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Renée Fleming

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Renée Fleming is an American soprano and actress, born on 14 February 1959. She sings opera, concert works and songs, appears in the theatre and in films, and performs at major public occasions. She has a full lyric soprano and has sung roles in Italian, German, French, Czech, Russian and her native English. In 2008 she became the first woman in the 125-year history of the Metropolitan Opera to headline, as a soloist, the opening gala of a season.

Music and breakthrough

She made many albums, such as Visions of Love: Mozart Arias in 1996, The Schubert Album in 1997, Rusalka in 1998 and Strauss's Four Last Songs in 1996. A large part of her career she devoted to new music. Composers such as André Previn, Caroline Shaw, Kevin Puts, Henri Dutilleux, Brad Mehldau and Wayne Shorter wrote operas, concert pieces and songs for her. The conductor Georg Solti said that in his long life he had perhaps heard two sopranos of such quality.

Influence

She is unusual for an opera singer because she also became known outside the classical world. She sang and recorded with artists such as Luciano Pavarotti, Lou Reed, Wynton Marsalis, Paul Simon, Sting and Joe Jackson. She sang on the soundtracks of The Shape of Water and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, and she is the only classical singer to have sung the American national anthem at the Super Bowl. For her work she received five Grammys and the National Medal of Arts. She shows that an opera voice can also belong in pop and jazz.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to her recording of Rusalka and notice the voice against the orchestra. Do you hear how full and warm the tone sounds?

Discography

Studio albums

See also

Categories: Artists