Renée Fleming facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Renée Fleming
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Fleming in 2010
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| Born | February 14, 1959 Indiana, Pennsylvania, U.S.
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| Occupation | Singer (lyric soprano), actress, arts advocate |
| Spouse(s) |
Rick Ross
(m. 1989; div. 2000)Tim Jessell
(m. 2011) |
| Children | 2 |
Renée Lynn Fleming (born February 14, 1959) is a famous American singer and actress. She is known for her amazing performances in opera, concerts, and even movies. Renée Fleming has won many awards, including five Grammy Awards. In 2023, she received the special Kennedy Center Honors award. She is also known for being one of the few opera singers who is famous outside of classical music.
Renée Fleming has a beautiful and powerful voice called a lyric soprano. She can sing many different types of opera roles in several languages, like Italian, German, and French. She also loves to perform new music written just for her by modern composers. In 2008, she made history as the first woman to be the main star on the opening night of the Metropolitan Opera (the Met). A famous conductor, Sir Georg Solti, once said that he had only met two sopranos with her incredible singing quality in his long life.
Beyond opera, Renée Fleming has sung many different styles of music, including jazz and even indie rock. She has performed with many famous artists like Luciano Pavarotti, Lou Reed, and Sting. She has also acted on Broadway and in plays in other cities. You might have heard her voice in movie soundtracks, including two films that won the Academy Award for Best Picture: The Shape of Water and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. She is also the only classical singer to have performed the US National Anthem at the Super Bowl!
Renée Fleming also speaks often about how music can help our health and brains. In 2023, the World Health Organization named her a Goodwill Ambassador for Arts and Health. She even published a book in 2024 called Music and Mind: Harnessing the Arts for Health and Wellness.
Contents
Early Life and Music Journey
Renée Fleming was born on February 14, 1959, in Indiana, Pennsylvania. Both of her parents were music teachers, so she grew up surrounded by music. She went to Churchville-Chili High School in Churchville, New York.
She studied music at the State University of New York at Potsdam. While there, she also sang jazz with a band in a local bar! She later chose to continue her music studies at the Eastman School of Music and then the Juilliard School. She spent summers at the Aspen Music Festival and School, where she performed in early opera roles. In 1985, she won a Fulbright Scholarship to study music in Europe.
Her Amazing Career
Renée Fleming started her professional singing career while still a student. Her big break came in 1988 when she won the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. This helped her get noticed by major opera companies. That same year, she sang the role of the Countess in The Marriage of Figaro for the first time at the Houston Grand Opera. This became one of her most famous roles.
In 1989, she made her debut with the New York City Opera and The Royal Opera in London. In 1990, she received the important Richard Tucker Award. She also sang the main role in Rusalka for the first time, which became another one of her signature roles.
First Performances and Big Debuts
In 1991, Renée Fleming made her debut at the famous Metropolitan Opera in New York City. She stepped in to replace another singer and sang the Countess in Le nozze di Figaro. She also sang in the world premiere of a new opera, The Ghosts of Versailles. She performed at Carnegie Hall and the Tanglewood Music Festival.
Throughout the 1990s, she continued to perform in many major opera houses around the world. She sang in operas like Così fan tutte, The Magic Flute, and Otello. She also started singing the role of the Marschallin in Der Rosenkavalier, which became a very special role for her. In 1996, she signed a big recording contract with Decca, becoming the first American singer in 31 years to do so.
New Roles and Special Moments
In 1998, Renée Fleming created the role of Blanche DuBois in the world premiere of André Previn's opera A Streetcar Named Desire. This was a very important new role for her. Her album The Beautiful Voice won her a Grammy Award in 1999. She even performed for President Bill Clinton at the White House.
In the 2000s, she continued to sing leading roles at the Met and other major opera houses. In 2002, she sang on the soundtrack for The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. She also went on a big concert tour around the world. In 2004, she published her first book, The Inner Voice: The Making of a Singer.
On September 22, 2008, Renée Fleming made history at the Met. She was the first woman in the Met's 125-year history to be the solo star on opening night. She sang parts from three of her favorite operas. This performance was even shown live on big screens in Times Square!
Broadway and Beyond
From 2011 onwards, Renée Fleming continued to perform in operas and concerts worldwide. She sang at the wedding of Prince Albert II of Monaco and at the opening of the Royal Opera House in Oman. In 2014, she performed the role of Blanche Dubois again in A Streetcar Named Desire in New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles.
In 2015, Renée Fleming made her debut on Broadway in a comedy play called Living on Love. She played an opera diva, which was a fun new challenge. In 2018, she was nominated for a Tony Award for her role in the Broadway musical Carousel. She also sang "Danny Boy" at Senator John McCain's funeral.
In 2019, she performed in a new play called Norma Jeane Baker of Troy and starred in the London premiere of the musical The Light in the Piazza. She also premiered a new work by composer Kevin Puts called The Brightness of Light. In 2022, she returned to the Met to sing in the world premiere of Kevin Puts' opera The Hours.
Music and Health Advocacy
Renée Fleming is a strong supporter of studying how music affects our health and brains. In 2016, she became an Artistic Advisor for the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. There, she started a program called Sound Health with the National Institutes of Health (NIH). This program brings together scientists and music therapists to learn more about how music helps our minds and bodies.
She gives talks around the world called "Music and the Mind." These talks explain how music can help with health and brain research. In 2020, she launched a weekly online show called "Music and Mind LIVE" during the COVID-19 pandemic. She talked with experts about music, health, and wellness.
Helping Others
Renée Fleming also uses her fame to help others. She has supported and served on the board of Sing For Hope, an organization that brings music programs to schools and hospitals. She has also helped raise money for AIDS research and the Rainforest Foundation Fund. She is a trustee of Carnegie Hall and helps young singers learn the art of song recitals. She also supports the Polyphony Foundation, which brings Israeli youth together through music.
Famous Roles
Renée Fleming is known for many special roles in operas. Some of her most famous include:
- Countess Almaviva in Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro
- Desdemona in Verdi's Otello
- Violetta in Verdi's La traviata
- The main role in Dvořák's Rusalka
- The main roles in Massenet's Manon and Thaïs
- Tatyana in Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin
- The main role in Richard Strauss's Arabella
- The Marschallin in Strauss's Der Rosenkavalier
- The Countess in Strauss's Capriccio
- Blanche DuBois in André Previn's A Streetcar Named Desire
Recordings
Renée Fleming has released many recordings throughout her career.
Audio Albums
- Strauss Four Last Songs (1996)
- Visions of Love – Mozart Arias (1996)
- Rusalka (1997)
- The Beautiful Voice (1998)
- I Want Magic American Opera Arias (1998)
- Strauss Heroines (1999)
- Bel Canto Arias (2002)
- Under the Stars Broadway Duets with Bryn Terfel (2003)
- Haunted Heart (2005)
- Love Sublime (2006)
- Dark Hope (2010) (a collection of indie rock covers!)
- Christmas in New York (2014)
- Distant Light (2017)
- Renée Fleming: Broadway (2018)
- Voice of Nature: the Anthropocene (2021)
- Renée Fleming: Greatest Moments at the Met (2023)
Video Recordings
- Mozart: The Marriage of Figaro (1999)
- Verdi: Otello (2004)
- Tchaikovsky: Eugene Onegin (2007)
- Strauss, R: Arabella (2008)
- Dvořák: Rusalka (2009)
- Massenet: Thaïs (2010)
- Handel: Rodelinda (2012)
- Puts: The Hours (2022)
Honors and Awards
Renée Fleming has received many important awards and honors:
- 1999: Grammy Award for Best Classical Vocal Solo for The Beautiful Voice.
- 2003: Grammy Award for Best Classical Vocal Performance for Bel Canto.
- 2003: Honorary membership in the Royal Academy of Music.
- 2005: Made a Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur by the French government.
- 2008: Awarded the Polar Music Prize, a very important music award.
- 2009: Grammy Award for Best Classical Vocal Performance for Verismo.
- 2011: Received the Fulbright Lifetime Achievement Medal.
- 2013: Received her fourth Grammy Award for Best Classical Vocal Solo for Poèmes.
- 2013: Awarded the 2012 National Medal of Arts by President Barack Obama.
- 2015: Received the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany.
- 2017: Her album Signatures was chosen for the National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress.
- 2018: An asteroid, 31249 Renéefleming, was named in her honor!
- 2023: Won her fifth Grammy Award for Best Classical Vocal Solo for Voice of Nature: the Anthropocene.
- 2023: Awarded the Crystal Award at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
- 2023: Received the Kennedy Center Honors.
Images for kids
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Fleming singing onstage with an orchestra
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Renée Fleming in NY in 2008
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Fleming with husband Tim Jessell
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Fleming performs at We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial on January 18, 2009.
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Renée Fleming speaking at NIH May 2019
See also
In Spanish: Renée Fleming para niños
