Renée Fleming’s luminous sound, brilliant stage presence and superb artistry are just a few of the qualities that make her one of the world’s most beloved and recognizable figures. Her freshness and purity of tone, together with an exceptional musical intelligence and grace, continue to enchant audiences worldwide. As a passionate champion of creativity in the arts, she continues to be a proponent of new music and an advocate of overlooked masterpieces.

Ms. Fleming’s 2007-08 season brings her to the opera houses of New York, Chicago and Vienna. She appears in two of her signature roles with the Metropolitan Opera: Violetta in La traviata, in November 2007, and Desdemona in Otello, in February 2008. She repeats La traviata for the Lyric Opera of Chicago in January 2008, and in June, she appears at the Vienna State Opera in a new production of Strauss’ Capriccio.

A much-loved and warmly welcomed artist throughout the world, Ms. Fleming performs at the 2007-08 season gala opening nights of the National Symphony Orchestra, the San Francisco Symphony and the Los Angeles Philharmonic; and in November 2007, the Dallas Opera presents her in solo concert to celebrate their 50th Anniversary. Other highlights include the world premiere of the song cycle Le Temps L’Horloge, written for her by Henri Dutilleux, which she debuts in September with Seiji Ozawa at the Saito Kinen Festival in Japan, and repeats in November with James Levine and the Boston Symphony Orchestra, which brings it to New York’s Carnegie Hall in December. In Spring 2008, Ms. Fleming performs and records Strauss’ Four Last Songs with the Munich Philharmonic under Christian Thielemann.

In November 2007, Decca releases the Los Angeles Opera’s production of La traviata on DVD, featuring Renée Fleming, Rolando Villazon and Renato Bruson. A two-time Grammy winner, Ms. Fleming’s most recent CD, entitled Homage – The Age of the Diva, was released in the fall of 2006 and is comprised of rarely-heard works associated with legendary singers of the past. In recent years, this nine-time Grammy nominated artist has recorded everything from Strauss’ complete Daphne to the jazz recording Haunted Heart, to the movie soundtrack of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, and has been honored with a 2006 Echo Award for her recording of Strauss’ Daphne, as well as the Classical Brits Awards in 2004 for Outstanding Contribution to Music and in 2003 for Female Artist of the Year. In May 2007, TDK’s DVD production of Capriccio, with Ms. Fleming singing the title role, was awarded the Prix Maria Callas Orphée d’Or by the Académie du Disque Lyric, which awarded her the inaugural Prix Solti Orphée d’Or in 1996.

Renée Fleming’s artistry has been an inspiration to many other prominent artists, such as Chuck Close and Robert Wilson, whose portraits of her were included in the Metropolitan Opera’s 2007 fund-raising auction. A portrait of Ms. Fleming was also created by Francesco Clemente, who displayed the work at Salzburg’s Easter Festival in Spring 2007. Among her numerous awards are the Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur by the French government (2005), which was preceded by the Commandeur de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (2002); Honorary Membership in the Royal Academy of Music (2003); and a 2003 honorary doctorate from The Juilliard School, where she was also commencement speaker.

An advocate for literacy, Renée Fleming has been featured in promotional campaigns for the Association of American Publishers (Get Caught Reading), and the Magazine Publishers of America’s READ poster campaign for the American Library Association. She was honored by The New York Public Library as a “Library Lion.” Her book, “The Inner Voice,” was published by Viking Penguin in 2004, and released in paperback by Penguin the following year. An intimate account of her career and creative process, the book is also published in France by Fayard Editions, in the United Kingdom by Virgin Books, by Henschel Verlag in Germany, and Shunjusha in Japan.

In addition to her work on stage and in recordings, Renée Fleming has represented Rolex timepieces in print advertising since 2001. Master Chef Daniel Boulud has created the dessert “La Diva Renée” (1999) in her honor, and she has inspired the “Renée Fleming Iris” (2004), which is being replicated in porcelain by Boehm. Having been added to Mr. Blackwell’s best dressed list in 2001, her gowns have been designed by Gianfranco Ferré, Issey Miyake, Bill Blass, Vivienne Westwood, Angel Sanchez, Oscar de la Renta and John Galliano for Dior.

Renée Fleming, who was born in Pennsylvania and grew up in Rochester, New York, studied at The Juilliard School, holds degrees from the State University of New York at Potsdam and the Eastman School of Music, and was a Fulbright Scholar for study in Germany. Early awards included the Metropolitan Opera National Auditions, the Richard Tucker Award, and the George London Prize. She is currently a member of the Board of Trustees of the Carnegie Hall Corporation and of the Advisory Board of the White Nights Foundation of America.

American soprano Renée Fleming is recognized worldwide for her compelling artistry, beautiful sound and interpretive talents. A sought-after performer on stage and recordings, the two-time Grammy Award winner is a champion of new music, as well as the standard repertoire, having created many roles for the operatic stage and commissioned and premiered numerous songs. Praised by critics as “an inspired scene painter, mood setter, storyteller, risk taker,” Ms. Fleming continues to perform with today’s pre-eminent orchestras and conductors throughout the world.

Following an acclaimed 2002-03 season in which she made her US stage debuts in Bellini’s Il Pirata at the Metropolitan Opera and Massenet’s Thaïs at the Lyric Opera of Chicago, as well as performed her first-ever Violetta in Houston Grand Opera’s spring 2003 production of La Traviata, Fleming spent most of summer 2003 in Europe. Engagements included the Mariinski 300th Anniversary Gala in St. Petersburg, in London, concert versions of Previn’s A Streetcar Named Desire with the London Symphony Orchestra at the Barbican and Rusalka with the Royal Opera at Covent Garden, recitals at Belgium’s Theatre de la Monnaie, Berlin’s Deutsche Oper and at Poland’s international festival Wratislavia Cantans, as well as orchestral performances with the Bayerischen Staatsorchester in Munich and with the Boston Symphony at Tanglewood.

Fleming’s 2003-04 season begins in September with opening night galas. Following the Dallas Symphony Orchestra’s opening night gala, Ms. Fleming opens the Metropolitan Opera’s season on September 29 with La Traviata (additional performances in October, November 2003 and February/March 2004). In November, she performs with the Orchestra del Teatro Communale di Bologna at Italy’s Teatro Communale, and appears twice at Prague’s Smetana Hall (first in a benefit honoring the retirement of Czech President Vaclev Havel, and then in an orchestral concert with the Prague Symphony Orchestra). In December, she begins the first leg of an international tour entitled “The Best of Renée Fleming,” performing at seven major halls with three orchestras in four countries; the first two concerts are with the Orchestra of St. Luke’s at Philadelphia’s Kimmel Center and then at New York’s Carnegie Hall. Also in December, she performs in “Christmas in Washington” which will be telecast live nationwide from Washington, DC on TNT December 14 and at the New York Philharmonic’s “Live From Lincoln Center” New Year’s Eve Gala telecast on PBS December 31.

January 2004 begins the second leg of the “The Best of Renée Fleming” tour accompanied by the Munich Symphony Orchestra at Paris’ Chatelet, Munich’s Prinzregenten Theatre and Dortmund’s Konzerthaus. Ms. Fleming then returns to the United States to curate a residency at Washington, DC’s Kennedy Center, which includes two orchestral performances with the National Symphony Orchestra, a duo-recital with Susan Graham, and master classes (late January/early February). On February 17 she performs again at Carnegie Hall, this time as part of a “Schubertiade” with James Levine at the piano. In March 2004 she appears in the concert version of Daphne with the WDR Symphony Orchestra in Germany (which will be taped for telecast on the WDR network), and begins the third leg of “The Best of Renée Fleming” tour accompanied by the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra at Birmingham’s Symphony Hall, the BBC Scottish Orchestra at Edinburgh’s Usher Hall and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at London’s Royal Festival Hall. Fleming makes a guest appearance at the star-studded Juilliard Jazz Gala on March 31, and appears in a three nights-only reprisal of one of her signature roles, Rusalka, at The Metropolitan Opera in late April/early May 2004. She appears in eight recitals throughout North America in spring 2004: in February at Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center and Naples Philharmonic Center for the Arts (Florida), and in April at the Capitol Theatre (Columbus, Ohio), Toronto’s Roy Thomson Hallv(Toronto, Canada), William Jewel College (Kansas City, MO), Sheldon Concert Hall (St. Louis, MO), Orchestra Hall (Chicago, IL) and the State Theatre (New Brunswick, NJ). Summer 2004 engagements include Fleming’s first ever production of Capriccio with the Opera National de Paris (June and July), and appearances at music festivals throughout the United States, including Tanglewood, Ravinia and the Hollywood Bowl (August).

A celebrated artist in the recording arena with numerous award-winning discs to her credit, including two Grammys and eight Grammy nominations, Renée Fleming has been an exclusive recording artist with Decca since 1995. Her fall 2003 release, Renée Fleming By Request is a collection of selected works from her recording catalog plus a few new additions, including "Sempre Libera" from La Traviata. Recent releases include the Grammy Award winning Bel Canto, a collection of works by Bellini, Donizetti and Rossini, which also received the 2003 Edison Vocal Soloist Award; two collaborative recordings: Under The Stars, a selection of Broadway show tunes and popular songs with baritone Bryn Terfel, and Night Songs with Jean-Yves Thibaudet, featuring works by Fauré, Debussy, Marx, Strauss and Rachmaninoff (awarded Best Lieder Recital award at Germany’s 2002 Echo Classical Music Awards); and an aria album entitled Renée Fleming.

Fleming’s achievements within the classical music industry have been recognized with many honors, the most recent being the 2003 Female Artist of the Year from the Classical Brits Awards, an honorary doctorate from The Juilliard School in May 2003 (where she was also the commencement speaker), and the Commandeur de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres from the Republic of France (awarded summer 2002). Earlier awards include the 1996 Solti Prize of l'Académie du Disque Lyrique (the first such award given) for her outstanding recording artistry, and the 1997 Musical America Vocalist of the Year. She was named one of the top ten classical singers of the 90’s by Associated Press, and was the recipient of the 2000 Gift of Music Award from the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, given to individuals who have made a significant contribution to the world of classical music.

Outside of the classical music world, Fleming’s artistry has been acknowledged as well, from appearing in advertising campaigns to serving as an inspiration for award-winning novelists. She has represented Rolex’s timepieces since 2001. People Magazine named her one of the “25 Most Intriguing People” of 2000, and in 1999, master chef Daniel Boulud of the famed New York restaurant Daniel paid homage to her with the creation of "La Diva Renée," placing her in a legendary pantheon. The novelist Ann Patchett referred to her as the inspiration for the main character in her latest best-selling book, Bel Canto. Couturier Gianfranco Ferre has designed Ms. Fleming’s stage gowns since 1998, Issey Miyake has created several gowns for her, and in 2001 she was named to Mr. Blackwell’s celebrated “best-dressed” list. In May 2004 at Pacifica Flora, Japan’s international horticultural exhibition, the “Renée Fleming” iris, named in her honor, will be unveiled.

Renée Fleming studied at The Juilliard School and holds degrees from the State University of New York at Potsdam and the Eastman School of Music. Early recognition in Fleming’s career includes the 1988 Metropolitan Opera National Auditions, the Richard Tucker Award, the George London Prize, the Grand Prix at the International Singing Competition in Belgium, and a Fulbright Scholarship to Germany.