Renée Fleming to give benefit recital

Fleming

In her first professional appearance in Rochester, Fleming (who grew up in the area and still has family here) will perform classic songs by Schubert, Mendelssohn, Gounod, Debussy, Gershwin, and others. In addition, she will perform the world premiere of a new work by former classmate Craig Harris '83 (Mas), '86 (PhD), now a Minneapolis-based composer, performer, educator, and new-media artist. Fleming will be accompanied by pianist Richard Bado, another member of Eastman's Class of '83 (receiving a master's). A conductor as well as a pianist, Bado is the head of the music staff and chorus master at the Houston Grand Opera.

According to The Boston Globe, Fleming has "stepped into the inner circle of the leading singers of our time." She has an international following and has made numerous appearances at the Metropolitan Opera, as well as at Covent Garden, La Scala, Paris Opera, Vienna State Opera, and other leading opera houses around the world. She also has appeared as soloist with most of the world's leading orchestras, including the New York Philharmonic, the London Symphony Orchestra, and the Berlin Philharmonic. She has collaborated with such maestros as Zubin Mehta, André Previn, and the late Sir Georg Solti--an ardent admirer who once said that Fleming "...has an innate musicianship, which makes every performance a great joy."

Fleming has received numerous honors and awards since her arrival on the professional music scene in the early 1990s. Just last month she received three 1999 Gramophone Awards: "Recording of the Year" and the "Opera Award" for Rusalka, and the "Recital Award" for I Want Magic--two of her recent recordings. Earlier this year, she won a Grammy Award (in the "Best Classical Vocal Performance" category) for her CD The Beautiful Voice. Fleming's newest CD, Strauss Heroines, was released in September.

Discount tickets for the recital are available to University students, faculty, and staff with ID. A limited amount of patron seating, which includes a post-concert reception at the Brasserie, also may be available. Tickets may be purchased at Ticket Express, 100 East Ave., or by calling 222-5000. Any unsold tickets will be available at the theater box office one hour before the start of the recital.

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