Renée Fleming

Fleming at the 2009 Metropolitan Opera opening night.

Renée Fleming (born February 14, 1959) is an American soprano specializing in opera and lieder. Fleming has a full lyric soprano voice.

Fleming has performed coloratura, lyric, and lighter spinto soprano repertoires. She has sung roles in Italian, German, French, Czech, and Russian, aside from her native English. She also speaks fluent German and French, along with limited Italian. Her signature roles include Countess Almaviva in Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro, Desdemona in Verdi's Otello, Violetta in Verdi's La traviata, the title role in Dvořák's Rusalka, the title role in Massenet's Manon, the title role in Massenet's Thaïs, and the Marschallin in Richard Strauss's Der Rosenkavalier and the title heroine in Arabella.

A Richard Tucker Award winner, she regularly performs in opera houses and concert halls worldwide. In 2008 she was awarded the Swedish Polar Prize for her services in music.

Renowned conductor Sir George Solti said of Fleming, "In my long life, I have met maybe two sopranos with this quality of singing, the other was Renata Tebaldi."

Early life and education

A daughter of two music teachers, Fleming was born in Indiana, Pennsylvania, and grew up in Rochester, New York. She has a brother, Ted, and sister, Rachelle.

She studied with Pat Misslin at the Crane School of Music at the State University of New York at Potsdam. While at SUNY Potsdam, she took up singing with a jazz trio in an off-campus bar called Alger's. The jazz saxophonist Illinois Jacquet invited her on tour with his big band, but she chose instead to continue with graduate studies at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY with voice teacher Jan DeGaetani.

She won a Fulbright Scholarship, which enabled her to work in Europe with Arleen Augér and Elisabeth Schwarzkopf. This was followed by further studies at The Juilliard School. While at Juilliard she sang in roles with the Juilliard Opera Center, appearing as Musetta in Puccini's La boheme and the Wife in Menotti's Tamu-Tamu, among others.

Career

1980s to 1990s

Fleming first began performing professionally in smaller concerts and with small opera companies while still a graduate student at Juilliard. 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 in the world premiere of Eliot Feld's ballet Adieu, which she again performed in 1987 and 1989 at the Joyce Theater. In 1986 she sang her first major operatic role, Konstanze in Die Entführung aus dem Serail, at the Salzburg Landestheater. Two years later she portrayed Thalie, Clarine and La Folie in Jean-Philippe Rameau's Platée with the Piccolo Teatro Dell Opera.

Fleming's first major break came in 1988 when she won the Metropolitan Opera Auditions at age 29. That same year she sang the Countess in The Marriage of Figaro in her debut with Houston Grand Opera. She reprised the role the following year in her debut at the Spoleto Festival. Also in 1989, Fleming made her debut with the New York City Opera as Mimi in La Bohème and her debut with the Royal Opera at Covent Garden as Dirce in Cherubini's Médée. She also was awarded a Richard Tucker Career Grant and won the George London Competition.

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 in her first portrayal of the title role in Rusalka, 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 Theater 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 Micaela in Bizet's Carmen. In addition, she sang the title role in Donizetti's Lucrezia Borgia with the Opera Orchestra of New York.

In 1991, Fleming made her Metropolitan Opera and San Francisco Opera debut portraying Countess Almaviva in Le nozze di Figaro. Fleming was originally not scheduled to make her Met debut until the next season, but ended up making it earlier than expected by stepping into replace Felicity Lott 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. That same year she made her Carnegie Hall 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 Festival as Ilia in Mozart's Idomeneo with Seiji Ozawa and the Boston Symphony Orchestra.

In 1992, Fleming made her debut with Grand Théâtre de Genève as Fiordiligi in Mozart's Così fan tutte. She also sang the role of Anna in François Adrien 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, as part of Lincoln Center's Festival of Mozart Operas in Concert.

In 1993, Fleming sang the role of Alaide in Bellini's La straniera with the Opera Orchestra of New York, made her debut at the Rossini Festival in the title role of Rossini's Armida, and her debut with the Lyric Opera of Chicago 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. She also sang her first Pamina in Mozart's The Magic Flute at the Metropolitan Opera and performed Berg's Lulu with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and James Levine. She also sang the world premiere of Joan Tower's Fanfare with Pinchas Zukerman and the Aspen Chamber Symphony and the world premiere of John Kander's Letter From Sullivan Ballou at the Richard Tucker Awards ceremony.

In 1994, Fleming sang her first Desdemona in Verdi's Otello and her first Ellen Orford in Benjamin Britten's Peter Grimes with the Metropolitan Opera. She also made her debut at the Glyndebourne Festival as the Countess in Le nozze di Figaro. She also performed the role of Madame de Tourvel in the world premiere of Conrad Susa's The Dangerous Liaisons and sang the role of Salome in Massenet's Hérodiade with the San Francisco Opera.

In 1995 Fleming portrayed the role of the Marschallin in Der Rosenkavalier with Houston Grand Opera, sang Hérodiade with the Opera Orchestra of New York at Carnegie Hall, and sang Rusalka with the San Francisco Opera. She also sang Fiordiligi in Così fan tutte with Solti at Royal Festival Hall and gave a lauded recital at the Morgan Library. She further signed an exclusive recording contract with the London/Decca label, making her the first American singer in 31 years to do so (Marilyn Horne was the last).

In 1996, Fleming sang the title role in Rossini's Armida and the role of Fiordiligi in Così fan tutte at the Met and performed the soprano solos in the Verdi Requiem with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra at Carnegie Hall. She also sang her first Marguerite in Gounod's Faust with Chicago Lyric Opera and sang the role of Donna Anna in Mozart's Don Giovanni with Opéra National de Paris at the reopening of the Palais Garnier with Sir Georg Solti. She was also chosen by Solti to be the first recipient of the Solti Prize, to be given to an outstanding younger singer. The award is given by the Academie du Disque Lyrique in a ceremony equivalent to the Grammy Awards. Fleming also made debut at the Bayreuth Festival as Eva in Wagner's Meistersinger. Her other performances that year included recitals at the Edinburgh International Festival and at Alice Tully Hall.

In 1997, Fleming portrayed the Marschallin in Strauss's Der Rosenkavalier and her first Manon at the Opéra Bastille, receiving glowing reviews. She reprised the role at the Metropolitan Opera along with singing Marguerite in Faust and Rusalka. She also performed in concert twice with the New York Philharmonic, first under the baton of Zubin Mehta performing a selection of opera arias, and second singing Mozart's Exsultate Jubilate and three songs of Richard Strauss with Kurt Masur. She also performed at the Ravinia Festival with the Chicago Symphony and performed Samuel Barber's Knoxville: Summer of 1915 with the Orchestra of St. Luke's under André Previn. She gave several recitals as well at such notable places as the Salzburg Festival.

In 1998, Fleming sang the title role in Richard Strauss' Arabella with Houston Grand Opera and the Countess with Lyric Opera of Chicago. She also sang the title role in Carlisle Floyd's Susannah and Countess Almaviva in a landmark production of Le nozze di Figaro at the Met. The Mozart production also starred Cecilia Bartoli, Susanne Mentzer, Dwayne Croft, Danielle de Niese, and Bryn Terfel and was broadcast on PBS' Great Performances. She also made her Carnegie Hall recital debut. She also sang Richard Strauss's Death and Transfiguration and The Four Last Songs with Claudio Abbado and the Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra at the Salzburg Festival. She also originated the roles of Blanche DuBois in the world première André Previn's A Streetcar Named Desire with the San Francisco Opera. Fleming also performed Strauss' Four Last Songs with the Berlin Philharmonic.

In 1999, Fleming appeared at the Bavarian State Opera as the Marschallin in Der Rosenkavalier. She returned to Carnegie Hall to great success with a concert of German lieder. She also performed in recital with André Previn and made her debut at the Schleswig-Holstein Festival. She also won a Grammy Award for her CD ''The Beautiful Voice. She also performed the title role in Handel's Alcina with Les Arts Florissants and conductor William Christie and with the Lyric Opera of Chicago. She also sang the title role in Charpentier's Louise with San Francisco Opera and Theatre du Capitole. Fleming closed out the year by performing for President Bill Clinton at the White House for a Christmas celebration.

2000s

Renée Fleming (2007)

In 2000, Fleming appeared at the Metropolitan Opera, San Francisco Opera and at Covent Garden as the Marschallin in Der Rosenkavalier and sang the title role in Donizetti's Lucrezia Borgia with the Opera Orchestra of New York. She also appeared as Donna Anna in Mozart's Don Giovanni at the Salzburg Festival and 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 in Haydn's Creation under James Levine.

In 2001, Fleming sang Desdemona in Otello with the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Manon with the Opéra National de Paris, the Marschallin with both the San Francisco Opera and the Met, and Arabella at both the Bavarian State Opera and the Met. She also sang Verdi's Requiem twice, once with the London Symphony Orchestra and once with the New York Philharmonic.

In 2002, Fleming provided the vocals for Howard Shore'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 accompianist 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 Il Pirata with Théâtre du Châtelet.

In 2003, Fleming sang Imogene in at the Met, the title role in Jules Massenet's Thaïs (opera) with the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Rusalka at Covent Garden, and Violetta in La Traviata with both Houston Grand Opera and the Metropolitan Opera. She also reprised the role of Blanche in Previn's A Streetcar Named Desire at the Barbican Centre in London.

In 2004, Fleming portrayed the title role in Handel's Rodelinda, and reprised the roles of Rusalka and Violetta at the Met. She also sang her first die Gräfin (the Countess) in Capriccio at the Palais Garnier and performed in concerts with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra among others. She also gave recitals in Spain, Switzerland, Germany, Canada, and the United States and performed in several concerts with Elton John at Radio City Music Hall.

In 2005, Fleming sang the title role in Jules Massenet's Manon at the Met, Desdemona in Verdi's Otello at Covent Garden, and Thaïs in Vienna. She also performed with the Berlin Philharmonic, the London Symphony Orchestra, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, the New Jersey Symphony, the Rochester Philharmonic, and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir among several other ensembles.

Fleming in April 2008

In 2006, Fleming performed a solo concert at the Lyric Opera of Chicago with Sir Andrew Davis, sang Violetta in Verdi's La traviata with Los Angeles Opera, and returned to the Met to sing Manon and Rodelinda. She also sang Violetta again in the Metropolitan Opera's touring production to Japan and gave several recitals and concerts throughout the United States, Italy, Russia, and Sweden. She also sang in the Vienna Philharmonic's concert celebrating Mozart's 250th Birthday which was broadcast live internationally.

In 2007, Fleming sang Violetta with the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Tatyana in Eugene Onegin at the Metropolitan Opera, Arabella with Zurich Opera, and Thaïs at the Théâtre du Châtelet, Royal Opera, Vienna State Opera, and the Liceu. She also performed 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 China Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Los Angeles Philharmonic among others, and performed at numerous music festivals including the Salzburg Festival and the Lincoln Center Festival. She also gave recitals throughout Southeast Asia, Germany, and Switzerland.

In 2008, Fleming sang Violetta and Desdemona at the Metropolitan Opera, die Gräfin in Capriccio at the Vienna State Opera, Tatyana at the Tanglewood Festival, and Lucrezia Borgia at the Washington National Opera.

In 2009, Fleming created the complete version of Le Temps L'Horloge, the latest work of famous French composer Henri Dutilleux. She sang Violetta at Covent Garden and Thaïs and Rusalka at the Metropolitan Opera, the Marschallin at the Baden Baden Festival, the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées and the Metropolitan Opera. She sang a variety of short pieces at Napa Valley's Festival Del Sole in California.

During the 2009-2010 Metropolitan Opera season Fleming will sing the Marschallin and in Mary Zimmerman's new production, the first at the Met, of Rossini's Armida, a role and production she will return to during the Met's 2010-2011 Season along with die Gäfin in Strauss's "Capriccio".

Personal life

Fleming married Rick Ross, an actor, and they have two daughters together, Amelia and Sage. The couple divorced in 2000.

Fleming has expressed her support for same-sex marriage to an LGBT rights website, stating “I believe that marriage should be recognized as a... union of two individuals who care deeply for each other and wish to share their lives with each other." Extracurricular pronouncements such as these are typical of the soprano and her handler's publicity and pandering stunts. They are insincere pronouncements because the soprano's paycheck is usually written, not by LGBT fans, but by the hand of right-wing, Republican benefactors and philanthropists.

Popular recordings

Fleming has released a number of music recordings on the Decca label, which is part of the Universal Music Group. She recorded a jazz album in 2005 entitled Haunted Heart. She also appears on the soundtrack of the 2003 film The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King in which she sings in the imagined language Sindarin. Her voice, along with those of Isabel Bayrakdarian and Sheila Chandra are considered musically representative of Arwen, and by extension the Elves. Her singing is heard when Arwen sees a vision of her child (cue: Twilight & Shadow), when Gandalf confronts the Nazgûl at Minas Tirith, when Gollum first holds the Ring (cue: The End of All Things), when the eagles carry Frodo and Sam off Mt. Doom (cue: 'The Eagles' from The End of All Things) and when Arwen is revealed at Aragorn's coronation (cue: 'Arwen Revealed' from The Return of The King). Renee Fleming also recorded the duet "O soave fanciulla" with Michael Bolton. Her album Dark Hope, to be released in June 2010, features covers of songs by Leonard Cohen, Band of Horses, Jefferson Airplane and others.. The release of this dreck typifies the soprano and her handler's publicity and pandering stunts. It represents a desperate attempt at reviving rapidly moribund "classical" record sales while serving to dig its grave. The artistic worth/contribution of this endeavor is a yet unknown figure to the far left of zero. Renee Fleming is determined to be adored and to foolishly reincarnate Beverly Sills and is also trying hard to compete with the popular (for all the wrong reasons) Susan Boyle, the lower and more vulgar the better. But where Boyle is a freak accident like David Helfgott years earlier, Fleming's operatic and classical singing has long been filtered in like manner, all glossy jazz and blues, the lower and more vulgar the better, and nothing to do with the traditional approach such music demands.

TV, radio and record guest appearances

Fleming performs at We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial on January 18, 2009.

Fleming has a notable sense of humor. She appeared on the children's show Sesame Street singing a lively rendition of "Caro nome" from Rigoletto, replacing the traditional Italian text with lyrics intended to aid children learning to count.

She has performed several times on Garrison Keillor's popular public radio program A Prairie Home Companion.

Fleming appeared as a "Special Guest Vocalist" on Joe Jackson's 1994 album Night Music on the song "Lullaby."

Fleming performed "I'll Be Home For Christmas" on ABC's The View on December 18, 2008.

She performed on January 18, 2009 at We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial, singing the Rodgers and Hammerstein classic "You'll Never Walk Alone" with the combined choirs of the United States Naval Academy.

Repertory

Year (debut)	Role	Composer	Opera	Location
1978	Laurie Moss	Aaron Copland	The Tender Land	Crane School of Music - SUNY Potsdam
1979	Alison (wife)	Gustav Holst	The Wandering Scholar	Crane School of Music - SUNY Potsdam
1980	Elsie Maynard	Gilbert & Sullivan	The Yeomen of the Guard	Crane School of Music - SUNY Potsdam
1981	Zerlina	Mozart	Don Giovanni	Eastman School
1982	Anne Sexton	Conrad Susa	Transformations	Aspen Music Festival & School
1983	Countess Almaviva	Mozart	Le Nozze di Figaro	Aspen Music Festival & School
1983	Musetta	Puccini	La Boheme	Juilliard Opera Center
1986	Konstanze	Mozart	Die Entführung aus dem Serail	Salzburg Landestheather
1986	Fraquita	Bizet	Carmen	Virginia Opera
1986	Belle Fezziwig, Martha Cratchit, Laundress, Rosie	Thea Musgave	A Christman Carol, The Opera	Virginia Opera
1987	the Wife	Menotti	Tamu Tamu	Juilliard Opera Center
1988	Thalie, Clarine, La Folie	Jean-Philippe Rameau	Platée	Piccolo Teatro Dell Opera
1988	Pamina	Mozart	Die Zauberflöte	Virginia Opera
1989	Mimi	Puccini	La Boheme	New York City Opera
1989	Dirce	Cherubini	Médée	Royal Opera at Covent Garden
1989	Imogene	Bellini	Il Pirata	Opera Orchestra of New York
1990	Rusalka	Dvořák	Rusalka	Seattle Opera
1990	Micaela	Bizet	Carmen	New York City Opera
1990	Lucrezia Borgia	Donizetti	Lucrezia Borgia	Opera Orchestra of New York
1990	Maria Padilla	Donizetti	Maria Padilla	Omaha Opera
1991	Rosina	Corigliano	The Ghosts of Versailles	Metropolitan Opera
1991	Ilia	Mozart	Idomeneo	Tanglewood Festival
1991	Amina	Bellini	La Sonnambula	Carnegie Hall
1991	Thaïs	Massenet	Thaïs	Washington Concert Opera
1991	Sandrina	Mozart	La Finta Giardiniera	Paris, Salle Pleyel
1992	La Contessa di Folleville	Rossini	Il Viaggio a Reims	Royal Opera at Covent Garden
1992	Fiordiligi	Mozart	Così fan tutte	Grand Théâtre de Genève
1992	Anna	Boieldieu	La dame blanche	Carnegie Hall
1992	Fortuna	Mozart	Il sogno di Scipione	Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center
1992	Tatyana	Tchikovsky	Eugene Onegin	Dallas Opera
1993	Armida	Rossini	Armida	Pesaro, Rossini Festival
1993	Donna Elvira	Mozart	Don Giovanni	La Scala
1993	Alaide	Bellini	La Straniera	Carnegie Hall
1993	Susannah	Floyd	Susannah	Lyric Opera of Chicago
1993	Lulu	Alban Berg	Lulu	Metropolitan Opera
1993	Jenůfa	Leoš Janáček	Jenůfa	Dallas Opera
1994	Desdemona	Verdi	Otello	Metropolitan Opera
1994	Ellen Orford	Britten	Peter Grimes	Metropolitan Opera
1994	Madame de Tourvel	Conrad Susa	The Dangerous Liaisons	San Francisco Opera
1994	Salome	Massenet	Hérodiade	San Francisco Opera
1994	Rosmonda Clifford	Donizetti	Rosmonda d'Inghilterra	Opera Rara
1995	Marschallin	R. Strauss	Der Rosenkavalier	Houston Grand Opera
1995	Amelia	Verdi	Simone Boccanegra	Royal Opera at Covent Garden
1996	Marguerite	Gounod	Faust	Lyric Opera of Chicago
1996	Donna Anna	Mozart	Don Giovanni	Opéra National de Paris
1996	Eva	Wagner	Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg	Bayreuth Festival
1997	Manon	Massenet	Manon	Opéra Bastille
1998	Arabella	R. Strauss	Arabella	Houston Grand Opera
1998	Blanche DuBois	André Previn	A Streetcar named Desire	San Francisco Opera
1999	Alcina	Handel	Alcina	Paris Opera
1999	Lousie	Charpentier	Louise	San Francisco Opera
2003	Violetta	Verdi	La Traviata	Houston Grand Opera
2004	Rodelinda	Handel	Rodelinda	Metropolitan Opera
2004	die Gräfin	R. Strauss	Capriccio	Palais Garnier
2005	Daphne	R. Strauss	Daphne	University of Michigan

CD

• Donizetti: Rosmonda d'Inghilterra Opera Rara 1994
• Strauss Four Last Songs RCA 1996
• Visions of Love - Mozart Arias Decca 1996
• Schubert Lieder Decca 1997
• Signatures Opera arias By Mozart, Verdi, Britten, Strauss, w. Georg Solti, Decca 1997
• Elijah (Mendelssohn) Decca 1997
• The Beautiful Voice Decca 1998
• I Want Magic American Opera Arias, Decca 1998
• Star Crossed Lovers Duets with Plácido Domingo, Decca 1999
• Strauss Heroines Decca 1999
• Requiem (Verdi) with Olga Borodina and Ildebrando D'Arcangelo, conducted by Valery Gergiev, Philips 2001
• Renée Fleming Decca 2001
• Night Songs Lieder by Debussy, Fauré, Marx, Strauss, Rachmaninov, Decca 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: Cosi fan tutte Decca
• Handel: Alcina Erato
• Rossini: Armida Sony (live)
• Mozart: Don Giovanni Decca (CD)
• Massenet: Herodiade Sont (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
• Four Last Songs by Richard Strauss Decca 2008
• "Verismo - Aries of Puccini, Mascagni,Cilea, Giordano, Leoncavallo" Decca 2009

DVD

• Tchaikovsky: Eugene Onegin Decca 2007 (DVD)
• Strauss, R: Arabella Decca 2008 (DVD)
• Verdi: La traviata Decca (DVD)
• Mozart: Don Giovanni (DVD)
• Mozart: The Marriage of Figaro (DVD)
• Massenet: Manon (DVD)
• Strauss, R: Daphne Decca
• Strauss, R: Arabella Decca
• Strauss, R: Der Rosenkavalier Decca
• Verdi: Otello (DVD)
• Dvořák: Rusalka Decca
• Massenet: Thaïs Decca
• Metropolitan Opera: The Audition (DVD)

Honors

• In 2000, Chef Daniel Boulud named a dessert, La Diva Renée, after her.

Sources

• Fleming, Renée. The Inner Voice: the Making of a Singer. Paperback ed. New York: Penguin Group, 2004. ISBN 9780143035947

External links

• Renée Fleming's official website
• Renée Fleming - Fansite
• Renée Fleming Fansite with interview and performance videos
• Allmusic pop music entry - Renée Fleming
• Allmusic classical music entry-- Renée Fleming
• NPR interview-- Renée Fleming
• Renee Fleming Topic at The New York Times