Renée Fleming In-depth Biography
Soprano Renée Fleming} was born February 14, 1959 in Indiana, PA and raised in Rochester, NY; while at the State University of New York (SUNY) at Potsdam, she studied voice under Patricia Misslin}, and after completing her graduate studies at Rochester's Eastman School of Music she attended the Juilliard School's American Opera Center from 1983 to 1987 under the tutelage of Beverly Johnson}. Fleming} made her professional debut in 1986 as Konstanze in Mozart's} Die Entführung aus dem Serail}, and a year later earned top honors at the Eleanor McCollum Competition in Houston; the exposure helped her land the star-making role of the Contessa in a revival of Mozart's} Le nozze di Figaro}, and in 1989 she made her New York City debut in La Bohème}. After making her London bow as Glauce in Cherubini's} Médée} later that same year, Fleming} returned to New York in 1991 to make her Metropolitan debut with a return to Le nozze di Figaro}. Just months later she starred in the world premiere of Corigliano's} The Ghosts of Versailles}. Other roles Fleming} created include her 1994 turn as Madam de Tourvel in Susa's} The Dangerous Liaisons} and her 1998 performance as Blanche DuBois in André Previn's} A Streetcar Named Desire}. That same year, she made her recording debut with The Beautiful Voice}. Star Crossed Lovers}, her second for Polygram}, followed in 1999. She went on to win a Grammy for "Best Classic Vocal Performance" for The Beautiful Voice}. By the new millennium, Fleming} was on a roll. A self-titled album appeared in 2000; the glorious opera effort Bel Canto} was issued in fall 2002. The release marked Fleming's most ambitious moment yet. Haunted Heart}, which featured collaborations with Fred Hersch} and Bill Frisell}, was released in May 2005. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide
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