'', EuroArts DVD, 2013
* ''Strauss, R:
Der Rosenkavalier
(''The Knight of the Rose'' or ''The Rose-Bearer''), Op. 59, is a comic opera in three acts by Richard Strauss to an original German libretto by Hugo von Hofmannsthal. It is loosely adapted from Louvet de Couvrai's novel ''Les amours du cheva ...
'', Metropolitan Opera HD, 2017, Decca
* ''Puts:
The Hours'', Metropolitan Opera on Demand in HD, 2022
Honors
* 1993: Honorary member of
Sigma Alpha Iota, International Music Fraternity for Women
* Fleming received the 1999
Grammy Award for Best Classical Vocal Performance for her album ''The Beautiful Voice''.
* In 2000, Chef
Daniel Boulud named a dessert, ''La Diva Renée'', after her.
*
Ann Patchett
Ann Patchett (born December 2, 1963) is an American author. She received the 2002 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction, PEN/Faulkner Award and the Orange Prize for Fiction in the same year, for her novel ''Bel Canto (novel), Bel Canto''. Patchett's othe ...
used Fleming as the inspiration for a character in the 2001 novel ''
Bel Canto
, )—with several similar constructions (, , , pronounced in English as )—is a term with several meanings that relate to Italian singing, and whose definitions have often been misunderstood. ''Bel canto'' was not only seen as a vocal technique ...
''.
* Fleming received the
2003 Grammy Award for Best Classical Vocal Performance for her album ''Bel Canto''.
* In 2003, Fleming was awarded honorary membership in the
Royal Academy of Music
The Royal Academy of Music (RAM) in London, England, is one of the oldest music schools in the UK, founded in 1822 by John Fane and Nicolas-Charles Bochsa. It received its royal charter in 1830 from King George IV with the support of the firs ...
.
* Also in 2003, Fleming received an Honorary Doctorate from
The Juilliard School
The Juilliard School ( ) is a Private university, private performing arts music school, conservatory in New York City. Founded by Frank Damrosch as the Institute of Musical Art in 1905, the school later added dance and drama programs and became ...
, and she was the Speaker for the Commencement Ceremony.
* In 2004, Fleming received the
Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music at the
Classic Brit Awards.
* In 2005, she was made a Chevalier de la
Légion d'honneur
The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...
.
* In 2008, Fleming was awarded the
Polar Music Prize "in recognition of her sublime unparalleled voice and unique stylistic versatility".
* Fleming's 2009 album ''Verismo'' was awarded the Grammy Award for Best Classical Vocal Performance.
* In 2011, Fleming received an Honorary Doctorate from the
Eastman School of Music
The Eastman School of Music is the music school of the University of Rochester, a private research university in Rochester, New York, United States. Established in 1921 by celebrated industrialist and philanthropist George Eastman, it was the ...
.
* Also in 2011, Fleming was the recipient of the
Fulbright
The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright–Hays Program, is one of several United States cultural exchange programs with the goal of improving intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural competence between the people ...
Lifetime Achievement Medal.
* In February 2012, Fleming was awarded the Victoire d'Honneur prize by France's
Victoires de la musique classique.
* On May 20, 2012, Fleming was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts by
Carnegie Mellon University
Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The institution was established in 1900 by Andrew Carnegie as the Carnegie Technical Schools. In 1912, it became the Carnegie Institu ...
.
* In October 2012, Fleming was named Singer of the Year by the German
ECHO Klassik Awards.
* In February 2013, Fleming received her fourth
Grammy Award for Best Classical Vocal Solo for her album ''
Poèmes''.
* Fleming was awarded the 2012
National Medal of Arts
The National Medal of Arts is an award and title created by the United States Congress in 1984, for the purpose of honoring artists and Patronage, patrons of the arts. A prestigious American honor, it is the highest honor given to artists and ar ...
.
* On May 28, 2015, Fleming received an Honorary Doctor of Music degree from
Harvard University
Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...
.
* In 2015, Fleming received the
Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
The Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (, or , BVO) is the highest state decoration, federal decoration of the Federal Republic of Germany. It may be awarded for any field of endeavor. It was created by the first List of president ...
.
* In March 2017, Fleming's album ''Signatures'' was selected for preservation in the
National Recording Registry by the
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress (LOC) is a research library in Washington, D.C., serving as the library and research service for the United States Congress and the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It also administers Copyright law o ...
as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".
* On May 29, 2018, the asteroid
31249 Renéefleming was named in her honor.
* On June 13, 2018, Fleming was awarded the Female Artist of the Year at the
Classic Brit Awards.
* On June 22, 2018, Fleming received an Honorary Doctor of Arts from
Northwestern University
Northwestern University (NU) is a Private university, private research university in Evanston, Illinois, United States. Established in 1851 to serve the historic Northwest Territory, it is the oldest University charter, chartered university in ...
, where she was also the commencement speaker.
* On November 11, 2018, Fleming was awarded the
Edison Award Oeuvre Prize, an annual Dutch music honor given for outstanding achievements in the music industry.
* On May 18, 2020, Fleming received an honorary Doctor of Music degree from Yale University.
* Fleming received Research!America's 2020 Isadore Rosenfeld Award for Impact on Public Opinion (presented May 13, 2021, because of cancellation of the 2020 awards event).
* On May 26, 2021, Fleming was awarded the
George Peabody Medal for Outstanding Contributions to Music in America, during the online graduation exercises for the
Peabody Institute
The Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University is a Private university, private music and dance music school, conservatory and College-preparatory school, preparatory school in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1857, it became affiliat ...
of
Johns Hopkins University
The Johns Hopkins University (often abbreviated as Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private university, private research university in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1876 based on the European research institution model, J ...
, for which she was also the commencement speaker.
* In 2023, Fleming won her 5th
Grammy Award for Best Classical Vocal Solo for her album ''Voice of Nature: the Anthropocene''.
* On January 16, 2023, Fleming was awarded the Crystal Award, an annual prize for leading artists whose leadership has inspired inclusive and sustainable change, at the
World Economic Forum
The World Economic Forum (WEF) is an international non-governmental organization, international advocacy non-governmental organization and think tank, based in Cologny, Canton of Geneva, Switzerland. It was founded on 24 January 1971 by German ...
meeting in
Davos
Davos (, ; or ; ; Old ) is an Alpine resort town and municipality in the Prättigau/Davos Region in the canton of Graubünden, Switzerland. It has a permanent population of (). Davos is located on the river Landwasser, in the Rhaetian ...
, Switzerland.
* In 2024, she got an honorary degree from
Johns Hopkins University
The Johns Hopkins University (often abbreviated as Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private university, private research university in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1876 based on the European research institution model, J ...
.
* In 2024, honorary degree from Dickinson College.
* Foreign member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Music.
* In 2024, Fleming was awarded the David Mahoney Prize, an annual prize for individuals who have significantly increased public awareness about brain science and disorders of the nervous system, by the Harvard Mahoney Neuroscience Institute.
Publications
* Fleming, Renée. ''The Inner Voice: The Making of a Singer''. New York: Penguin Group, 2004. (paperback). Published in France by Fayard Editions, in the United Kingdom by Virgin Books, by Henschel Verlag in Germany, Shunjusha in Japan, Pro Musica Mundi in Poland, Fantom Press in Russia, and by Guangxi Normal University Press Group in China. This book is presently in its 16th printing with publications in France, U.K, Poland, Russia, Germany, Japan, and in China.
* Fleming, Renée. ''Music and Mind: Harnessing the Arts for Health and Wellness''. New York: Penguin Random House, 2024. (hard cover).
References
External links
*
Renée Flemingon ''Grove Music Online''
IMG Artists agency page on Renée Fleming*
Unofficial fansite for Renée Fleming*
*
*
*
*
Interview with Renée Fleminga
MusicalCriticism.com Bruce Duffie, October 21, 1993
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fleming, Renee
1959 births
20th-century American women opera singers
21st-century American women opera singers
American operatic sopranos
American musical theatre actresses
American people of Czech descent
American stage actresses
21st-century American women philanthropists
21st-century American philanthropists
Aspen Music Festival and School alumni
Classical musicians from New York (state)
Classical musicians from Pennsylvania
Crane School of Music alumni
Eastman School of Music alumni
Grammy Award winners
Honorary members of the Royal Academy of Music
Juilliard School alumni
Living people
Musicians from New York City
People from Indiana, Pennsylvania
Philanthropists from Pennsylvania
Richard Tucker Award winners
Singers from Pennsylvania
United States National Medal of Arts recipients
Members of the Royal Swedish Academy of Music